Bossier Parish committee approves purchase of 12 buses to replace aging fleet, unanimous vote
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Summary
The Transportation Committee approved Proposal 1 to buy 12 new 77-passenger buses (10 route, 2 SPED non-lift) for $1,769,720.82 from two vendors to compare long-term performance; funding was identified from the fiscal year 2027 general fund.
The Bossier Parish School Board Transportation Committee voted unanimously to approve Proposal 1, authorizing the purchase of 12 new 77‑passenger buses — 10 regular route buses and 2 special-education (SPED) non-lift buses — for a combined price of $1,769,720.82, to be funded from the fiscal year 2027 general fund.
Director Aaron McGee told the committee the proposal would buy six buses from Plyler International in Shreveport and six from Ross Bus Sales in Alexandria so the district can compare manufacturer performance on fuel mileage, parts availability, driver experience and service turnaround. “We want to do a true comparison between the two buses to see which bus gives Bossier Parish the best return on investment,” McGee said.
McGee said the purchase would allow the district to place air-conditioned buses on all regular routes this year (excluding two snub-nosed routes), reduce the age of the active fleet and shrink the number of older, non‑air‑conditioned buses in service. He said the oldest buses currently on daily routes date to 2006 and that, if the proposal is approved, the oldest on-route bus would be a 2011 model.
Committee discussion referenced rising bus prices: McGee said SPED buses rose from about $150,000 last year to an average quoted price of about $165,050 for a 77-passenger SPED bus with a lift; non-SPED route buses rose from about $134,000 to $144,000; and MSAB (activity) buses increased from about $160,000 to about $161,000. McGee presented multi-year purchase history showing the parish bought roughly 10 route buses annually from 2015 through 2022, then reduced purchases in recent years while starting the MSAB activity-bus program.
McGee described a past breakdown in which a contractor-certified mechanic said a bus was serviceable but later the district could not get support or a loaner bus, forcing the district to borrow a bus from Assumption Parish to complete a playoff trip. That service experience was cited by McGee and board members as a reason to split the current order across two vendors.
Board members discussed three purchase options presented by staff. Proposal 1 (the approved option) buys 12 buses for $1,769,720.82; Proposal 2 would continue the recent smaller purchases (three route buses, one SPED and three MSAB buses) at a lower cost but would slow progress toward a fully air‑conditioned route fleet; and Proposal 3 (discussed but not advanced) was not favored by several board members because it emphasized additional MSAB purchases rather than replacing older route buses.
A board member and an ex officio committee member each said there are approximately 30 buses in the fleet that are 20 years old or older, a figure the director and staff said was a key reason to accelerate replacements now rather than defer and face a large, concentrated retirement cost later.
A motion to accept Proposal 1 was made and seconded on the record; the committee Chair called for a voice vote and the motion passed unanimously. The transcript does not record individual roll-call votes or the numeric vote count.
Ending: The board authorized staff to proceed with the purchase, split between the two vendors, to reduce fleet age and increase the number of air-conditioned route buses prior to the next school year.
