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Board hears Durham contract recommendation and electric-bus purchases; district to return to three-tier routing
Summary
After soliciting proposals, the district recommended renewing its contracted transportation services (Durham) and presented a grant-supported purchase of four electric school buses plus two special-needs electric buses and new charging infrastructure; staff said the district will return to a three-tier bell schedule to improve on-time performance and reduce routes.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools transportation office recommended renewing a multi-year contract with Durham Transportation and presented a plan to purchase six electric buses and install additional EV chargers to support an expanding electric fleet.
Procurement staff said five proposals were received; Durham was judged best value following interviews. The recommended contract structure is a three-year agreement with options to renew one year at a time (up to two additional years). The district owns its fleet (about 133 buses) and associated equipment; the recommendation covers the people and operations (drivers, mechanics, routing, incident reporting and camera management) and includes a proposed total award of $45,373,608 over five years (general-fund payments).
Transportation staff said the district will return to a three-tier routing system in the fall (elementary/middle/high tiers) to address crowding and on-time performance observed under a two-tier system. Staff also described a recent camera upgrade and stop-arm cameras to detect violations; principals will have more direct access to route footage for incident review.
On electrification, the district described a $2.1M grant for four electric buses (grant covering ~70% of purchase) and recommended buying six electric buses total (including two special-needs models), plus chargers in the Transportation South Lot to charge the expanded fleet; the capital program will cover remaining costs.
