District notified that Thomas Bus will become Rightway; board to host workshop and July meeting with new operator

District staff informed the Burlington Area School District board that Thomas Bus, the current transportation provider, will be sold and operations will transfer to a company called Rightway on or about July 15.

The staff member who briefed the board said Thomas Bus owners have been vetting potential buyers and selected Rightway; the district had already notified the vendor on May 29 it would not allow an automatic contract rollover. Staff recommended allowing Rightway to continue under the existing contract structure with a name change and arranging a July 12 workshop so board members can review the proposed service model and technology.

The district representative said Rightway offers additional services that could be useful to BASD: GPS tracking, improved integration with the district’s student-information system, special-education transportation capabilities and coach buses for athletic trips. Rightway will present at the July 13 board meeting after the proposed July 12 workshop, and a formal action item will be added to the agenda to authorize any contractual changes needed to effect the supplier change.

Board members and staff noted the district’s multi-contractor relationships for special-education routes and said they would need to reconcile existing contracts before making large operational shifts. The board did not take action at the June 8 meeting; the item was presented as an informational update and to schedule the workshop and future action.