and models to compile the value based on pre-deter- mined factors, such as a clean title and both parties being prepared to enter the transaction with knowledge of all relevant information. “It’s not a perfect science,” said Mendenhall. He noted
bus conditions, regional differences, miles, and engine conditions can influence the actual sales value of pre- owned school buses. He referenced the company slogan, “Where experience meets appraisal science” as a way to describe the process behind the valuation of the appraiser or the information in the blue book. He said this data is also important for working with insurance companies in ensuring costing and pricing is determined accurately. “When most districts start planning to replace and
retire certain units in their fleets…that’s a great time to be thinking about ordering a blue book so that they know kind of what to expect,” said Mendenhall. When Mendenhall’s team appraises a bus, he said they
take a holistic view of the fleet and try to be proactive on what the operators need to know well before they need to either sell or buy buses. He said certain fleets often won’t be on a flat rate of depreciation, so it’s important to find out what factors are determining the economic lifespan, or the point in time when, if you plotted the
value of a new bus on a bell curve, deprecation acceler- ates at a greater rate than previously. “That’s usually toward the end of life,” he explained
“but not always and that changes based on regional or operating environments, usage and brand.” If a district has a certain number of years of opera-
tion before retirement, as shown by Bullman’s example of South Carolina’s 15-year-cycle, then the economic lifespan might be later than when the bus is going to be retired. He said that often the district may have deter- mined that it is more expensive to maintain an older bus than it is to replace it. The useful lifespan is the point on the bell curve where the cost of maintenance, difficulty in finding parts, or decreased reliability exceeds the economic lifespan. These result in a falloff in value. This varies by style, con- dition and region which Mendenhall said reiterates the importance of full knowledge of your fleet when build- ing it, so it can determine if buses should be periodically retired from the fleet based on years used or keep them in operations until they’re unusable. “Either plan is fine, as long as you understand what the plan is,” said Mendenhall. “The best things districts can do is have a plan and stick with it.” ●
26 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2025
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