Spokane Public Schools again to consider ‘systemic shift’ toward buying its own fleet of buses

It’s well understood that the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round; evidently, so do conversations around buying the things.

The Spokane Public Schools board on Wednesday picked up years-long talks about purchasing its own fleet of school buses, rather than contract with an outside entity as it has done since the 1970s.

The district contracts with Zūm Services, based out of California, to provide 153 buses that transport more than 4,800 kids to and from school and on field trips.

The district contracted with Zūm ahead of the 2023-24 school year, signing a five-year contract to the tune of $71.8 million. Before that, the district worked with Durham School Services for 15 years, a relationship that ended with route disruptions from bus driver shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The