District weighs bus undercoating pilot but seeks more data before forecasting cost savings

Riverside Local Schools’ finance and transportation staff discussed a district‑wide bus undercoating program and said preliminary signs show benefit but that more evidence is needed before including projected savings in long‑term forecasts.

The treasurer and transportation staff reviewed the program and noted rust is a major cause of buses being taken out of service (the State Highway Patrol sometimes grounds buses for rust‑related issues). Staff reported the on‑site undercoating vendor charged roughly $20 per bus per year and that a full application across the fleet would be inexpensive relative to the cost of a replacement bus. One staffer said preliminary local data after one year is promising but insufficient to determine long‑term effects; they recommended a multi‑year observation period and consultation with district mechanics before changing bus‑replacement cycles.

Staff referenced external studies in preliminary research (the Canadian military study was mentioned by a presenter), but said they had not yet obtained or reviewed the full study. The treasurer said the district should avoid making public claims about extending bus life to 20 years without stronger evidence and that staff will continue to collect data, solicit feedback from transportation mechanics and reassess as more years of data become available.

No procurement decision or budget approval was made at the committee meeting; staff stated they support continuing the undercoating program at current modest cost levels and will report back with mechanic feedback and multi‑year data before proposing any forecast changes.