by Nick Delgado
Guam - A total of 110 buses are back online for the island's public schools. The Department of Public Works today announced that the $1.8 million provided from the previous legislature allowed them to make the much needed repairs and maintenance to the fleet
DPE's Bus Maintenance Superintendent Paul Cepeda says the agency averages a cost of $1.2 million a year to keep the buses up to par. DPW is also hoping to cease bus rentals, as it has cost the government nearly a half-million dollars to do. Despite the bus fleet being nearly 20 years old, Cepeda says it's just a matter of the materials coming in so that they can increase the number of school buses on the streets.
He said, "We have seven more buses that we are going to attempt to pick up before the end of this week, three for sure will be up by the end of this week, the other four may take a bit longer. We are finding a lot of problems now with the flooring and steps of the school buses at the entrance, those are the ones that will take us a little time to repair."
The plan is to get a total of 138 buses running. DPW is also working to reopen the Southern Bus Satellite in Agat to cut cost on having the buses drive to the Upper Tumon Facility daily.