Aspen View Public Schools announced July 19 it was hiring a new contractor to handle 31 bus routes throughout previously operated by First Student in Athabasca, Boyle, Grassland and Thorhild.
Fort McMurray-based Sparksman Transportation Ltd. signed a three-year contract with Aspen View, according to a July 19 press release. The company was chosen from five applicants for a request for proposal (RFP) the division issued June 25. The executive committee of the board of trustees voted in favour of Sparksman July 16.
"The protocol was to go through those bids with a fine-toothed comb," board chair Dennis MacNeil said in an interview. "There is a checklist including safety, cost and a number of different variables."
MacNeil added the executive committee voted in favour of the administrative recommendation.
Superintendent Mark Francis said it is difficult to provide a precise figure on the value of the contract as the amount paid would vary based on time and distance travelled on routes this upcoming year. But he added the agreement should be within the division's budget for transportation.
"It doesn't amount to a substantial increase or decrease to what we are budgeting for transportation next year," Francis said.
Francis said the figure for this year's budget is $4,088,374 in total, noting the figure encompasses all of the over 60 bus routes the division runs and not just the routes Sparksman will have. For the 2017 budget, the division allotted $4,123,946 for transportation with an actual figure of $4,061,520, according to audited financial statements.
Sparksman Transportation Ltd. president Mark Critch said he is excited about his company getting the contract.
"It's a great opportunity for us and we look forward to working with the fine people at the Aspen View district and getting to get our foot in the community," he said in an interview.
Critch said Sparksman's fleet will be "second-to-none," as the company will be purchasing more than 31 new buses to handle the 31 routes it is taking within Aspen View.
Negotiation process
On April 26, Aspen View trustees voted to seek legal counsel to review "current transportation operations against existing contracts, specifically in regard to provisions to ensure safe and reliable delivery of transportation services," according to meeting minutes.
The division subsequently entered into negotiations with First Student, with MacNeil commenting there were aspects to their agreement the board was not happy with.
"With the negotiations that had taken place with First Student, we weren't happy with the things they had promised," MacNeil said.
He declined to elaborate on what was promised. But he added the board was not terribly displeased with First Student and just decided to explore all of its options. First Student was also one of the contractors that was part of the bidding process.
"Wish nothing but the best for First Student. The process was a fair and open process, and again, we're pleased with the result," MacNeil said.
A request for comment to First Student spokesperson Jay Brock was not returned before publish time.
Mechanical incidents
The contractor which previously ran the bus routes, First Student, had two incidents of buses experiencing mechanical problems while on route around Grassland: a wheel fell off a bus March 21, and an exhaust hangar fell off a different bus on the same route March 22.
In an email afterward, Brock said First Student launched a full investigation into the incident March 21. With respect to the March 22 incident, Brock said road conditions were a factor.
“Our driver pulled off the road immediately and safely to report the problem to our dispatcher,” Brock wrote in an email responding to questions for the investigative story.
Brock did not respond to a request to comment on this story and on the results of their internal investigation into the March 21 incident before publish time.
Addressing driver shortages
Aspen View also experienced issues with driver shortages last year, an issue facing the driving industry throughout Alberta, according to a 2008 school bus safety report.
A division report presented to trustees April 12 showed a spike in cancellations, with 2.92 per cent of routes being cancelled to that point in the school year, compared to less than one per cent the previous year. The report shows 34.7 per cent of cancellations to that point were due to a lack of available drivers. The report said 95 per cent of bus driver availability cancellations were from First Student, though the company ran half the division's routes.
MacNeil said issues with driver shortages or mechanical incidents with busses did not directly influence the board opening transportation bidding.
"I don’t think any of those things directly influenced whether we should go with the bidding process or not," MacNeil said.
Critch acknowledged driver shortage is a widely-experienced challenge and said retention is an important way to address it.
"I believe that comes down to treating your staff with respect and creating a great work environment, which is something we've done very well at," Critch said.
MacNeil said the board is confident Sparksman can address driver shortages.
"We’re very confident and we’re hoping that many of the drivers who drove for First Student will apply to drive for Sparksman as well, and I would encourage them to do so," he said.
