2008 Woodie Awards
End of the road for motor pool
By Natalia Montemayor
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: News
Originally published: 9/20/07 at 6:00 PM CSTLast update: 9/20/07 at 6:00 PM CST
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Field trips are likely to require the hourly rental of vans and buses as the district's motor pool phases out loan of district-owned vehicles.
For the remainder of the fall semester, only seven-seat vans will be available, but drivers will be required to have completed the district's defensive driving course, the district's associate vice chancellor of facilities, John Strybos, said.
To accommodate departments' and student organizations' transportation needs, the district established contracts with Kerrville Bus/Coach America and Star Shuttle Inc., effective Aug. 24 through Aug. 31, 2008.
Kerrville Bus/Coach America is the primary vendor for the district and offers travelers the option of renting a 29-, 47- or 56-passenger bus.
Star Shuttle, the secondary vendor, offers the same size buses as well as a 15-passenger minibus.
Both services charge by the hour, with 12 hours being the maximum time before additional hourly rates apply.
"Every college knew about this and was involved in the process of choosing bus services," Strybos said.
In the past, the district charged the government mileage rate to help defray costs, but Strybos said the charge did not cover the majority of expenses incurred by the motor pool.
He cited safety and liability as the primary reasons for his decision to seek exclusive transportation for the district.
"When using the larger passenger vans, the driver needs to have a chauffeur's license, and some of the time some of the drivers only had regular licenses," Strybos said.
He described this circumstance involving the 15-passenger vehicles as an "ongoing concern for an extended period of time."
"Drivers were available as we had them. The challenge was keeping those with the special licenses on the payroll, and I have heard countless rumors of drivers driving the large vehicles without the license," he said.
Strybos said the situation posed risks to passengers as well as potential legal woes for the district. "If an accident occurs and there are no survivors, families will win the lottery," Strybos said, referring to potential awards in litigation.
For the remainder of the fall semester, only seven-seat vans will be available, but drivers will be required to have completed the district's defensive driving course, the district's associate vice chancellor of facilities, John Strybos, said.
To accommodate departments' and student organizations' transportation needs, the district established contracts with Kerrville Bus/Coach America and Star Shuttle Inc., effective Aug. 24 through Aug. 31, 2008.
Kerrville Bus/Coach America is the primary vendor for the district and offers travelers the option of renting a 29-, 47- or 56-passenger bus.
Star Shuttle, the secondary vendor, offers the same size buses as well as a 15-passenger minibus.
Both services charge by the hour, with 12 hours being the maximum time before additional hourly rates apply.
"Every college knew about this and was involved in the process of choosing bus services," Strybos said.
In the past, the district charged the government mileage rate to help defray costs, but Strybos said the charge did not cover the majority of expenses incurred by the motor pool.
He cited safety and liability as the primary reasons for his decision to seek exclusive transportation for the district.
"When using the larger passenger vans, the driver needs to have a chauffeur's license, and some of the time some of the drivers only had regular licenses," Strybos said.
He described this circumstance involving the 15-passenger vehicles as an "ongoing concern for an extended period of time."
"Drivers were available as we had them. The challenge was keeping those with the special licenses on the payroll, and I have heard countless rumors of drivers driving the large vehicles without the license," he said.
Strybos said the situation posed risks to passengers as well as potential legal woes for the district. "If an accident occurs and there are no survivors, families will win the lottery," Strybos said, referring to potential awards in litigation.
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