UNION CITY,MI (WTVB) – Two Union City Community Schools students are being celebrated for their quick thinking after stepping up to troubleshoot a malfunctioning school bus on their ride home.
Eighth-grader Riley Bird and sophomore Alexander Blair were on the bus when it began emitting an alarm-like noise and struggled to accelerate past 30 mph, prompting driver and transportation supervisor Deb Brauker to pull over along M-60.
Instead of just waiting, the two boys asked for permission to inspect the vehicle. Relying on online research and mechanical skills Bird learned from his father, the duo found a loose sensor connected to the fan.
Their temporary fix allowed the bus to safely continue its route before a mechanic ultimately tightened the clips on a loose relay motor the following week.
In recognition of their hands-on initiative, the district honored Bird and Blair with a “bus shout out” and small trophies. Brauker noted that in her years on the job, she had never seen students step in to actively troubleshoot a mechanical issue, praising them for going well beyond what was expected to help their driver and peers.
Having ridden the same bus route together for several years, the young mechanics took the praise in stride, even joking that their next step should be opening up a bus repair shop together.
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