First on 7: MTA takes some buses out of service due to concerns about bed bugs

NEW YORK (WABC) –

In a story you saw on the 7th, the MTA put at least half a dozen New York City buses out of concern about bed bugs.

Buses are isolated on the outskirts of the Kingsbridge Bus Depot. They are out of service and quarantined after the drivers said that bed bugs were supposed to crawl into seats of at least six buses in the last three weeks.

"Imagine sitting at home, not knowing it, and the next thing you know, is that you have bedbugs in your apartment, on your child and that you see marks on your child and that you think of city buses, "said Donald Sheehan, an Inwood resident.

It is not immediately known which roads were affected, but the buses are clearly marked. Sources say that some have been treated, others are waiting for treatment. We had a conversation with Shop Steward Michael Enriquez on Monday night by phone.

"It's the most I've seen this year," he said. "Usually, we would never see overturned buses for bed bugs." This appears to be an epidemic that is spreading.

Drivers claim that buses suspected of having bed bugs are inspected at the end of a shift.

The reports surprised some drivers. Union leaders say that it is unusual to find bed bugs on buses, but this is not uncommon.

"At one point, our buses were regularly fumigated and a sticker was placed on the bus with a note stating that it had been fumigated," Enriquez said. "This practice seems to have stopped for whatever reason."

On Monday night, an MTA spokesman downplayed the reports.

"We have no confirmed samples of bed bugs on the buses, it is a precautionary measure," the spokesman said. "When a bus is suspected of having bed bugs, we immediately quarantine it for inspection and treatment is done if necessary."

"I did not hear anyone talk about it, nothing," Cathy Myres said. "I'll take the train more often."

UPDATE: The MTA says that there is no confirmed case of bed bugs on the MTA buses, but that six Kingsbridge Depot buses in the Bronx have been quarantined as a result a report indicating that buses had bed bugs. The buses were checked on Tuesday and gave the green light. The buses will be returned to service.

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