Board OKs three-year contract with Bemidji Bus Line, approves four off-road bus stops

The Bemidji Public School District board voted unanimously on July 21 to approve a three-year supplemental transportation contract with Bemidji Bus Line and to add four non-8-way bus stops that use turn lanes or shoulders.

District staff told the board Bemidji Bus Line has provided supplemental services since fiscal 2023. The proposed three-year contract covers nine routes — the same number contracted in fiscal 2025 — with estimated costs of $643,720 for fiscal 2026, $676,476 for fiscal 2027 and $710,876 for fiscal 2028. Staff said contracting additional routes helped reduce cancellations during recent driver shortages.

Separately, staff recommended adding four stops that meet Minnesota Statute 169.443 criteria for stops performed off the traveled portion of the roadway (adequate shoulder, students not required to cross the street). Locations cited included two sites on Highway 2 west of the Palace Junction C store, one north of Nature's Edge Garden Center on US 71, and one on Bemidji Avenue North near the Lakewood Drive turn lane. Staff said non-8-way stops allow buses to load without deploying the full 8-way stop configuration that would block multiple lanes.

Board members raised community communication concerns about how motorists should respond to the different flashing-light configurations; staff said the district will run an informational campaign explaining the difference between hazard lights (below the windows) and 8-way lights (above the windows) and when drivers must stop.

The board approved both the three-year contract and the four additional non-8-way stops unanimously.