Framingham Bus Contract Bids Range From $29 to $34 Million

Only two companies submitted bids for the new 5-year Framingham Public Schools bus contract.

They were Durham School Service, which holds the current 5-year contract, and Five Star Transportation Inc., according to Framingham Assistant Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Pratt.

There were a total of three bids from the two companies.

To save money, Framingham Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Ed Gotgart requested companies bid for a 5-year contract with new buses and bid with “used” buses.

The bids were:

• Durham School Service - $31,678,790, over 5 years for an estimated $6.335 million per year.
• Five Star Transportation Inc - $34,265,282.56, over 5 years for an estimated $6.843 million per year.
• Durham School Service (with used buses) - $29,150,309, over 5 years for an estimated $5.83 million per year

The bids were opened at the Memorial Building yesterday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. The new contract would be for July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2021.

Pratt said the Town needs to review the bids and make sure all required documents were submitted and that all bids meet the minimum requirements, before a contract can be awarded.

The contract will go to the lowest qualified bidder, said Gotgart, although he said the Town/District has the option to consider the used buses or go with the “new” bus bidders.

Gotgart said the current hourly rate is about $68, under the current 5-year contract.

“We will be looking at the hourly rates that were bid to decide the lowest qualified bidder,” said Gotgart.

Town Meeting already gave authorization for the Town/District to award the 5-year contract. The School Committee, Gotgart said, will “vote on the budget for this contract, but not on the contract itself.”

Gotgart said the Committee will “certainly hear about the results of the bid and the award of the contract, but they do not need to vote on anything except the budget to fund the awarded contract.”

Gotgart said “school buses are highly regulated” and there was expected to be significant savings by considering used buses, as opposed to new buses.

This is the first time Framingham has considered “used” buses.

“Framingham has always gone out to bid for new buses,” said Gotgart.

If the Town/District chooses to go with the “used” buses - the current buses in service at 5 years old would be 10 years old, at the end of the contract in 2021.

Durham School Services hold the current bus contract for the district, which ends on June 30, 2016.

The current contract is for $4.6 million for 70 buses, including drivers, to transport more than 5,500 students.

In 2011, the last time Framingham went out to bid for its transportation contract, there were three bidders.

They were: First Student, Durham School Services, and North America Central School Bus.

Prior to that, First Student held the district’s bus contract. That contract was $4.3 million a year then, but was just for the buses. The Framingham Public School District employed its own bus drivers. The payroll was about $1.5 million.

In 2011, in awarding the last 5-year contract, the district made the decision to no longer employee its own bus drivers. The School Committee vote was 5-1-1.

Pay To Ride The Bus

In a majority of the 50 states, public school students get on a bus to go to school, and take the bus home without paying a fee.

But according to the Pew Charitable Trust, five states, including Massachusetts, charge families to get their child(ren) to public schools.

In Framingham, students in grades K-6 ride the bus for free, if they live 2 miles from their school.

If they live closer than 2 miles, parents may purchase a bus pass at $270 per child for the school year, if a space is available on that bus route.

Buses are not free for students in grades 7-12. Parents must purchase a pass at $270 per family (with a cap of $540.) Students on free or reduced lunch can apply for full or partial waivers.

Editor’s Note: in full transparency, I have a daughter who rides the bus and our family pays the fee.

A 2011 report identified a dozen states that allow public school districts to charge parents fees to transport their children to school. In addition, Hawaii, required all parents to pay a bus fee. Nineteen states prohibited such fees and the other states do not have established policies.

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott said at Tuesday’s School Committee meeting he would like to reduce the current $270 bus fee for the next school year.

He told the Committee he wanted to see what the bus bids were before presenting a proposal to the School Committee to vote on.

What do other districts charge?

Neighboring Natick charges $150 to ride the bus, with a family cap of $300.

Ashland charges $280 per student, with a $560 family maximum.

Brookline charges no transportation fees.

Acton-Boxborough charges no transportation fees.

Hopkinton charges $155 per student, with a family cap of $340.

Hudson charges no transportation fees.

Lincoln-Sudbury charges no transportation fees.

Milford charges no transportation fees.

Newton charges $310 per student, with a $620 family cap.

Keefe Technical charges no transportation fee.

Waltham charges no transportation fee.

Wellesley charges $521 per student, with a $1,142 family cap.

Weston charges no transportation fee.

Wayland charges $300 per student, with a $640 family maximum.

“Marlborough Public Schools is fortunate to have the resources necessary to provide free transportation services for all students who reside in approved transportation areas,” states the district’s website. All elementary students get a free bus, middle school students who live more than 1.5 miles are eligible for a bus and high school students who are beyond 2 miles.

Braintree charges $180 per student, with a family cap at $250.

Brockton charges no transportation fee.

Foxborough charges no transportation fee.

Methuen charges no transportation fee.

Norwood charges $250 per student, with a $600 family cap.

Plymouth charges $125 per student, with a $300 family cap.

Quincy charges $200 per student, with a $400 family cap.

Weymouth charges $235 per student, with a $590 cap.