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Board weighs bus replacement options, reserve of about $300,000
Summary
Board members discussed maintaining a bus reserve (about $300,000), vendor and engine choices, a problematic propane bus they described as unreliable, and plans to return to the board in January for a final purchasing decision.
Board members reviewed options for replacing district buses and said they have about $300,000 in a reserve account for bus purchases. One board member said they would prefer not to deplete the whole reserve and hoped to keep approximately $200,000 while still acquiring reliable trip buses; “we have about $300,000 that we've been putting in reserve account for bus purchases,” the member said.
Discussion covered emissions rules (the transcript notes a chain of state and California policies and references an EPA waiver), vendor options (Western Bus as a state-contract vendor versus other vendors that may be cheaper), and vehicle configurations (77- and 81-passenger long-nose and snub-nose models, underfloor luggage and knee-room tradeoffs). The presenter described the district’s prior experience with a propane bus as problematic: “It was the 1st version of that engine. It's not reliable. It runs great for 6 months, and then all of a sudden, we have to replace filters and replace pumps…" Board members agreed to obtain competitive bids (three bids where required) and to present a final recommendation at the January meeting for approval.
