School bus warranties expire

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW The East Longmeadow Public Schools usually get a new bus fleet every five years, according to School Committee Chair Bob Mazzariello, but this is the current fleet's sixth year on the roads.

The School Committee determined it was time to request an updated bus fleet at its Oct. 9 meeting.

"We use a five-year rotation cycle for our bus fleet," explained Superintendent Ed Costa. "We buy 21 buses and at the end of the fifth year we trade them for a new fleet. The money from the trade-in serves as a down payment and we pay off the rest of the cost over the next four years."

This year, however, the town's Capital Planning Committee asked to delay the rotation by a year. The main issue with the rotation's delay is the fact that the bus fleet's warranties expire after five years as well.

"Nothing is under warranty now," Costa said. "If a major repair is needed like transmission work the Capital Planning Committee said they would cover the costs."

All of the 21 buses (18 full size and three mini-buses) in the East Longmeadow fleet are used daily to transport students to and from school. Costa said approximately half of the school district's 2,941 students ride the buses everyday.

"If one bus falters, it's a two-fold problem. We have to pay to have that bus fixed and we have to pay to rent a bus until the repairs on the other are completed," Costa explained.

No serious problems have occurred yet with the current bus fleet ("knock on wood," Costa added), but "it's only a matter of time," Mazzariello said.

It was decided at the Oct. 9 School Committee meeting that Costa should write a letter to the Capital Planning Committee to ask them what was to be done with the current bus fleet. "We're simply alerting them to our need," Mazzariello stated.

"It's up to the Capital Planning Committee whether they want to pay for a new fleet at this point or continue to back us in case something happens," Costa said. "We should know by January or February what the decision will be."

Either way the Capital Planning Committee decides to go, town residents will be able to vote on the bus fleet's fate at the annual town meeting in May 2008.