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SPECIAL REPORT


San Marcos Unified School District in California refurbished this 1998 Blue Bird Rear Engine 84-passenger, transit-style school bus for activity and field trips.


New Bus Purchase Grants Shelve


Some Refurbishment Projects While some school districts continue to see the benefits of refurbishing their fleets, an increasing number of schools are using grant money to supplement new purchases.


Written By Taylor Hannon | taylor@stnonline.com W


hile refurbishing school buses to squeeze out more years of operation- al life may seem like an ancient fleet replacement alternative to some school


districts and contractors, others still find it to be a more cost-effective approach, compared to new purchases. But a recent influx of grant funds from states, the federal government and the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund are tipping the scales. Going the refurbished route can save school districts


money, especially those districts that without much budget room or a large tax base to draw from for new purchases. Ron Halbert, owner of Bus Marts Inc., said that new school buses could exceed $100,000, compared to purchasing a $18,000 refurbished bus the company sells for activity trips. Based in Daleville, Indiana, Bus Marts has been in business for the past 45 years, but Halbert at age 77 is semi-retired. He said he now only performs minimal school bus refurbs, the viability of which is determined


18 School Transportation News • JUNE 2019


by the particular bus’ duty cycle. Depending on where a district is located nationally


determines the amount of refurbish work that is needed, in order to upgrade its bus fleet. Halbert said buses that operate in areas that received considerable amounts of snow are going to be rusted underneath, so those buses will often require a complete structure rebuild. “You take a bus that has been running for eight or 10


years. If it has been running in Buffalo, New York or [in] Cleveland, Ohio, it is going to be rusted underneath,” Halbert explained. “So, they are going to have to be sand-blasted and recoated. Maybe some of the structure is even rusted through and has to be rebuilt.” The amount of necessary work would still likely be less than the cost of purchasing a new bus, especially if the bus has minimal miles on it—or it has been oper- ating for a short number of years, he added. However, the refurbed buses often will be equipped with the latest electronic wiring, equipment and software, unless those items are specifically called for during the upgrade.


PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SAWYER.


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