WARRENVILLE, Ill. — The Indianapolis Public Schools Board of School Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to award Durham School Services a five-year student transportation contract beginning July 1, 2010. This is the first contract in the state of Indiana for Illinois-based Durham, which currently operates in 29 states across the U.S.
The $15 million a year contract represents 250 home-to-school routes, supplemental transportation routes and athletic trips and field trips. More than 28,000 IPS students ride a bus to and from school each day.
“Durham School Services is pleased with the Board’s decision and is looking forward to working with the administrators, teachers, students and parents of the Indianapolis Public Schools,” said Durham School Services Executive Vice President of Customer Development, Barry Stock. “We are committed to delivering the highest level of safety and service to the students, and are excited to become a vital part of the community.”
Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Eugene G. White, was impressed by Durham’s safety record and service promise. “This is an opportunity for us to contract with a company that has an outstanding track record; we’re excited about the possibility.”
Durham representatives are currently searching for the ideal location for the new facility. They also will be working to fill nearly 500 positions and are looking to hire as many drivers, monitors, mechanics and staff from the current provider as possible.
“I hope we can hire all of them. It’s certainly our intent to be successful in Indianapolis and have a smooth transition. That’s going to require us to predominantly hire as many of the current employees as possible,” said Mark Herington, Director of Business Development, Durham School Services.
About Durham School Services
Durham School Services is a leading provider of student transportation consistently recognized for its outstanding safety record. Durham partners with school districts in 29 states and operates a fleet of more than 13,500 buses. Our success rests with our dedicated employees who live our mission: “Getting kids to school safe, on time and ready to learn…every day.” For more information, visit www.durhamschoolservices.com. National Express Corporation (NEC) is the North American subsidiary of National Express Group, PLC, one of the premier transportation firms in the United Kingdom. NEC is made up of Durham School Services in the United States and Stock Transportation in Canada. Both Durham and Stock share a strong commitment to provide quality transportation, outstanding customer service, positive employee relations and the highest level of safety. For more information, visit www.nationalexpresscorp.com.
