The Cobb County School District will spend nearly $6 million to replace some of its older buses with newer ones that will keep students cool during the summer months.
The system will buy a total of 52 buses, including buses for students with special needs, for $5.7 million. The buses purchased from Yancey Bus Sales and Services will have air-conditioning, the district said.
Cobb school board members unanimously approved the purchase at its April 22 meeting. The district will pay for the buses using Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue and other state and federal funding.
Marc Smith, chief technology and operations officer for the Cobb County School District, said the new buses will replace existing ones that will be taken out of service. The new buses will be evenly dispersed on transportation routes across the county, he said.
According to the school district’s website, Cobb schools has 1,174 buses that transport more than 72,000 students daily on 870 routes. District buses make more than 37,000 stops and travel over 68,000 miles each day, the district’s website added. Cobb schools also employs 875 bus drivers and 139 monitors, the district’s website says.