CMS Not Pulling Bus Model That Caught Fire

CHARLOTTE, NC — Two school buses catch fire, in less than a month. Tonight, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says it has a plan.

The plan includes a criminal investigation and safety drills for all drivers and staff. But CMS has no plans to pull buses with the same make and model as the two that burned.

The district says it doesn’t want to disrupt its transportation schedule. Tonight, families are asking: are CMS buses safe?

“Until we know the cause of the fire, it would be premature to pull these buses off the road,” says CMS Chief Operations Officer Carol Stamper.

Those buses are the Thomas Built CAT 3126 Freightliner. Two of them have burst into flames in the last month. CMS says there are 259 in their fleet.

Bus 364 burned October 19th, with students onboard. None of those students were injured.

Bus 188 was empty when it caught fire Tuesday.

Stamper says the investigation into the first fire was inconclusive. And the district has called in extra resources, from law enforcement to the manufacturer, to look at the latest incident.

“We understand the concern with this,” added Stamper at a Wednesday press briefing. “This is a very serious situation. We have now had two fires. That is very, very unusual in our district. It is unusual across the nation.”

“It really shouldn’t take that long to figure this out,” says East Charlotte resident Mark Lees. “You know, just a little investigation.”

Lees’ granddaughter goes to Randolph Middle School. He says the two bus fires are unusual and concerning, but he’d still let his granddaughter ride a
CMS bus.

“I would have to say yes, as long as the drivers are aware of the situation, and looking out for it,” says Lees. “If they see or smell something weird; stop, shut it off, and do what you’ve got to do.”

Both of the burned buses were 2001-2002 models. CMS is making sure all 167 buses in those model years are being thoroughly checked, hoping parents will continue to entrust their most precious possessions into the district’s care.

“We are ensuring everything possible with our pre-trip inspections, our post-trip inspections, our maintenance inspections,” says Stamper. “We’re doing everything we know to do.”

Of the 259 Thomas 3126 models in the CMS fleet 191 are spare buses, like the two that caught fire. 51 are currently being used to run daily routes to and from schools. 17 are used as activity buses.

There are about 1,500 buses in the CMS fleet.

The buses are purchased by Mecklenburg County and replaced by the state after 20 years or 250,000 miles. Or 15 years with 300,000 miles in some cases. CMS says their fleet currently averages 7.6 years per bus.