Fifteen Anne Arundel County school bus routes were delayed Monday morning after the discovery that several school buses were damaged by apparent vandalism, police and school officials said.
Police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Odenton Road, a lot where school buses are parked, and found that the electrical lines of 14 buses had been cut, said Justin Mulcahy, a police spokesman.
"The buses were all inoperable," said Mulcahy. "It looks like the electrical lines were cut, unfortunately."
No arrests have been made. Mulcahy said police are investigating.
Bob Mosier, a spokesman for the school system, said that when school officials learned of the damage after 7 a.m., a phone announcement was sent to parents and guardians, alerting them to the delay and urging alternative transportation.
Replacement buses were dispatched to cover the affected routes, though "ridership was lower than normal," Mosier said.
Students at six of the 15 schools arrived on time for class, Mosier said, but those riding the affected bus routes at three high schools - Arundel, Meade and Old Mill - were "extremely late."
Mosier said there were no disruptions Monday afternoon.
Mosier identified the company that the school system contracts with to provide bus service as Robert A. Gaug Bus Enterprise Inc. in Odenton.
A woman who answered the phone Monday morning said officials were "too busy" to speak with a reporter, and no one from the company returned a message seeking comment.
