Four new 65-passenger buses added to school district fleet

Pictured here is one of the new 65-passenger school buses the Cherokee County School District has received from the state. The Cherokee County School District has four new school buses on the road.

The 65-passenger buses are the first vehicles purchased under a 15-year replacement cycle state lawmakers approved last year.

The buses were purchased in the 2007-2008 budget year. They are outfitted with the new fuel emission control devices required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

No new school buses are expected to be purchased in the upcoming school year. State lawmakers suspended plans to continue the bus replacement cycle in next year's budget, citing a lack of new money.

"The new school buses replace older buses that have excessive mileage on them," said Jackie Queen, the district's director for attendance, discipline and transportation.

Cherokee County received four school buses last year through state lottery funds. The district still has five 1988 models being used on Gaffney bus routes. Some vehicles have 200,000 to 250,000 miles on them.

The school district is waiting delivery of a new special needs bus for the Blacksburg area. The vehicle will be used to transport special education students.

The new school buses will allow the district to take several 1988 model vehicles off the road, Queen said. These vehicles will be available as spare buses.