Joint Committee: transportation

report here
Allen: looking at contract specifications at this time in F&O
nothing final at this time
re-engaged School Bus Consultants to look at differentiated payment plans and consolidation of routes
Foley: subcommittee looking at recommendations tonight
Economou: do you see any savings?
Zidelis: you can make modifications, but it's still subject to bidding
"if I could predict savings with certainity, though, I wouldn't be sitting here"
Allen: other districts seeing increases of 10% largely due to health insurance
"market is going to be bear"
five year advantageous as bus company can amortize costs over longer period time
Rosen: could we consider running our own bus company? greater use of WRTA?
Allen: we do operate our own sped buses (some of them)
have looked at in-sourcing whole operation
have discovered (as borne out by report) current balance seems to be right; no recommendation to further in-source or futher out-source
midday route cheaper to do in-house
will keep open possibility of doing sped further
big bus contract: have not yet proven to do ourselves; not first step
use WRTA "as much as reasonable"
used primarily for home to school transporation when a yellow bus doesn't make sense
also used for after school activities (transport home)
"try to work within a fixed route system"