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Plainview ISD approves First Student contract amendment for vans, accepts 4.5% rate increase
Summary
Trustees approved a 4.5% amendment to the district’s transportation contract with First Student to gain operational flexibility (access to 7-passenger vans) and to cover rising costs; staff said the amendment could generate route efficiencies and modest savings on some runs.
The Plainview ISD Board of Trustees approved an amendment to its student transportation contract with First Student that includes a 4.5% rate increase and access to up to three 7-passenger vans for selected routes.
First Student representatives and district operations staff described the amendment as a way to increase operational flexibility — for example, replacing a long daily bus run to Lubbock with smaller vans for some staff commutes — and to reduce chartering costs for small groups (tennis, golf, specialized routes). Operations staff outlined the current fleet (23 regular buses, multiple spares, special-education buses and activity buses) and said the amendment would allow a pilot of three vans initially.
District staff noted transportation mileage and ridership numbers in the record (regular home-to-school routes traveled roughly 166,845 miles this year and served about 627 students on daily home-to-school routes; special-education routes traveled 38,213 miles and served 52 students) and said the amendment included anticipated operational efficiencies. The board discussed the vendor’s local responsiveness and the company’s prior support for district events; First Student representatives affirmed their appreciation for the partnership.
After discussion, a motion to approve the contract renewal with the 4.5% amendment passed on a recorded vote. The administration will implement the amendment and pilot van usage while monitoring costs and routing efficiency.
