Bus Driver Fired After Child Left On Hot Bus For Hours

It's summer and it's hot. That's not a good time for a child to be left on a bus in a hot bus yard. And that's just what happened in Waterloo.

The Sioux City Journal reports that authorities say a Durham School Services bus driver failed to check the bus Tuesday and wound up leaving a six-year-old boy alone inside the vehicle for almost two hours. The bus was parked at the bus yard with the boy inside as temperatures reached the high 80s outside.

Six-year-old Denterrio Moore's mother, Shantae Slater, told The Courier that he woke up on the empty bus sweating, alone, and unsure of where he was. The boy apparently misunderstood instructions and hopped on the bus at the Boys and Girls Club to be taken home. During the long ride, Moore wasn't sure where to get off and wound up falling asleep.

When he didn't show up at home, Slater made several frantic calls trying to locate her son. She called the Durham bus garage herself and asked the employee to check the buses. After 15 minutes, the employee found Moore sleeping on the bus.

It's a scary situation that luckily turned out well for this family. Moore is fine, but scared to ride the bus again. His mother is thankful her son is ok, but furious with the system.

I feel like the Durham bus place needs to train their people more thoroughly, not even just looking on the bus after, but making sure kids are going where they’re supposed to go," Slater told The Courier.

The driver of the bus that left Moore was fired following the incident.

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