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Presenter recommends leasing buses to reduce transportation costs, flags seat-spacing and storage issues
Summary
Staff presented lease-versus-ownership analyses for district buses and recommended leasing to lower maintenance risk and reduce costs; the committee asked staff to seek additional vendor quotes and to explore transit buses with underfloor storage for athletics and long trips.
S3 presented a comparison of the district’s current bus ownership costs versus leasing options and argued leasing would reduce unexpected repair costs and provide warranty protection. S3 summarized the projected savings and ROI from the staff analysis: “With the annual savings of $692,165,” and recommended leasing: “So our recommendation would be leasing a bus.”
The analysis included both three-year and five-year scenarios with reported annual savings (example figures cited in the presentation included an annual savings figure near $230,000 in one scenario and a three-year savings near $692,165). Committee members raised practical concerns about seat spacing for high school students and limited storage capacity for athletic equipment and field-trip gear; staff agreed to investigate transit buses (with underfloor storage) and solicited more vendor quotes instead of placing a special-order vehicle.
Next steps: staff will gather additional vendor quotes (including transit buses with underfloor storage), refine seating/configuration options, and return cost-comparison tables so the committee can recommend a procurement or pilot approach to the full board.
