Farmington Hires New School Bus Provider For Next Year

FARMINGTON, CT — When local schoolchildren hop on those large, yellow buses to and from school next year in Farmington, they'll be doing so with a new bus company.

The Farmington Board of Education at its last meeting unanimously voted to approve a new, five-year deal with Specialty Transportation, Inc., out of Berlin for school transportation services.

The decision on Feb. 5 means the district will no longer be using M&J Bus out of Old Saybrook.

The contract is worth a total of nearly $23.5 million over five years, starting with the 2024-25 school year and ending in 2028-29.

According to school officials, the following estimated transportation costs are as follows:

• $4,249,966 for the 2024-25 school year.

• $4,462,474 for the 2025-2026 school year.

• $4,685,609 for the 2026-27 school year.

• $4,919,890 for the 2027-28 school year.

• $5,165,856 for the 2028-29 school year.

Last November, school officials issued a request for proposals from area bus companies for the new pact, with four of the six contractors invited back for interviews with school officials.

The school board's negotiations committee, ultimately, worked on the pact with Specialty, with school officials visiting each site.

School board approval was the final step in the process.

According to Scott Hurwitz, Farmington assistant school superintendent who presided at the school board meeting last month, Specialty was the best of the six responding in terms of cost and service.

"Of those reference checks, they were by far, really, really impressive in terms of the service they deliver and the reliability of service," Hurwitz said at last month's school board meeting.

He added the six bids submitted for serving Farmington represented a larger-than-expected amount of companies.

"We received six proposals, which is quite substantial based on what the market looks like in other parts of Connecticut. So that was quite a bit of interest," Hurwitz said.

Hurwitz said Specialty's deal is a fixed price with minimal variables, adding other contracts often pile on additional charges based on time, distance, and fuel.

He thanked M&J for their service to Farmington, but said school officials determined Specialty's contract proposal was superior and it was "time for a change."

For the minutes of the Feb. 5 Farmington Board of Education meeting, click on this link.