7150                                            Bus Fleet Management                                                  7150

It shall be the responsibility of the Transportation Department to maintain all buses in safe and proper operational order, placing first priority on the maintenance of those buses assigned to the transportation of pupils to and from school.

A.      Definitions

1.       School bus - as used in this policy, “school bus” is defined as the yellow public school buses.

2.   Activity bus - “activity buses” are used for non-instructional activities and are normally painted white, green, or other colors, to distinguish them from school buses.

3.   BSIP - Department of Transportation’s Business Systems Information Portal, is a state-wide system used to record school bus maintenance data, maintain parts inventory, and provide preventive maintenance schedules.

B.      Purchase and Replacement of Buses

1.       Additional school buses

a.   Buses required to accommodate increased student ridership will be     programmed and requested as part of the capital outlay portion of the annual, local expenditure budget.

b. Buses will be acquired via State contract, utilizing State specifications.

2.       Replacement buses are budgeted for and procured by the Department of Public Instruction, according to its criteria on vehicle age and accumulated mileage.

C.      Maintenance of Buses

1.       The Superintendent or designee will fulfill all duties prescribed by state law and regulations for maintaining, inspecting and repairing school buses.

2.       Operator responsibility

a.   School bus drivers will perform a pre-trip inspection of their buses before beginning their routes.

b.   Drivers are expected to use good judgment in determining whether it is safe to operate a bus.

c.   Drivers will immediately document and report any suspected mechanical defects or other unsafe conditions.

3.       30-day inspections: each school and activity bus operated by the system will be inspected every 30 days during the school year for mechanical defects or other defects that may affect the safe operation of the bus.

4.       Preventive maintenance: preventive maintenance services will be performed on each bus according to the interval established in BSIP, or as determined by analysis of vehicle engine oil.

5.       If any school bus is found to be so defective that it cannot be operated safely, it will be placed out-of-service until repairs have been completed.

6.       Annual inspection: the Superintendent or designee shall ensure that there is in place an effective vehicle maintenance program, as measured by the results of the annual inspection by the Department of Public Instruction.

D.   Inventory Management

1.    Bus inventory management

a.   All buses and other system-owned vehicles shall be titled in the name of the Board and purchased in accordance with law and other relevant board policies.

b.   Buses will be placed in active, parked, spare or excess status as determined by condition.

2.     Parts inventory management

a.   The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that there is in place a system to ensure accountability for all repair parts and supplies.

b.   An annual inventory of all repair parts will be conducted.

3.     Fuel inventory management

a.   The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that there is in place a system to ensure accountability for fuel usage.

b.   A minimum inventory of 5-days supply of diesel fuel will be maintained, to ensure that fuel will be available during periods of natural disaster or fuel shortage.

c.   In accordance with G.S.115C-249, at least 2% of the fuel purchased annually will be biodiesel fuel of a minimum blend of B-20.

d.   The requirements of the Board policy on bus idling shall be followed in the operation of buses.