News
Maine Refurbishment Program Extends School Bus Life, District Dollars
WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY |
RYAN@STNONLINE.COM A
state vehicle refurbishment program in Maine is resulting in extended school bus life to help school district stretch
budget dollars. Te Maine Military Authority School
Bus Refurbishment Program began in the fall of 2012 and is managed in partnership with the state Department of Education. At this writing, the program has restored dozens of school buses to “like-new” con- ditions. Based on their age, 28 percent of Maine school buses are eligible at half-life for refurbishment services. Refurbishing a school bus does not sim- ply mean a fresh coat of yellow paint. Te goal of the program is to extend the useful
life of school bus frames and bodies with the expected mechanical life of the vehicle. Te target is restoring the bus frame and body to “mid-life” form to alleviate budget constraints while also improving safety for students and drivers. Tim McCabe, the director of business development for the MMA, explained that refurbished buses are returned to school districts at least five to seven additional years of service life. Te MMA, which traces its refurb origins back to 1997 in extending the lives of military Humvees, howitzers and other engineer equipment, offers a one-year warranty on all repairs performed under the initial scope of work. MMA separates the body from the chas-
sis to provide service ranging from fixing body and frame corrosion and applying corrosion retardant coatings to performing a range of “modest, cost-saving” mechan- ical repairs. Te latter includes repairing or replacing fuel tanks, brake dust shields, shocks, sending units, and seat covers. MMA also services the powertrain, but McCabe explained that a full overhaul
isn’t performed because those costs cannot exceed the maximum approved cost of $3,500 per bus. However, badly corroded parts will be removed and replaced corro- sion will be replaced. Te program does allow customers to
spec over and beyond the basic scope of work to include a 100-percent electrical
Certifi ed Seat Covers and Foam | Car Seats | Evacuation and Fire Blankets
Distributors For: E-Z-ON: Safety Vests, Cam Harnesses BESI: Pro Tech lll, Universal Vest, Over the Shoulder Harnesses SURE-LOK Q’STRAINT
3 POINT/INTEGRATED SCHOOL BUS SEATS Product: Safeguard Star
1.800.543.0575 |
www.ewss.org | 10939B Reed Hartman Hwy. • Cincinnati, OH 45242 20 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2017 CELEBRATING25YEARS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
