Smyrna parents concerned after school bus safety equipment malfunctions | WKRN News 2 (WKRN) Some parents and passersby became concerned when they saw a school bus in Smyrna picking up children with no flashing lights or stop sign deployed.

The bus driver did not know there was a mechanical issue until another bus driver informed him.

One local driver, Greg Grant, picks does a safety check, making sure all the safety equipment, from warning lights, the stop sign, to the cross bar is in working order.

If they are not, he said that could be a safety concern.

“It doesn’t alert the other driver that you are approaching kids, and you’re going to stop and load,” Grant said.

But Grant knows the unexpected can happened at any time.

“Sometimes during a run you know mechanical issues can come up or you can make a mistake, but we just try to be alert,” Grant said.

A concerned citizen in Smyrna snapped a photo of a bus picking up children, telling News 2, neither the warning lights nor the stop sign were ever activated.

“The fact that he’s not turning on the lights is not setting that great of an example,” said bus rider Donte Villanveba.

Villanveba’s bus stop is at the entrance of the Village Lake Town Homes, on Jefferson Pike in Smyrna, where the photo was taken.

The 8th grade Smyrna Middle School student didn’t ride the bus Thursday and said he’s glad he didn’t.

“Well its hazardous because then there could be people not knowing he’s purposely stopping and they could be speeding and accidently hit someone or end up hitting the bus,” Villanveba said.

The normal procedure if a bus is having mechanical problems is the driver will radio the transportation department and let them know what the problem is.

That didn’t happen in this case.

School district officials said a parent notified their child’s school that the driver was not using lights and stop arm.

Transportation staff contacted the driver, Cecil Lee, to find out what is was going.

“Mr. Lee said he had been unaware during the route that his lights had stopped working and another driver had notified him,” schools spokesman James Evans told News 2 by email.

The problem was a faulty switch.

Lee was driving a loaner bus, and purchased a new switch and had it installed before his afternoon bus route.

Grant said its best to check and double check because the cargo bus drivers carry is precious.

“We just want to keep our kids safe,” Grant said.

Rutherford County bus drivers are contracted and not employees of the district.

Lee is a veteran driver who owns five buses.

School officials said he does not have a history of improper equipment management.

One of his buses was undergoing maintenance, so that’s why he was using the loaner bus.