New York State’s School Transportation Services RFP Process Now Permanent

Press Release from New York School Bus Contractors Association:

The New York State School Bus Contractors Association is pleased to announce that the Request for Proposal (RFP) law pertaining to school transportation contracts is now permanent, and will no longer have to be approved every five years by the New York State Legislature.

“Making the RFP law permanent is a big win for student safety as it ensures school districts will continue to have a proven process that allows them to procure the safest and most reliable school transportation possible, “ said Robert Pape, President of the New York School Bus Contractors Association.

“Providing the students of our state with a quality education starts with ensuring that our schools have the ability to provide them with the safest transportation possible.  This change will enable school districts to consistently make decisions based on factors that are important to the families they serve and that will help protect the children of our state,” stated Senator Flanagan.

Prior to the 1996 RFP law, school districts would fall victim to school bus operators with poor safety records and substandard operations because they had no choice but to choose bus companies based solely on price.   With the passage of the RFP law in 1996, school districts were empowered to choose a private school bus operator based not only on cost, but other important factors including safety record, quality of service, fleet condition, reliability, and overall capabilities.

“The RFP process is a very important tool for the school districts and taxpayers, said Pape.  It helps keep children safe by effectively excluding fly-by-night operators from pupil transportation services and it also provides school districts with the ability to hire a pupil transportation contractor that fits their community’s service needs.”

The original law included a sunset provision to allow the legislature to determine whether the use of RFP’s by school districts would improve the delivery of private pupil transportation services.  Passage of the 1996 law was initiated by the New York School Bus Contractors Association and spearheaded by John Corr, President of the Trans Group and John Corrado, President of Suffolk Transportation Service.

After almost twenty years and three renewals by the state legislature, it is clear New York’s Request for Proposal process is doing its job by making New York’s private school transportation services among the safest, most reliable and cost-effective in the country.

Pape concluded, “We also want to thank New York State Senator John Flanagan of East Northport, Long Island for his commitment to student transportation safety; his hard work is what helped make the school transportation RFP law permanent in New York State.  We also want to recognize Governor Cuomo, the Education teams in the NY State Assembly and Senate for working with the Association to make this a reality.”

The New York School Bus Contractors Association is an organization representing over one hundred school transportation companies, also known as school bus contractors, with the primary mission of promoting safe, reliable and cost-effective student transportation services in New York State.  For more information visit: www.nysbca.com.

Photo above right: Senator John J. Flanagan of East Northport, Long Island, NY is seen here (left) with NYSBCA Board Member and Owner of Rolling V. Transportation Services Phil Vallone at an Education Reform Public Hearing on Long Island.