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Audit shows low seat utilization, weak afternoon on-time performance; committee moves to amend transportation RFP as budget pressure grows
Summary
An audit of South Kingstown’s transportation system found strong morning on-time performance (≈91%) but weak afternoon performance (≈52%), low average riders per run and 36–38% seat utilization; the committee approved amendments to the transportation RFP while district leaders warned of a roughly $1 million budget shortfall if bids remain unfavorable.
An independent audit of the South Kingstown school transportation system showed the district faces persistent efficiency challenges driven by rural geography, mismatched bell times and low ridership density, and the school committee voted Monday to amend its transportation RFP to encourage additional bidders.
Presenter Eric Lonergan told the committee the audit documented a 91% AM on‑time performance rate but only about 52% on‑time performance in the afternoon. Average ridership was roughly 19 students per run in the morning and 18 in the afternoon; overall district ridership was cited at about 51% of enrollment and seat utilization at roughly 36–38%, meaning buses were, on average, two‑thirds empty.
“The issue isn’t that we have idle buses — what we have are buses that aren’t completely built because they have so much ground to cover,” Lonergan said, summarizing the effect of sprawling routes on time and utilization.
The audit offered options to improve efficiency: tweak bell times (including private‑school constraints), optimize routing, explore depot or community stops, shift the district from an opt‑out to a registration process for busing, right‑size vehicle types (use smaller vehicles where appropriate), and consider regional service-sharing for private‑school routes.
To encourage competitive bids, district staff proposed three RFP changes: broaden allowable fuel types (not propane‑only), relax the in‑town depot/storage requirement, and remove or reduce a $1,000,000 performance bond. Committee members discussed whether the changes might attract competition and how quickly revised bids could arrive. The committee voted to accept the proposed RFP amendments (motion made SEG 2291; voice vote passed SEG 2294–2296).
Finance implications: Superintendent Pedraza warned the committee that, after the town council’s tentative appropriation, the district faced roughly a $921,371 revenue shortfall against its preliminary budget and that unresolved transportation contract costs could add roughly $800,000 to the gap. Pedraza said administrators would review non-personnel savings first and bring potential personnel actions forward only after exhausting other options, noting a June 1 deadline for any required personnel notices if cuts are necessary.
What happens next: The RFP will be revised and re-posted; staff indicated it would be advertised for roughly one week to invite bids. The committee asked staff for a timeline and for a budget subcommittee meeting to evaluate scenarios before the June 1 personnel-notice deadline.
