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Board awards primary student-transport contract to Buckeye Logistics; Templeton named secondary
Summary
After extended public comment from van drivers and Kenmore residents, the Akron Public Schools board amended and approved a transportation services agreement naming Buckeye Logistics and Transit as the primary contracted provider and Templeton Transportation as the secondary, with board members voting 6-0 on the amended resolution.
The Akron Public Schools board on May 27 approved a revised plan for contracted student-transportation services, naming Buckeye Logistics and Transit as the district’s primary provider and Templeton Transportation as the secondary provider.
The decision followed a lengthy public comment period in which van drivers and community members pressed the board to prioritize local independent van drivers consolidated under Buckeye Logistics. Brandy Vickers, who identified herself as a long-time van driver, told the board Buckeye “has a 118 vans” and urged the board to make Buckeye the primary provider. “We are the same drivers that transportation encouraged the current vendor to hire in order to help her be successful,” Vickers said.
Board member Terry Harrison offered an amendment to the division resolution (item 22.8) that named Buckeye Logistics as the primary provider and Templeton as the secondary; the amendment passed on a 6-0 roll-call vote. After additional procedural steps the board approved the amended resolution by the same margin. The board chair and administrative staff said the administration’s original procurement analysis had sought multiple vendors and a larger fleet to ensure capacity, but transportation staff said vendors can scale fleet size if needed.
Transportation staff told the board that the procurement process anticipated up to 200 vans across vendors; staff said vendors that win contracts are expected to be able to scale. At the meeting, staff said Buckeye represented the local consolidation of independent drivers and that Templeton would provide additional capacity.
The motion to adopt the amended service agreement was moved by Member Harrison and seconded by Member Hall; the final roll call showed unanimous approval by the six voting board members present.
Board members said the contract award was intended to preserve continuity of service for students while meeting the district’s capacity needs. The board also noted that existing vendors may be used as supplemental providers if additional capacity is required later.
