Northwest Wayne News

The Livonia Public Schools Board of Education approved the purchase of six school buses to add to its fleet at a recent meeting.

The buses were purchased for $744,195 from the Holland Bus Company in Holland, Michigan. Three of the buses are gasoline powered and three are propane powered, a planned purchase with funding created and used from a 2021 bond. The new vehicles will replace six older buses, which will be put up to auction.

"We've used Holland as of late because as discussed previously, the Blue Birds are the busses that we have in our fleet," said Assistant Superintendent of District Services Phillip Francis. "Our mechanics are familiar with them. They have the partnership with Roush and with Ford for the propane."

Originally the school board had proposed two gasoline buses, two propane buses, and three smaller buses. The smaller buses, however, would not be available until at least mid-year 2024, causing the district to swap out for two more of the larger, 330 passenger buses. 

School districts and municipalities across the nation currently are having issues filling their bus and vehicle orders.

Philip Francis, director of operations for the district, assured the board and community members that any delays in new buses will not mean that any buses within the fleet are not in good working condition. Each year, he noted, the district has the Michigan State Police inspect its buses. Any issues are red-tagged, and buses can’t be used until the problems are fixed and approved by the police. 

Last year the district had a 100% pass rate on this inspection, Francis said.