School bus safety begins with inspections.
Durango School District 9-R bus driver Gordon Baxter cleans the interior of his bus at the bus barn before starting his route. The Colorado Department of Education said 9-R’s facility received a number of commendations during its last inspection. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Roger Roots, a school bus mechanic for Durango School District 9-R, conducts a brake inspection. The annual safety inspection takes an average of eight hours per bus to complete. The district’s mechanics undergo an annual week of training to keep up with the latest technology. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Roger Roots, a school bus mechanic Durango School District 9-R, discusses the steps he takes in performing an annual safety inspection on a bus at the district’s maintenance facility off Colorado Highway 3. The Colorado Department of Education said 9-R’s facility received a number of commendations during its last inspection. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Durango School District 9-R bus mechanic Roger Roots checks a manual of specifications for school bus maintenance requirements while performing an annual safety check on one of the district’s school buses at the maintenance facility off Colorado Highway 3. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Daniel Blythe, lead mechanic for Durango School District 9-R, steps off a bus that is undergoing an annual safety inspection at the maintenance facility off Colorado Highway 3. District 9-R’s mechanics undergo an annual week of training to keep up with the latest technology. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Roger Roots, a bus mechanic for Durango School District 9-R, performs a brake inspection during an annual inspection. In addition to evaluations every 5,000 miles, the annual inspection takes an average of eight hours per bus to complete. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Lead mechanic for Durango School District 9-R, Daniel Blythe, discusses the extensive procedure of annual safety inspections of the district’s buses at the maintenance facility off Colorado Highway 3. The Colorado Department of Education said 9-R’s facility received a number of commendations during its last inspection. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Durango School District 9-R heavy line technician Roger Roots performs a brake inspection on one of the district’s school buses during its annual safety inspection. The annual evaluation takes an average of eight man hours per bus to complete. District 9-R’s mechanics undergo an annual week of training to keep up with the latest technology. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
