Beatrice schools approve new bus contract, raise pay-to-ride fees amid rising costs

The Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education on April 14 approved a five-year contract with First Student to provide student transportation, voted to adopt new pay-to-ride fees for the 2025–26 school year and authorized two 8-passenger vehicle purchases to replace older vans after trustees heard staff describe rising operating costs and possible changes to routes and hub stops.

Board members voted separately to approve the First Student contract and addendum and to set the new pay-to-ride fees after Superintendent Dr. Nielsen and district staff outlined cost drivers, ridership and revenue projections. The board also authorized the superintendent to buy an 8-passenger vehicle for up to $60,000 and an 8-passenger van for up to $45,000 to comply with recent federal vehicle rules and to replace aging fleet vehicles.

The board heard that the district’s 13 regular in-town routes previously cost about $63,000 per month under its older contract; the proposed five-year deal with First Student begins at roughly $73,238 per month and would total about $992,684 for those same routes in five years using the contract’s scheduled increases. District staff said the new contract includes a 10% increase in the first two years and 7.2% increases in years three through five. The district also…