HARLINGEN — A thick mist spews from metal nozzles mounted above the seats, covering everything with life-saving disinfectant.
Harlingen school children who will sit on those buses in a few hours will have a clean, well-lighted and thoroughly cleaned bus minus the fear of so many diseases that could disrupt their day.
“It’s an automated disease control system that we installed on 20 buses in our fleet,” said Francisco Marin, assistant transportation director.
“We installed those last week,” he said. “We use them to control any kind of infection, virus, mold or bacteria.”
The CleanTransit Automated Infection Control System from CleanSpray Technologies, LLC offers improved health and safety measures for both students and drivers, said Luciano Rubio, director of transportation for the Harlingen school district.
The systems, at $3,300 each, also save the district money in the form of labor costs.
“Keeping our school buses safe for our children is always our top priority,” Rubio said. “We know our school bus driers are the first people our children see when heading off to school, so we want to ensure every student has a wonderful experience. This includes providing sanitized and clean environment.”
Marin said the equipment is controlled with the bus’s electronic system.
At the end of each run, after all students have left the bus, the driver simply pushes the button.
He then has 30 seconds to leave bus before the nozzles began spraying disinfectant.
“For the benefit that it does, it will pay for itself,” Marin said. “We’ve been spending money on chemicals and once you start looking at the dollar figures, this is a win-win solution. It saves us money along the way.”
Keeping students and drivers healthy through the cleaning systems will also reduce absenteeism.
Bus driver Tim Doran has already driven several routes with the new equipment.
“I like it,” he said. “I think it will help reduce even the common cold, just simple viruses that kids have, runny noses and coughing and sneezing and all those things. This will help with that.”
Parents were pleasantly intrigued by the new equipment.
“I appreciate the willingness to invest in the system of cleaning to help prevent the spread of germs and to keep my children healthy, especially in an enclosed space like a bus,” said Nathan Wendorf, who has three children in Harlingen schools.
“I would be interested to see if there is a way that they can track the effectiveness of the investment in this process compared to, for example, improving the air filtration systems in place on the bus,” he said.
