SAFFORD — Two new small buses will soon be traveling around the Bonita area, thanks to the United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
On Thursday, United Way Executive Director Denise Benton and board member Eric Bejarano presented Bonita School Superintendent Jonathan Truschke with a check for $200,000 for two new Collins MVP Type A buses that do not require a commercial driver’s license to operate.
“It’s really hard to get CDL drivers now, and these non-CDL buses are a great way for us to be able to transport kids, and still do it safely,” Truschke said.
According to the Collins website, the MVP Type A buses include safety features similar to more traditional school buses, including “roll-over, roof crush and side impact” protections.
Truschke said the district has three full-sized buses, but there are only three drivers with a CDL. And he added that about 70 percent of the students served live in Cochise County and are in the Willcox School District, but attend Bonita School via open enrollment.
The United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties makes grants to nonprofit, educational and governmental organizations thanks to donations from Freeport-McMoRan and Freeport employees; employees of the City of Safford, Town of Thatcher and Graham County; and individual donors.
.jpg)