First Reconditioned "Red Devil" Returned to Service as School Bus
The first "Red Devil" bus repaired by students from the National Institute of Vocational Training for Human Development (INADEH) was delivered Wednesday to the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA). The elementary school in 24 de Diciembre is the beneficiary of the donation, where they will now use this bus to transport students. Edilma Coronado, the Director of the school, thanked the authorities for this assistance which will save money and time for parents and students. Meanwhile, the Minister of the Presidency, Jimmy Papadimitriu, was satisfied with the "exorcism performed on this red devil," and at the same time he thanked INADEH thanked for this bus and the work they will do in the future. Papadimitriu said they have yet to deliver two more buses that are ready, but the Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, must choose the schools where the buses will be delivered. For his part, the Director of INADEH, Themistocles Rosas, said the repairs for each bus cost less than $2,000 dollars. (Source: TVN Noticias)
Editor's Comment: Right now private bus owners are required by law to transport school children at 10 cents per head. In fact when the bus drivers see a bus stop packed full of school students they will just drive right by and not stop because they don't want their buses filled with kids who don't pay as much, and who have a tendency to tear up seats, mark things up with graffiti, etc. The government plans to eventually remove all of the old "Diablo Rojo" buses from the streets and to replace them with the new "Metro Bus" system. These buses will be government owned and operated by a contractor. The old school buses are being repaired by the INADEH students as practical training and experience in the field of mechanics, and the buses are being donated free of charge to the schools. So, sooner or later all of the "Diablo Rojo" buses will turn into "Diablo Amarrillo" - once they are painted yellow and pressed back into service as school buses once again. It's a good plan, as long as the school buses are operated in an responsible manner. It's ironic that these buses started life as school buses, came to Panama for general public transportation, and now they are being pressed back into service once again for schools.
