KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Metro Transit bus caught fire Wednesday morning, and the driver is being credited with getting all passengers off safely.
The bus caught fire just after 8 a.m. on northbound Westnedge Avenue on the Metro #1 route just north of Whites Road.
One of the nine passengers on the bus noticed the fire, said Metro Transportation Director Sean McBride.
The bus driver, Guy Stevens, “did an excellent job, stopped the bus, evacuated the bus immediately, called it in so rescue personnel could get on scene and extinguish the fire,” said McBride.
Westnedge Avenue was closed for nearly an hour while a wrecker was assigned to haul the damaged bus away.
“This is the first time we’ve had a significant bus fire like this in almost 10 years,” said McBride. “We are committed to passenger safety.”
The bus had more than 500,000 miles on it, and it was scheduled to be retired.
Stevens, the driver, has been driving for Metro Transit for almost 22 years.
“He did everything perfectly right,” said McBride. “He was very calm on scene.”
“We just had a training session this fall with all the drivers participating.”
