TPS to park 24 buses at TARTA garage to save money

8/16/2013

Editor's note: This version corrects the monthly charge for TPS to $50.

Toledo Public Schools plans to share space at the TARTA garage on Central Avenue in a bid to reduce the school district's transportation costs.

The TPS bus fleet is based out of its Hill Avenue garage, which means buses must drive from West Toledo to other sides of the city before they start their routes. Under the planned partnership, buses for the Scott and Woodward learning communities will instead be based at the Central Avenue location, reducing those wasted - or "deadhead" - miles, thus saving fuel costs.

The district plans to keep 24 buses at the TARTA location. The fleet will cover 20 routes, with four buses on reserve. District officials are not yet sure how much the partnership will save, and plan to analyze the new arrangement over this school year. Superintendent Romules Durant estimated cost savings of between $20,000 and $100,000 annually, but that depends on the number of deadhead miles reduced and the price of fuel.

TARTA will charge TPS $50 a month for each bus stored at its facility, because federal regulations require the transit authority to charge for rental space, general manager James Gee said.

The Toledo Board of Education will be presented with a contract detailing the agreement at its Tuesday meeting, Mr. Durant said.