ALEX KOKICH/INTERN
alex.kokich@tidewaternews.com

FRANKLIN–When Emani Wilson, 10, saw bus 27 parked in front of S.P. Morton Elementary School, she said she thought that it was “shiny, bright and beautiful.”

The newest bus in the Franklin school system fleet has a capacity of 77 students, and will be used for sports, field trips and daily routes, said Lawrence Whiting, supervisor of Pupil Support Services.

The bus meets all the safety and energy standards for 2013. The former includes a new strobe light and a system that makes the driver check for any students who may be left behind before shutting down the bus. The EPA standards include a new Cummins engine that is designed to be more efficient, release less gas emissions and recycle much of the exhaust.

The bus cost approximately $85,000, and the money was procured from a Virginia Public Authority grant, a low-interest loan that S.P. Morton received from the city of Franklin. Having a new bus also allows the school system to save money, as the old buses need to have regular maintenance checks.

Bus 27 will be in use within two weeks. The route has not yet been decided on, but as many of the current bus routes are overcrowded, the new bus will be driving wherever it is needed most.

“It looks good,” said Jaheim Douglas, 10. “It’s not a dull color. It looks like it was painted today.”