A CyRide bus is in need of $5,000 in repairs after an Ames teenager ran his car underneath its rear-end Tuesday.

Matthew Canott, 16, 202 Sandburg Court, was transported to the Mary Greeley Medical Center after the incident.

Canott was driving east on Lincoln Way at 5 p.m. when he rear-ended a CyRide bus, driven by Andrea Kruse, Nevada, parked at a stop in front of the west Hy-Vee, 3800 Lincoln Way. The front of Canott’s 1995 Honda Civic was pinned underneath the bus for more than half an hour.

Ames Police Cmdr. Randy Kessel said the bus was parked at the stop with its flashers on and followed all protocol. Canott was issued a general speed citation.

Bob Bourne, director of transportation for CyRide, said they estimated the bus’ damage at approximately $5,000, but will not know for sure until the radiator is tested.

“There was fairly significant damage done to the rear and the corner of the bus,” he said.

“The frame, bumper, radiator door and the sheet metal around the radiator were bent and damaged.”

Bourne said rear-end accidents, like this one, do happen but have declined in recent years.

“Well it happens, but it used to happen more often. We installed four-way flashers on the rear of the buses near the roof, and that has reduced the number of accidents,” he said. “It reduces accidents because it shows traffic further back that the bus is stopped.”

Not all buses have the higher four-way flashers, Bourne said, but more than half the fleet are equipped with them.

“We want to be as safe as possible,” he said. “The more warning, the better off.”

This accident is the third rear-ending this year for CyRide, Bourne said. CyRide’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

“It’s been a very good year overall,” he said. “We used to have seven or eight rear-ends.”

Bourne said CyRide tries to reduce bus rider’s inconvenience after an accident by sending out a new bus to re-start the route.