HARD-PRESSED DISTRICTS ARE FACED WITH EXTENDING BUS LIVES, KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THEIR FLEETS AND DECIDING ON WHICH WAY TO MEET STRINGENT EMISSION STANDARDS
By Stephane Babcock Since the adoption of increasingly stringent
emission standards began at the turn of the cen- tury, the industry has seen the price of school buses rise with each new benchmark. Most recently, 2010-diesel compliant school buses have seen overall costs rise between $6,000 and $8,000, depending on what model you select and whether the bus employs selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology. Now, more than ever, dis- tricts are looking over all of their options when it comes to school bus purchasing. Overall, since 2004, school bus costs have increased by $20,000 to $25,000 each.
BEST (AND ONLY) OPTION FOR MANY For a number of districts, the solution is
simple — extend the lives of the school buses already in use. Although not all states have been quick to mandate this type of extension, districts are making the decision. Recently, outgoing New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine vetoed legislation that would have extended the life of the state’s buses from 12 years to 15. How- ever, at this writing, there was speculation the bill could be revived. Meanwhile, Tennessee was also considering extending its school bus life cycles to 17 years from the current 15. On the opposite end of the world, Kuala Lumpur, a major city in Malaysia, has pushed the lifes- pan of its school buses back another decade to 30 years. “New buses are extremely expensive,” said
Gary Martin, transportation operations co- ordinator for St. Charles Parish Public Schools (SCPPS) in Luling, La. “District and state bud- gets can’t meet the higher costs. Districts are going to keep their buses longer.” Martin suggested that states unite to form
school bus co-ops for bus purchases, possibly forcing OEMs to drop their prices. Another possible solution? Major vendors in the indus- try could re-tool and build a generic school bus with choices for different engines and emissions technology.
Some fleets no longer have a limit on how
old a bus has to be before it is retired. At Round Rock (Texas) Independent School District, the oldest bus in the fleet was purchased in 1984, and the overall average age of the fleet is more than 10 years old. But price is not changing the district’s purchasing patterns, according to Dan Roberts, executive director of long range planning and business systems. “We buy the number of buses needed, and
this is not driven by price,” said Roberts. Even NAPT Region 5 Director Dave Ander-
son admits that his fleet is “falling behind.” Recently, he has had to extend bus retirement age at Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Torn- ton, Colo., from 11 years to 13. “We can no longer afford to buy each year,”
said Anderson, who employs a solid preventa- tive maintenance program to keep his buses in tip-top shape. “We complete an extensive inspection every six months on every school bus regardless of mileage to ensure they are maintained to the highest standards.”
PREVENTING REPAIRS A solid preventative maintenance program
is part of any good school bus garage, and the secret to keeping buses running even longer than before. A lack of stimulus funds directed towards new bus purchases and nation-wide slashing of school budgets have left districts few options. Tose can be as simple as pre- and post-trip examinations and as complicated as annual state-mandated inspections. “Te district follows the guidelines set by
the State of Florida, Department of Education,” said Orlando Alonso, department of transpor- tation and vehicle maintenance director at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He added that the buses are inspected every 30 school days using guidelines set by the DOE with a preventative maintenance plan in mind. Some PM programs contain
“family se-
crets,” like the one utilized by contractor Cook-Illinois Corporation in Chicago. Chief
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