North Bend lays out transportation RFP, cites driver shortages and 45-minute ride-time cap
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Summary
District staff said the current contractor is short roughly six drivers and that a February RFP (proposals due early March) will include ride-time limits, training requirements and route-mitigation expectations; board members were invited to join the scoring team.
At the Jan. 20 work session, district staff highlighted transportation as the most immediate operational hurdle should the board approve a reconfiguration of elementary grades. Staff reported the current contractor is short roughly six drivers and that the district is short approximately six routes, a shortfall that has contributed to extended ride times.
The district plans to publish a transportation request for proposals in February and to require proposals to include options for both reconfiguration scenarios. Staff said the RFP will set expectations such as a maximum ride time (staff argued a 45-minute maximum is appropriate), driver training for students with special needs (PBIS and de-escalation techniques), route-optimization examples and technology like student ID card scanners to enable parents to track students boarding and departing buses.
Staff named three vendors that have contacted the district or indicated interest: First Student, Mid Columbia (current contractor) and Durham Transportation. They said Mid Columbia initially proposed adding roughly six buses under current assumptions but that recent external routing review suggested the district could eliminate some routes by optimizing runs, and therefore the exact number of additional buses is subject to vendor proposals and route design.
District staff also noted the budget overlay: approximately 70% of some transportation costs are reimbursed by the state, and staff said they have been planning in the budget for a substantial increase in transportation costs next year regardless of reconfiguration. Staff said the RFP will include contractual remedies and reimbursement clauses for failures to meet routing or communication obligations.
Board members asked to serve on the RFP scoring team; staff said they would include up to three board members on the review panel and aim to evaluate proposals in mid-March. No procurement vote was taken at the work session.