Double battery leads to bus damage
NEWPORT, Ore. — An empty Lincoln County small bus suffered smoke damage caused by a short circuit in the electrical system. The driver attempted to put out the fire using an onboard extinguisher. The fire department was called, but it failed to stop the smoke by disconnecting the battery. Eventually, responders realized that the bus had a dual-battery system. The second battery was disconnected, ending the ordeal. Virginia school bus fleet goes automatic
FREDRICKSBURG, Va. — A new school bus procurement at Spotsylvania County Schools has marked a shift in some drivers’ routines. The 35 new buses are automatic transmissions — the first wave of non-manuals in the fleet. The lucky drivers were chosen based on seniority and employment records. The new vehicles, manufactured by Thomas Built Buses, include 23 64-passenger buses, two 77-passenger C2s and 10 small buses. Multiple bus accidents linked to heavy fog
MINDEN, Nev. — Officials at the Douglas County School District blamed two recent school bus accidents on dense fog. In the first incident, a bus traveling on a rural road was rear-ended. No one on the bus was injured. A back-up bus was then sent as a replacement and was also hit. Again, no one was injured.

Safer bus stop plan placed on hold
ORLANDO, Fla. — Plans for moving a bus stop where an Orange County student was killed by an SUV were put on hold recently. The plan to move the stop to a safer location away from a major highway was called insensitive because children using the new stop would have to walk through the backyard of the child who was killed.