Report: Outsourcing School Busing Would Save Cranston Millions

A new report suggests that if the Cranston School District outsources school busing, it would save millions over the next ten years, even after major concessions by bus drivers.

The report, which will be addressed at tomorrow's (Wednesday Oct. 10) School Committe meeting, was prepared by a transportation subcommittee formed by the School Committee in 2011.

The committee compiled a variety of data sources, including surveys returned by other district officials who have outsourced their bus fleets in Rhode Island, and concluded that outsourcing district transportation would save about $8 million over ten years.

The savings would come from lower operating costs and not having to replace the existing aging bus fleet. It factors in savings of about $220,000 next year and more in subsequent years after concessions members of the bus driver union agreed to last year when the district began looking into outsourcing its bus fleet. 

The need to replace the district's bus fleet is pressing — the average Cranston school bus has more than 130,000 on its odometer and the average age of the fleet is 13-years. Some buses have well over 200,000 miles on them.

Outsourcing the bus fleet would free the district of the need to replace the fleet, since a contracted vendor like First Student would replace the entire fleet at no cost to the city. 

Read the entire report by clicking HERE.