Riding the 'Kool Bus'
By Talia Sampson
February 7th, 2010
Daily Republic
FAIRFIELD — With sirens wailing and engine roaring, a 13-foot-high, 22-foot-long school bus drove in circles in the parking lot outside the Matt Garcia Youth Center on Sunday.
The “Kool Bus,” advertised by owner and operator Eddy Haemker as “the first original monster bus,” is a 1956 school bus atop huge tires with 25-inch rims and weighs 19,000 pounds, he said.
“It was fun. I liked how fast it was when it was turning,” said Oscar Alcazar, 7, who rode the bus twice.
His father, Oscar Ochoa, 35, of Fairfield, said he was surprised by how different actually riding in the bus was from what it looked like on the outside.
“I thought it would be a lot smoother, but on the bus I thought we'd roll on our side with some of those turns,” Ochoa said.
The bus drives a maximum speed of between 5 mph and 7 mph during the ride, Haemker said, and has seat belts and child seats for safety.
It was originally built about 20 years ago, Haemker said, but eight years ago he decided to rebuild it to use for charity events. Last week, the bus was located in Vacaville for a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club,
For the next week, through Feb. 16, children and their families can ride the bus for $5 per person and all profits will be donated to the youth center, Haemker said.
Bus rides will be available 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
More information is available by calling 310-941-1917.
Reach Talia Sampson at 427-6935 or tsampson@dailyrepublic.net.
