Board approves purchase of two type C pre‑owned buses to keep fleet uniform

Mark Daley, the district transportation director, recommended the board approve the purchase of two pre‑owned 77-passenger Type C school buses from Midwest Transit Equipment to keep the district’s fleet uniform and reduce mileage on older vehicles. Daley said the district received three bids; only Midwest Transit Equipment met the district’s specifications and offered buses consistent with the district’s existing Type C fleet. He said Central States bid type D or type B buses (a different configuration) and Midwest Bus Sales’ vehicles had substantially higher mileage. Daley told the board the district is trying to avoid buses older than 10 years and to keep mileage low in order to lower maintenance and safety risk. A motion to approve the purchase was seconded and the roll-call vote recorded yeses from board members; the motion carried. Daley said the fleet has three main manufacturers in the market and emphasized the value of vendor compatibility for maintenance and driver familiarity. The board did not state purchase prices during the public discussion; staff will finalize procurement paperwork and arrange delivery.