Shelton council approves van and three used buses for student transportation

Shelton City Council approved purchases to expand Shelton Student Transportation Services, voting to buy a 2022 GMC Savannah van for $30,694 and three used 2018 Ford F450 15-passenger buses for $18,000. Both purchases were funded from the city’s contingency general account; the council also waived the bidding process for the buses.

The purchases were presented as a cost-saving measure and to increase vehicle availability for special-education routes and other targeted services. A council member who supported the purchases said smaller vehicles are often a better match for local routes, arguing that “these big buses really don't do us ... because the majority of these buses are empty,” and noted the van will probably be used for special-education transportation.

Alman Simonetti, who seconded the motion on the buses, said the three buses are surplus vehicles from Valley Transit and are being replaced under federal guidelines because they were originally purchased with federal funds. Simonetti said the vans have been well maintained, have relatively low mileage and could be repurposed for a downtown shuttle service on evenings and weekends to circulate visitors from parking areas to downtown and nearby hotels.

Council members discussed forming a committee to plan a potential shuttle, with one suggestion to start work over the summer and pilot service in the fall. The council voted in favor of both items; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

The purchases are expected to increase the city’s capacity for student transport and provide flexibility for special programs and potential downtown circulation. The council did not record further procurement conditions in the discussion; staff follow-up on operational details and any committee work was implied but not specified.