District approves expansion of bus fleet

Bus drivers turned students away in recent weeks due to overcrowding on buses. The situation has had school district officials haggling over the right move, and the money it takes to do it.

It may not be the perfect solution, but a lease-purchase agreement between Maricopa Unified and Baystone Financial Group was okayed last week by the Maricopa school board to provide three new buses.

“The reason why we jumped on this when we did, this soon, is it normally takes at least nine months to get a bus when you order it,” District Business Manager Mark Busch said. “These buses are going to come out of the factory by the end of October.”

Business Manager Mark Busch discusses the lease-purchase agreement for three new buses.

The lease agreement ties the district in for a principle of $321,515 for two 84-passenger buses and one special needs bus, with payments starting by July 31 next year. Payments will begin after the final payments on the three previous bus purchases the district made last year. Busch assured board members that the lease-purchase pay installments would not exceed the payments they’ve paid previously.

“My hope is to advertise before the buses get here so we can have buses and drivers here at the same time, and John (Sampson) can look at all the routes and see what we can modify with those two additional buses,” Busch explained. “And then the special needs bus comes later in the year in April. We felt that with the problems that we do have, two more buses certainly can’t hurt. We know we’re going to need them.”

Board member Tim White had reservations and queried about the option of purchasing used buses – or perhaps purchasing the new ones and keeping two “with already a few miles on it” for reserve should any break down, or for emergencies.

“I wouldn’t want to put a brand new bus in the back of the barn for breakdowns when it’s a brand new bus, but one that’s road-ridden and saved might be an out for you,” White said.

Transportation Director John Sampson affirmed that putting buses in ‘reserve status’ was an option, and that he had intentions of putting three buses, all over ten years old, on standby duty. But purchasing used school transportation vehicles was nearly out of the question.

“Used buses, the ones that are low mileage and in fairly decent shape are not 84-passenger,” Sampson said. “They’re conventional-style, smaller buses. You very seldom get a low mileage, in good shape, 84-passenger bus. I’ve been looking.”

Busch also spoke against used buses, explaining that they’re usually sold due to their upkeep being more costly than schools can justify. The lease-purchase agreement was approved, 5-0, including a lease-purchase agreement for a copier/duplicator for Maricopa Wells Middle School, estimated at a little over $26,000.