Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
North Providence committee approves participation in RIDE statewide transportation review
Summary
The North Providence School Committee voted July 23 to pay roughly $9,200 to participate in a Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) transportation review intended to identify routing and vendor efficiencies; presenters said savings from eliminating a single bus can equal about $100,000 per year.
The North Providence School Committee on July 23 approved the district’s participation in a Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) statewide transportation review and agreed to pay an approximately $9,200 fee for a deeper, district-level analysis.
RIDE School Building Authority representative Dr. Mario Carreno, who presented the plan, said transportation costs have risen sharply despite statewide enrollment declines. "As much as 61% the last 10 years, our costs are up with all these fewer kids," Carreno said, adding that in the three years after COVID-19 transportation rates alone rose about 20% compared with 9.8% inflation over the same period.
Carreno described a phased effort. Phase 1, paid for by the state, will try to fill empty seats on statewide buses that carry about 3,500 students; he said those buses run about 50% full. The district-level phase 2 — the option North Providence approved on July 23 — will send an independent vendor to review local routes, vehicle types and start times and provide a rerouting analysis districts may adopt. Phase 3 would evaluate longer-term, interdistrict bidding and regional bidding strategies that would require multi‑district coordination and more time.
Carreno said the in-depth analysis for North Providence is small relative to potential savings. "The cost for North Providence, I think, is $9,000. It's very small in the scheme of things," he said. He and the presenters repeatedly emphasized an example metric: "If you save a bus, it's $100,000 per year."
Committee members asked whether districts that own buses (for example, Cranston) could benefit; Carreno said most districts contract out transportation and that a few districts still operate their own fleets. He also noted that changes to private‑school transportation rules would require action by the Rhode Island General Assembly, and that statutory changes are politically sensitive.
On a motion to approve the expenditure and participation as presented, the committee voted to adopt the recommendation. The motion was made and seconded by school committee members (names not specified in the record). The chair called the vote: "Aye. Opposed? Motion carries."
