Students across metro Atlanta pile into school buses without air conditioning

ATLANTA — There’s sweltering heat across metro Atlanta and students and bus drivers must endure it with each bus ride.

“He feels like he’s about to faint, he feels like he’s about to throw up,” said an Atlanta parent who didn’t want to be identified.

Worried school bus drivers from different metro Atlanta school districts reached out to Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln about their concerns with riding conditions in climbing temperatures.

The drivers told Channel 2 Action News off-camera that the temperatures inside the bus feel several degrees higher than being outside.

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“He’s riding three kids to a seat sometimes. Kids are standing up on the back of the bus because they don’t have window space, because they don’t have AC,” the parent said.

Lincoln checked with six metro Atlanta school districts and found several have fleets without air conditioning.

DeKalb County says they’ve taken an aggressive step towards updating their buses. Currently, the district says they have 950 buses and 300 currently have AC. The district says over the next two years, those 300 buses will be retrofitted with air conditioning.

Fulton County Public Schools sent Channel 2 Action News a statement saying;

“Fulton County Schools (FCS) maintains a fleet of 925 buses, 160 of which have air-conditioning, and those buses serve our special needs population. In September of 2023, FCS will receive 30 72-passenger buses to serve our general education students which will feature air-conditioning and three-point seatbelts.”

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Atlanta Public Schools say 55% of their fleet is equipped with air conditioning. The district says buses that are not equipped with air conditioning have mounted fans near the driver’s seat. The district went on to say they also provide bottled water and allow their bus drivers to cool off in school buildings between routes.

A district spokesperson with Cobb County Schools said their fleet includes 88 buses with air conditioning. Cobb Schools says there are fans on every bus, and they encourage students to bring water to stay hydrated during the hottest months of the year.

Channel 2 Action News also reached out to Clayton and Gwinnett County schools for a comment but has not yet received a response.

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