I-S school buses pass state inspection
All of the school district's buses passed inspection, according to John Shepard, director of transportation for the Iola-Scandinavia School District.
He made the announcement at the Transportation Committee meeting Sept. 26.
According to Shepard, the state inspector was impressed with the condition of the I-S bus fleet. There were only four minor issues - a missing emergency sign, a problem with a toggle stick, a recall on a power steering assembly, and a slightly loose bolt on a shock absorber. Shepard fixed all four issues in about an hour.
Shepard reported there have been no problems with bus routing and scheduling. "We really haven't had any capacity issues," he said, noting he took out a bus to check some of the turnaround issues.
"I actually did every turnaround in the district," he stated.
Shepard made some changes after he took on the role of transportation director at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. The changes included reducing the bus routes from eight to seven and streamlining the Scandinavia route to make it "faster and more efficient." He noted there is an average of about 30 students riding on the Scandinavia route, which stops at the football field, the park and the fire station. Usually Shepard drives on that route because it allows him to be at the bus garage until the other buses depart.
"The Scandy route will benefit us in the spring because we can have a bus at the school earlier to pick up sports teams," he stated. He noted it is also an easy route for substitute drivers.
One of the committee members asked if the bus routes are equal. Shepard answered that he worked on equalizing the routes because some were over an hour long and others were short. "Now all (of the routes) are about the same," he said.
Two-way radios were recently added to the buses, which Shepard says saves on cell phone charges. The radios work off the frequency already used by the Maintenance Department.
Also, each bus has a new sign warning students not to sit in the back seats unless the bus is filled to capacity. This decreases the chance of injuries if the bus is rear-ended.
Shepard requested that the school district consider selling one of the spare buses. He indicated there are 13 buses with only seven used on daily routes. He suggested selling #14, a 1998 59-passenger with about 168,000 miles, worth about $5,000.
The committee also discussed purchasing fuel at Depot Street Station and The Fuel Depot.
Currently all of the school district's vehicles fill their tanks Mortenson's BP Fuel Depot. According to Shepard, the Fuel Depot offers 24-hour access, easier maneuvering for the buses, a discount of 4 cents per gallon, a higher grade of diesel fuel with winter additives, and processes the bills after deducting taxes, which saves a lot of bookwork for the school district.
Now that Depot Street Station has the capability of providing tax-exempt billing, they have offered the same 4 cent discount to the school district.
"I like to stick with something good," Shepard said, noting it would be difficult for the larger buses to maneuver at Depot Street Station.
Business manager Jon Novak suggested that some of the smaller vehicles could purchase gas at Depot Street Station. Other committee members agreed that it would be good to patronize both local businesses.
The committee's recommendation to the school board will be to send the maintenance vehicles - two trucks and a van - to Depot Street Station. They also agreed to recommend selling one of the buses.
He made the announcement at the Transportation Committee meeting Sept. 26.
According to Shepard, the state inspector was impressed with the condition of the I-S bus fleet. There were only four minor issues - a missing emergency sign, a problem with a toggle stick, a recall on a power steering assembly, and a slightly loose bolt on a shock absorber. Shepard fixed all four issues in about an hour.
Shepard reported there have been no problems with bus routing and scheduling. "We really haven't had any capacity issues," he said, noting he took out a bus to check some of the turnaround issues.
"I actually did every turnaround in the district," he stated.
Shepard made some changes after he took on the role of transportation director at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. The changes included reducing the bus routes from eight to seven and streamlining the Scandinavia route to make it "faster and more efficient." He noted there is an average of about 30 students riding on the Scandinavia route, which stops at the football field, the park and the fire station. Usually Shepard drives on that route because it allows him to be at the bus garage until the other buses depart.
"The Scandy route will benefit us in the spring because we can have a bus at the school earlier to pick up sports teams," he stated. He noted it is also an easy route for substitute drivers.
One of the committee members asked if the bus routes are equal. Shepard answered that he worked on equalizing the routes because some were over an hour long and others were short. "Now all (of the routes) are about the same," he said.
Two-way radios were recently added to the buses, which Shepard says saves on cell phone charges. The radios work off the frequency already used by the Maintenance Department.
Also, each bus has a new sign warning students not to sit in the back seats unless the bus is filled to capacity. This decreases the chance of injuries if the bus is rear-ended.
Shepard requested that the school district consider selling one of the spare buses. He indicated there are 13 buses with only seven used on daily routes. He suggested selling #14, a 1998 59-passenger with about 168,000 miles, worth about $5,000.
The committee also discussed purchasing fuel at Depot Street Station and The Fuel Depot.
Currently all of the school district's vehicles fill their tanks Mortenson's BP Fuel Depot. According to Shepard, the Fuel Depot offers 24-hour access, easier maneuvering for the buses, a discount of 4 cents per gallon, a higher grade of diesel fuel with winter additives, and processes the bills after deducting taxes, which saves a lot of bookwork for the school district.
Now that Depot Street Station has the capability of providing tax-exempt billing, they have offered the same 4 cent discount to the school district.
"I like to stick with something good," Shepard said, noting it would be difficult for the larger buses to maneuver at Depot Street Station.
Business manager Jon Novak suggested that some of the smaller vehicles could purchase gas at Depot Street Station. Other committee members agreed that it would be good to patronize both local businesses.
The committee's recommendation to the school board will be to send the maintenance vehicles - two trucks and a van - to Depot Street Station. They also agreed to recommend selling one of the buses.
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