LAS CRUCES – Las Crucens may have noticed something a little shinier, brighter and yellower on area roads — new school buses.
Student Transportation Specialists of New Mexico has received 92 brand new school buses this calendar year, with eight more on the way, totaling 100. Out of the 126 routes in Las Cruces Public Schools managed by STS, few older buses will remain.
“It’s more comfortable,” said Dean Abrams, Las Cruces Transportation Federation Local #6341 bus driver union and bus driver of seven years. “The main thing is going to be in the summer with the air conditioning. Instead of 120 degrees or 125 in the bus, it’ll be nice now to be down into the 70s or 80s. That was the big issue we had.”
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This was part of the LCTF Local #6341 bus driver union’s latest negotiations that caused a one-day strike on Oct. 28, however, these buses would have been replaced either way.
According to Van Wamel, STS-NM general manager, it cost a little over $10 million to replace these 100 buses. Abrams said some of the old buses are kept as back-ups in case of necessary service and man are sold to Mexico.
Abrams said the lifespan of a route bus is 12 years, and they would be replaced no matter what. Activity buses and spare buses that aren’t used daily can be used for up to 20 years, according to New Mexico Public Education Department’s guidelines.
New buses are parked at the Student Transportation Specialists of New Mexico lot waiting to carry kids to and from school in Las Cruces on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. STS-NM will add 100 new buses to its fleet this year.
The 100 vehicles being replaced have been in service daily since 2010. The 26 remaining route buses will be replaced when they’ve reached their own 12-year marks.
Big upgrades on every bus
The buses are now equipped with air conditioning — three units in each. The 2010 buses had no air conditioning besides opening a window.
“It’s a whole big difference,” Wamel said. “The biggest difference is the air conditioning, obviously. Believe it or not, it was Jan. 13 yesterday, I was using mine in the afternoon.”
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But air isn’t the only upgrade. There is now functioning AM and FM radio and built-in intercom systems. Most of the old buses either had malfunctioning intercom systems or none at all.
Buses used for Las Cruces Public Schools students now have three to four cameras each. Student Transportation Services of NM added 100 new buses to its fleet this year. Pictured Friday, Jan. 14, 2022.
The new buses now have three to four cameras to monitor drivers and students. Two cameras watch the students, one watches the bus driver and one watches the road through the front window.
Buses for special education students — which Abrams drives full-time — have built-in car seats for students, meaning drivers don’t have to take external car seats in and out.
Special education buses used for Las Cruces Public Schools students now have built-in car seats. Student Transportation Services of NM added 100 new buses to its fleet this year. Pictured Friday, Jan. 14, 2022.
Abrams mentioned some other smaller convenient upgrades that the buses now have.
“The doors, when they open them now, the lights all come on (in the bus) which that didn’t happen in the old buses. You had to do it manually,” Abrams said.
Parents and students are noticing the upgrades, according to Abrams and Wamel.
“All the parents on my bus stops, they like them,” Wamel said. “The kids responded to me, they love the fact that I turn the air on now and the fact that the heater heats up fast, and they actually like the radio. They always ask me to play the radio.”
Still seeking bus drivers
The new buses aren’t the only big change in the world of school buses in Las Cruces.
A series of negotiations and protests over bus driver working conditions and pay led to the brief strike in October. Further negotiations in November led to a pay increase, raising the starting pay of STS-NM bus drivers from $13 to $15 per hour. Bus attendants’ starting pay is now $11.75 per hour.
A new sick leave policy will also begin on July 1, 2022. Drivers and attendants will earn one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Student Transportation Services of NM added 100 new buses to its fleet this year. Here’s the inside of one of the special education buses used for Las Cruces Public Schools students. Pictured Friday, Jan. 14, 2022.
STS-NM is hoping to hire 20 new bus drivers and increase retention in a field that functions like a revolving door, with new hires constantly being trained and employees leaving in a steady stream.
“It’s perfect for college students because they can book their classes around it,” Wamel said. “Then it’s a great job for retirees. It’s not a full-time job. You’re already retired or semi-retired, what have you. You don’t want to work a 9-to-5. You don’t want to work nights or weekends. This is perfect.”
Miranda Cyr, a Report for America corps member, can be reached at mcyr@lcsun-news.com or @mirandabcyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces has 100 new school buses. Take a look inside.
