States that sealed bids may not be the best way to provide reliable and economical bus service and offers practical suggestions for gathering the data needed for negotiating a cost effective contract. (Author/WD)

Six guidelines for school boards in student transportation contracting include writing careful contract specifications, building flexibility into the contract, carefully examining very low bids, having the board's experts write the contract, requesting resumes of top company personnel, and renegotiating contracts from year to year. Characteristics…

Describes a way to compare the costs of operating or contracting buses by breaking down total expenses and comparing specific costs both for each type of service (such as regular transportation to school, special education, or athletic events) and for all types of expenditures ranging from maintenance to preparing payrolls. (Author/JM)