THE PROBLEM: Even with soundproof windows, Katt Eaton of City Heights could hear a diesel school bus outside her Poplar Street residence every morning at 6:30, idling 10 minutes or more.
THE SITE: Poplar Street, City Heights.
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She spoke to a driver, who works for a private contractor serving the San Diego Unified School District, only to be told it was “hard on the engine” to turn off the ignition.
Thinking there were important emissions issues at stake, Eaton pursued the issue with the district and learned that clean-air regulations call for the engine to be turned off if a bus remains at a loading zone more than five minutes. A transportation official promised to put a stop to the excessive idling, but the reprieve was temporary.
A few weeks ago, there was a new driver at the stop. The front-engine rumbling – and Eaton's concern over health issues for her neighborhood – resumed.
STATUS: When the driver from First Student learned yesterday morning that he was the subject of a “Just Fix It” complaint, he couldn't have been more kind.
First he reached inside his bus and turned off the ignition. Then he promised he would do so from now on, saying, “I want to be courteous to the resident.” Within 10 minutes, he had called Eaton to apologize.
The driver, who picks up four to five students daily on Poplar Street for a ride to Serra Mesa High School, said he had been doing his best to comply with the five-minute rule. But the length of his stops varies: He waits until the arrival of all the students, including one who uses a wheelchair. It's hard to predict each morning's stopping time.
First Student manager Tim LaToure said all drivers are told of the five-minute rule, implemented about two years ago. He said he would remind drivers on all 77 routes for San Diego Unified in a weekly newsletter.
The morning ended with a call from Eaton praising the driver and his company for their responsiveness. Time from her complaint to “Just Fix It” to a fix: 22 hours.
WHO FIXED IT: Tim LaToure of First Student and his driver, who LaToure asked not be named. For other issues involving bus transportation in the San Diego Unified School District, transportation services manager Al Lamar can be reached at (858) 496-8460 or at alamar@sandi.net
NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem government hasn't fixed despite your complaints? Just Fix It might be able to help.
Complaint forms are at justfixit.uniontrib.com, or call (800) 820-8714.
