School districts adding more air-conditioned buses to fleets

Last year most bus routes in Alabama were run with non-air-conditioned buses, according to data from the Alabama State Department of Education. Data showed 48% of routes reported by school districts had air-conditioned buses, but some districts have made improvements and have plans for additional buses with A/C.

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Tuscaloosa City Schools has 113 bus routes and 49 air-conditioned buses. Three more will be purchased this year. Plans are already in place to purchase 50 to 65 school buses with air conditioning next year. Those buses will be delivered in and make the ratio of routes to buses with A/C 100%. Non-air-conditioned buses would be kept as spares.

All buses the district has bought since have included air conditioning. A/C adds around another $10,000 to the cost of each bus.

"In terms of the heat, we are providing all bus drivers with cold water and also sent out messaging district-wide this week to make sure that families sent a water bottle or Gatorade with their students, especially if they are bus riders in the afternoon," said Lydia Seabol Avant, Director of Public Relations at TCS.

Cullman County Schools had 14 buses with air conditioning for its 110 routes. Cullman County Superintendent, Shane Barnette, said the district is adding 51 more buses with A/C in September and October.

In Walker County, nine new buses with A/C have been ordered and are expected to be delivered in Spring . Mike Scott, the district's Pupil Transportation Director, explained although they anticipate ordering more buses next summer if funds allow, there is typically a 12 to 18-month waiting period to get the buses.

"It may be several years before we can say our entire bus fleet will have 100% air-conditioned buses; however, we do want to provide air conditioning on all daily bus routes as soon as possible," said Scott. "There really is no way to shorten our routes for those buses that do not provide A/C. Most of our students live in rural areas and you can't really shorten a route. Students can drink water throughout the route. Bus windows are down and the bus roof hatches are opened to provide air to circulate."

The district currently has 95 regular bus routes with 78 air-conditioned buses. Scott explained the price for school buses is running more than $125,000 for air-conditioned buses.

"It takes a tremendous amount of money, planning and many years to transition from non-air-conditioned to air-conditioned buses," said Scott.

Last year, Jefferson County had 448 bus routes with 96 air-conditioned buses, according to ALSDE data. This year the district has 106 air-conditioned buses out of 528 in the fleet.

Hoover City Schools has 201 bus routes with 113 buses. 93 are equipped with air conditioning. Sherea Harris-Turner, the district's public relations specialist, explained two years ago no general education buses had AC.

20 more buses with air conditioning are expected to be delivered in October, which would cover 100% of routes.

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In , Pelham City Schools had all buses running routes air-conditioned. 46 route buses have A/C and six spare buses have it. The process to build up the fleet began in .

Alabaster City Schools achieved that goal last school year.

"We started with our first air-conditioned bus back in and it took about eight or nine years to get all of our route buses air-conditioned," said Jeff Nichols, Alabaster City Schools Transportation Coordinator. "It's a big commitment and it's well worth it."

ACS has 76 full-time bus routes.

Nichols explained once older buses reached 10 years in service on a full-time route, the district brought in new buses with A/C to replace them.

"We had to run them where we needed them. All the buses were on a normal route even though they weren't air conditioning, but on a day like today if you are stuck in traffic on a non-air-conditioned bus or stuck at a train, it's a lot more bearable if you're on an air-conditioned bus," said Nichols.

The new buses have helped improve morale among students and drivers.

"If I was driving a bus, I would definitely want to come and drive one here with an air-conditioned bus. Even with our field trips, sporting events, and long trips--it makes a big difference to arrive after three or four hours on an air-conditioned bus as opposed to not having one," said Nichols.

Oxford City Schools has 49 bus routes and four air-conditioned buses. To get through the heat of summer, the district has specific instructions for bus drivers.

"During hot weather, bus windows are down and the roof hatches are opened to create breezy conditions. Our routes are designed to get the students home as quickly as possible as well as to ensure the buses are not overcrowded. Safety during extreme weather conditions is a priority for us. Staying hydrated is especially important during hot weather, and we want all students to be mindful about having and drinking plenty of water as they commute back and forth to school," said Ashley Siskey Stilwell, Oxford City Schools Public Information Officer.

Shelby County Schools has air-conditioned buses for students with special needs, as required by law. There are no plans at this time to add more buses with A/C to the fleet.

The district has instructed drivers to leave doors and windows open while buses are parked to improve ventilation.

"Students are also encouraged to have refillable water bottles filled up with water and they are welcome to have wet washcloths or cooling cloths," said Cindy Warner, Public Relations and Community Education Supervisor at Shelby County Schools.

The Bus Air Conditioning Refrigeration Cycle

• The Thermostat, located in the interior of the vehicle, calls for cooling.
• Based on a signal from the thermostat, by means of an inter connecting electrical system, the electromagnetic clutch on the compressor engages.
• Once engaged, the compressor then circulates refrigerant through the system through inter connecting hoses.
• Refrigerant, existing as a gas, and containing the heat from the passenger compartment, is pumped by the compressor, under high pressure, into the condenser coil.
• Fans pull cool air through the condenser coil, which contains refrigerant existing as a hot gas.
• The refrigerant undergoes a change-of-state, from a gas to a liquid, through a process called condensation.
• During condensation, the hot gas rejects its heat load to the outside air, which was transferred from the passenger compartment, into the refrigerant, by the evaporator.
• The refrigerant now exists as a cool liquid, which passes through the filter drier, which removing moisture and impurities, and then the sight glass, which enables visual inspection of the refrigerant.
• The cool liquid is then pumped to the evaporator where an expansion valve meters the refrigerant into the evaporator coil.
• Fans pull passenger compartment air through a filter, which removes particulate matter, then passes the cleaned air through the evaporator coil.
• The refrigerant undergoes a change of pressure from high to low, and a corresponding change-of-state from a liquid to a gas, through a process called evaporation.
• During evaporation, the heat contained in the air in the passenger compartment is absorbed by the gaseous refrigerant.
• A warm air passes through the evaporator coil, moisture condenses, and is collected and drained to the exterior of the vehicle,
• The hot gas is then suctioned back to the compressor and pumped to the condenser.

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