The Lakewood Board of Education at last night’s meeting has approved the purchase of a new school bus as it looks to bring part of the busing in-house. “The new bus will cover the public school routes as well as public school after-school trips”, Chairman of the Transportation Committee Isaac Zlatkin tells TLS.
Zlatkin adds, “We already saw bus companies reduce their rates on middle school routes since announcing our intention of bringing a portion of the busing in-house. We expect to see this trend to continue on other routes as well.”
Late last month, TLS first reported that the BOE would be looking into purchasing 75 school buses and bring the majority of busing back in-house. The move, said the board, was in response to the “many recent issues with a variety of bus companies.”
The Board says the move could save a lot of money for the district, since many current contracts have been in place for over 20 years with yearly increases.
Zlatkin says he would like to thank Board President Carl Fink, Chesky Seitler and Yoni Silver for their assistance in the project. TLS.
Why aren’t all the seniors and everyone else complaining about unmandated sevices asking why are there
public school after-school trips”,
This will only cost more for the taxpayers. Now they will be paying out expensive pension benefits to the drivers As the bus drivers will join a union just as the other twnship Dept’s. Keep the buses as is and just learn how to negotiate.
I have yet to see government takeover a private industry and save money.
Every public school in the country has after school programs which include Sports etc…..Lakewood has the lowest number of these programs.
What happens when that one bus brakes down on the road, or needs to be in the shop for a few days ,which is quite commen with deisal busses?Do we tell the kids stay home or pay top dollar for a private co,. to cover for us? 1 bus is a pure waste of money.
a couple of questions,(1) where you going to store the them, the storage area next to the middle school was sold,(2) where are you going to fuel them, no more gas pumps,(3) who is going to drive them,(4) who is going to maintain them
Anyone out there old enough to remember (back in the 1900’s) that the township ran ALL the busses and because they weren’t able to keep it profitable they closed down that department and contracted the busing out?
Maybe Mr Zlatkin would like to tell the readers of TLS his plan. And how this could ever save us money? Seems a lot comments here have some very valid questions?
It seems most people who post comments here are bus company owners!!!
I was at the public meeting when this was discussed. These makes absolute sense.
1) bus drivers are part time ( no pension, no benefits)
2) The bus is a brand new so it won’t break at least the first year and by next year board members said there will be more.
3) Gas will come from the Township and BOE will save on state and federal gas taxes.
As mentioned in the article above “We already saw bus companies reduce their rates on middle school routes since announcing our intention of bringing a portion of the busing in-house. We expect to see this trend to continue on other routes as well.”
What seems to be happening, is that the bus companies are already lowering their rates for the first time in Lakewood history.
As a senior with no children in school, I command the board for all their work and please keep strong.
Can’t people read??? The article already says that BOE and we as taxpayers saved money. Its obvious bus company are against it
In all reality, there are not that many people that will work as part time drivers when any private company would hire them as full time. The benefit of people working for the government is that they get nice salaries and pensions, if you are cutting them out of that then they aint working for your part time jobs.
Why don’t they show us the numbers? Let us see how much the bussing is for townships that do it in house and how much it is for townships with private bussing. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
Good job!! Keep up the good work!
my uncle used to drive for the boe
Things ran much better when the buses where BOE busses. In-house make more sense than out sourcesing them. Talk to some old-timers and you will see how much better this town used to be.
The driver’s that I know who work in Lakewood are all full time. Welcome to pension and benefits.
Fact government run companies lose money.
Example. US postal service which is bankrupt as opposed to Fedex and UPS are from the most successful companies in the U.S.A.
Let me explain to you how this will save money. Every time a 54 passenger bus goes out on a route the BOE is charged an average of $180. Most companies have each of their 54 passenger buses do about 9 routes per day. $180 times 9 is $1620.00 earned per day of which the average driver only receives $90 per day. That’s $8100.00 a week and most buses fill up with fuel 3 times per week at an average cost $1500.00 per week. The buses will run for weeks without maintenance given most companies only do reactionary maintenance rather then preventative. However lets estimate a generous $200.00 per week maintenance per bus, that means the company makes $6400.00 a week profit. Even if you add in the weekly cost for the insurance and cost for the bus yard the company still makes quite a profit. If you consider some of the larger companies in Lakewood have 70+ buses that’s $448,000.00 a week the company earns and we the tax payers fork over from our pockets.
If the BOE provides the busing they are not out to make a profit. That means we the tax payers will pay in taxes what it costs to bus the students not inflated costs to fill the private companies pockets. Even if me and my fellow drivers unionized (which I doubt they have the backbone to do as they have voted down unionizing the private companies every time a vote was taken in the past) the salary and benefits would still probably be less expensive then paying a private company.
I agree with #2’s part about learn to negotiate. One of the Bus companies that operates in Lakewood also operates in Red Bank Boro. The difference is that Red Bank Boro knew how to negotiate their contract, and got the bus company to agree to a 4% decrease in their contract or they would find someone else to do the routes. It amounted to several thousands of dollars in savings to the residents of Red Bank Boro. The bus comapny agreed to the decrease because they could make it up on another contract somewhere else. Hello Lakewood $$$$
#16 is in a big big dream world. ot one of his numbers are even close to the truth
this is a STUPID idea. govt run programs ALWAYS cost more than privatizing. we the tax payers are going to get screwed in the long term. its outrageous.
The bus companies got fat over the past ten years in lakewood. It appears many people did?
The board is moving in the right direction regarding busing and configuration of the schools. People would rather complain nothing is being done to hear themselves speak rather then to admit change is being done for the good.
We have a board that’s working and again communities are working against the board unless it’s for there own children.
In this case the public school parents need to wake up and realize the membersd of the board want to have all passing schools. Don’t let the children down, move with the board in the right direction
# 2 stop complaining about every post.thank you
#16 if your numbers are correct then a bus company with 70 buses is billing the BOE $180 per route x 9 routes a day per bus which is a whopping $1620 per bus x 70 buses is $113,400 PER DAY multiply that by 180 school days you have a GRAND TOTAL of $20,412,000.00 !!!!!
And that is for only ONE company!!
The whole transportation budget is a few million less than that for ALL the buses that service the town!!!
You are obviously confused with your numbers
Bus driver I really appreciate the work you do transporting my kids. But by you being pro taking the busing in to the district is the biggest proof this is going to cost us alot
Oy!
ONE bus? The bus schedules are sooo messed up right now. How does ONE bus solve anything??
It’s gevaldik I’m opening a bus chevra and pocketing 50 million bucks a yr!!!! It’s mamish hafla!! You chaap every bus zicher shtels at least 15 routes a day. Every route zicher pulls in at least 500 bucks. Zicher right?? 500×15 routes= a load of dough. (zicher more than 300 kollel checks combined) times that by 365 days minus a few for goyish yomim tovim,with just a few busses you’re mammish Bill Gates jr. Shtelsach fur a massive company like (moderated) which Zicher has like 3000 busses you’re mammish crazy loaded. It’s crazy!!!!!
ok so if you dont want the government taking over then stop letting them give you foodstamps, WIC, energy assistance, section 8, wefare, free lunch programs,and nj family care! get a job and take care of yourself and then maybe the government can help the BOE!
You Never post any comments that anti the board.sounds to good to be true
to # 26, translate in English please. I believe comments anti board should be posted if the same hold true on facts that have come to light after April 18th. I believe it’s time the public is aware of past questionable contracts.
Mr. Zlatkin and Mr. Schwartz have beautiful smiles
HEY WAIT A MINUTE HERE. DOSEN’T GUS HAVE A SAY IN THIS. WHEN I WAS WORKING IN THE DISTRICT, OUR TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR DID HAVE IN-PUT WITH THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE WHAT’S GOING ON.
And zicher can invest the money into stoks and make around another few million dollar deals lechoira
Kudos to the gevaldiga board of education and all askanim who make living in the ir hatorah ukedusha so geshmak!! I grada like the picture of the Askan by the American flag it looks ke’eelu like he’s president or mayor
Any truth to the rumor the bus is a Coach bus, not a yellow school bus?