The formation of a temporary Ad Hoc Transportation Committee was approved at the December 2018 Board Meeting by the Charleston County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustees. The committee is tasked with examining the current bus transportation contract between CCSD and Durham School Services. The contract ends on June 30, 2021.

The committee will start meeting this month to analyze the comparative advantages of a district-owned bus fleet versus a privatized transportation system. 

They will explore transportation options utilized by districts similar to CCSD and recommend the best course of action for the District for the 2020-2021 school year. If continued privatization is recommended, there will be a review of the previous bid process and suggested modifications for the 2019 solicitation will be included in the Request for Proposal (RFP).

“The committee's work is important,” said Executive Director of Transportation Jeff Scott. “It will help set the direction for how we accomplish our mission and make improvements in student transportation.

The Transportation Ad Hoc Committee has ten representatives: two community members (one appointed by the chair and Vice Chair); two parents; one student; three school-based representatives; two operations Department employees, and two board members – Vice Chair Kate Darby and Board Member Kevin Hollinshead. They will bring their recommendations to the board in June of 2019.

According to Scott, until January of 1997, CCSD ran all bus operations internally and experienced difficulty in hiring and retaining enough bus drivers to service the routes.

Laidlaw Bus Services was contracted to manage all bus operations in the middle of the 1996-1997 school year. Laidlaw also experienced difficulty in hiring enough drivers to meet the demand. Since then, First Student Inc. and Durham have held the bus transportation contracts.

For more information about the Ad Hoc Committee, please contact the Office of Strategy and Communications at (843) 937-6303.