Legal Focus

For many contractors this spring is the first time since the COVID-19 school shutdowns began, that they will be preparing proposals or bids for transportation contracts. This article will discuss different post-COVID considerations and strategies.

As school transportation contractors enter into bid season, it is in the interest of the contractor to price competitively; however, contractors should be careful to consider the possibility of changes to their operational costs during the term of the contract. Currently, there is much discussion at the state and federal level on laws that could affect costs for transportation contractors, such as laws related to changes in infrastructure and school bus safety equipment. In the event that such c...

In 2018, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), wil impose a new requirement on School Districts to report per-pupil expenses for student transportation. But, schools often don't recognize all of the true costs of transportation. Schools evaluating and comparing transportation cost generally consider the costs of fuel and buses, but often miss underlying transportation costs or costs that may be combined into other areas of a school districts budget. When schools understand the true cots ...

A fuel clause is language in a contract which allows the contractor and the district to share the risk of steep increases or decreases in fuel prices. The fuel clause is typically put into place for diesel fuel and gasoline, however, if your vehicles are using alternative fuels such as propane or electric, you may also want to consider a fuel clause for these fuels. Most fuel clauses address the risk of rising fuel costs. But, recent history has seen both increases and decreases in fuel costs. T...

“Hold Harmless”, “Defend”, “Indemnify” … what does it all really mean? This article explains contractual indemnity and will help you understand indemnity clauses. That is, who will be responsible for damages or injuries that may arise from performing the work of the contract?

As you may know, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a specific division that addresses Highway and Motor Carrier security. This special unit of TSA has developed the School Transportation Security Awareness (STSA) Program through a collaborative partnership with the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the National Association of Pupil Transportation, and the National School Transportation Association. Recently, one of our PSBA members was ...