NEWS

MPS to revamp school bus fleet

Andrew J. Yawn
Montgomery Advertiser
  • The new buses will feature improved seat design and more onboard cameras.
  • Currently MPS has 263 buses with some that have been service since 2001, said MPS Transportation Director Mike Cox.
  • The influx of new transportation will mean 60% of MPS' buses will be brand new and 31 will be kept as spares in case of emergency.

Montgomery Public Schools is getting an upgrade.

Schoolboy getting off of school bus

The school system will be adding 158 new buses this year, the Montgomery County Board of Education announced at Tuesday's meeting. The new buses will feature improved seat design, more onboard cameras and a geo-location system that can track the bus if it's stolen.

Combined, the buses will cost about $11.9 million. The board approved the purchase of 21 special education buses that MPS already has the funds to purchase on Tuesday. Those buses will cost $1.85 million. The 137 regular education buses will cost $10,138,000, a sum that still must be bid on and financed.

Currently MPS has 263 buses with some that have been service since 2001, said MPS Transportation Director Mike Cox. Once the new buses are purchased, MPS expects to sell 158 of the older buses, a sale expected to yield about $1.1 million that will go toward the new fleet. The purchase of new buses will also allow MPS to receive fleet renewal funds from the state, which will put another $1.4 million toward the total and leave about $9 million to be financed.

Cox said that the new buses could save MPS some money in the long run.

"New buses reduce cost in fuel use and in maintenance cost," Cox said. "These also have added safety features."

MPS Board President Robert Porterfield said it was a good move for the city and the students at a "critical" time.

"Our fleet needs to be renewed. It’s critical that we do it this time," Porterfield said.

Transportation was listed as one of the concerns in State Superintendent Mike Sentance's intervention letter, but Porterfield said it is still unclear if that was referring to the buses or not.

The influx of new transportation will mean 60 percent of MPS' buses will be brand new and 31 will be kept as spares in case of emergency.