Washington schools accept bus bid despite price

The Washington school board accepted a $271,930 bid for two new buses from School Bus Sales Co. at a meeting Wednesday night, an unusually high price for the vehicles after few offers were provided.

“I sent bids to Truck Center Companies, a Thomas dealer, Hogan bus and truck, and School Bus Sales, we only got one bid back,” District Transportation Director Woody Hardin said.

Hardin said the acquisitions — one for 72 passengers, the other for 59 and a wheelchair lift — were complicated by the district’s focus on propane buses.

“Truck Center Companies did send a letter saying that Thomas bus no longer has a propane option, and I don’t know why Hogan didn’t send anything back but I have heard they have suspended the production of their gas and propane engine,” he said.

Hardin said that transition to propane was motivated by the Volkswagen settlement, a major source of funding for institutions switching to more environmentally friendly non-diesel vehicles.

“Part of the decision to use those VW grants (in Iowa) was to replace school buses,” Hardin said. “The plan was to get older buses that had lots of emissions, to reduce those emissions with cleaner burning vehicles out on the road. Thus, one of the reasons we’re … switching over to propane buses.”

Still, as prices climb, the buying power of that extra cash has diminished.

“It started out as a great deal, but with the big jump in the bus prices now, not so great,” Hardin said. “It was buy-one-get-one free, basically. When we initially did the second cycle of the first grant, the buses were around $117,000 apiece, and now they’re around $130,000 apiece, so a pretty big jump.”

Hardin said he expected the delivery to be delayed, based on market conditions.

“I’m still waiting for our buses from our last bid that were supposed to be here in October, and they probably won’t be here until June, maybe later,” he said. “There’s a shortage of supplies. Most of the parts they’re waiting on are probably still in a freighter. A lot of what they’re waiting on for our last buses are air brake parts, they just don’t have them. It’s a supply and demand issue.”

Meanwhile, other buses already in the district are waiting on repairs for the same reason.

“I’ve got a bunch sitting in our lot that I’m trying to find an emergency window handle for and I can’t find them, nobody seems to have them,” Hardin said.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com