Re-1 buses' brakes safe despite recall

Re-1 buses' brakes safe despite recall

Sept. 16, 2000

BY MATT GLECKMAN
Journal Staff Writer

Cortez school officials said Friday that the Re-1 school district’s buses are not affected by an anti-lock-braking-system defect that has caused the recall of 300,000 vehicles nationwide.

Included in the recall are 46,000 buses and coaches — including Thomas Built school buses manufactured between March 1998 and August 2000. The defect apparently involves the wiring to the Bendix Anti-Lock Braking System electronic control units.

Re-1 Transportation Director Darrell Dennison said the Cortez school district has two Thomas Built buses that were manufactured within the named time period, but both have been inspected and do not have the defect.

"They gave us a real good detail of the (brake) problem and we looked at it and we don’t have that problem," said Dennison. "The routing of the wiring is in good shape."

Jim Riffey, Re-1 business manager, said, "(According to the manufacturer) all of these problems are about a three-second situation of either no brakes or fading brakes at speeds of below 20 miles per hour."

Riffey added that, although the school’s buses are not affected by the defect, bus drivers are trained to use the buses’ emergency air brake, which is independent of the foot brake, to stop.

"The drivers go through a week-and-a-half training period for about eight hours a day and part of their training is learning how to use the air brakes, the effects of them and what they do," said Dennison.