When MCPS bus driver Mike Maupin officially begins using the district’s newest school bus, passengers are sure to detect that “new car” smell. But they’ll also feel something different as well: air conditioning.
That’s because the newest bus in the Transportation Department’s fleet is the first MCPS school bus to include AC. Although it’s unlikely that AC was needed the first afternoon the bus officially began transporting students, Maupin’s wife Stacy, who serves as an assistant on the bus, said she was confident students would be excited about the new vehicle.
She also joked that students might not believe they were on the correct bus. Students had known for some time that their route would be receiving a new bus with air conditioning, but they didn’t know when.
The new bus, which is number 241, replaces Maupin’s former bus, number 161. His route serves students in the St. Joe area of the county.
The bus, an International with a Cummins engine, also includes other upgrades such as new, more sophisticated security cameras and a 100-gallon fuel tank.
According to MCPS Transportation Director Mike Abell, the district plans for all new buses to include AC moving forward. Two other AC-equipped buses are in the process of being ordered.
