By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The USD 428 Board of Education approved the purchase of two new special education buses at their meeting this week. Cody Schmidt, the Great Bend school district’s director of transportation, said a 2006 model has 126,000 miles. What makes it tougher for these buses is there are 13,000 idle miles on the engines, with the stop-and-go traveling in town.
Schmidt said the two new buses will be unleaded gas options over the diesel option.
"There are no concerns," said Schmidt. "Everyone I've talked with using them are utilizing them for routes. If you're going to get on the highway and try to keep up, you're going to struggle. But in town, it's been known to be really good for everybody. That eliminates the emission side of things. You won't fight that. The idling is better on an unleaded than a diesel."
The other 2015 bus to be replaced will serve as a backup for the district. The school board approved the purchase of two new special education buses from Kansas Truck Equipment for $299,130. Because the vehicles are used for special services, the State covers 80% of the expense.
"I tried to promote the buses I would get rid of to the co-op, hoping someone around our district could use those buses at a fraction of the cost," said Schmidt. "They're really good buses. They're just too small for our departments."
The purchase from Kansas Truck Equipment was more than $30,000 cheaper than the next bid. Schmidt expected the buses to arrive within six to 10 months.