KPBSD and First Student reach agreement
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and First Student, provider of student transportation, have reached agreement in principle, pending legal review, for student transportation beginning the first day of school Aug. 21.
The school district worked to come to agreement with First Student on a five-year transportation contract to provide safe, reliable bus transit services for students. The school district is 25,600 square miles, and every day school is in session, buses travel nearly 7,725 miles throughout the borough to transport students to and from school.
First Student will order new buses — approximately 80 percent of the fleet serving KPBSD — as soon as the contract is signed. They assured the school district that their internal processes and approvals are in place, so there will be no further delay. First Student indicates that the most recent production time for buses is 90 days, thus the district estimates that new buses will arrive within 120 days.
As school begins, the school district will work with local law enforcement agencies to provide safety tips in order to ensure the well being of students who walk and bike to school, who wait at bus stops, and during transport while buses and private vehicles share the roadways.
The five-year negotiated contract is estimated at approximately $7,590,700 for each of the five years of the contract. On May 7 the school board approved the financial portion of the contract. A final agreement with First Student took longer than expected due to the additional language conditions First Student brought forward on May 14. An RFP process does allow for negotiations of terms and conditions when submitted with an original proposal, which in this case was the Feb. 17 RFP deadline.
To locate a KPBSD bus route go to bit.ly/BusStopSearch or call 907-714-8824.