(AP) -- Two dozen used school buses from Alabama will allow South Carolina to take two-decade-old buses off the road.
The state Education Department announced Wednesday it paid $192,000 for 24 buses from Talladega County, Ala., that average 11 years old.
It's the third time in six years that South Carolina has bought used school buses from another state.
The Legislature approved a 15-year replacement cycle for school buses in 2007. But no money's been designated for buses amid the economic downturn.
The used buses bought at auction will allow the agency to retire buses that are 23 and 24 years old. Parts of the parked buses will be used to repair newer buses.
The money came from the agency selling as scrap the skeletal remains of buses already stripped for parts.
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