Story posted Thursday, January 28, 2010
New Township Senior Bus On Way
Elk Grove Township officials are buying a new $51,800, 12-passenger bus they hope to receive by next week.
Township trustees accepted the bid from Illinois Bus Sales Company of Des Plaines for the new bus at their Monday, Jan. 25 meeting.
Illinois Bus Sales did not submit the lowest bid but Township Supervisor Nanci Vanderweel said there were several reasons the Des Plaines company bid was preferred over a bid that was $5,000 lower from Kankakee-based Midwest Transit Equipment.
Vanderweel said the Midwest bid was for a different bus with a different layout. Bid specifications called for a 2009 Ford Glaval 350. Illinois Bus offered that bus at $51,800 while Midwest offered a Ford Coach bus that would have needed modifications to make it fit the desired specifications.
Additionally, Vanderweel said with Illinois Bus headquartered in Des Plaines taking the bus in for maintenance or towing it from a breakdown would be easier with a location nearby than having to travel all day to Kankakee and back.
The 12-passenger Glaval 350 includes a chairlift and two positions for wheelchairs or scooters to lock in, tinted windows and easily cleanable seats.
Vanderweel said maintenance costs for the township's fleet of three busses was $50,000 per year.
The 1997 bus being replaced has 200,000 miles on it and has had frequent breakdowns.
"Parts of it are literally being held together with duct tape," said Vanderweel.
The maintenance budget for the fleet will be reduced to $35,000 in next year's budget.
Also in next year's budget is another $50,000 to purchase another new bus to replace a larger 1994 model bus.
Vanderweel said Illinois Bus did not make an offer for the trade-in of the old bus and would be sold.
She hopes the bus can go to a nearby senior center or other civic organization where it could still be useful but would not need to endure the punishment of the everyday use the township put it through.
The two busses remaining are much larger at 26 to 30 seats than the smaller bus being replaced.
Vanderweel said she hopes to purchase a smaller bus next year and would then keep one large bus to save on fuel.
All three busses are on the roads everyday providing free service to seniors.
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