MCC leases new bus fleet, enters service agreement with Ludington.

SCOTTVILLE — Mason County Central School District is in the process of replacing its aging school bus fleet with new, fuel efficient and  safer buses. The school drecently came to a lease agreement with CH&H/Hoekstra Trucking.

According to Superintendent Jeff Mount, five new buses have been leased and this new lease agreement will replace the remaining old buses.   The district has received five new buses this week.  The remaining buses are currently being built and are expected to be in the district by the end of March.

Mount said the district has been searching for an economical solution to replace its aged bus fleet.  Over the past 3 months officials have been working with Tom Hoekstra from CH&H Leasing and Fleet Solutions to explore options.  Hoekstra and Kris Courtland-Willick, district business manager and director of transportation, developed a solution that will replace MCC’s fleet of old buses with all new, fuel efficient buses through a leasing agreement with CH&H and a service/maintenance agreement with Ludington Area Schools.

“The district’s aged fleet has required an extensive amount of annual repairs and maintenance in recent years,” Mount said. “Making two trips per day that covers the district’s 250 square miles puts a lot of wear and tear on their buses due to the tough road conditions that exist in a rural Michigan school district.  Because the new buses will be more fuel efficient, under warranty, and require less repair work, the savings from those budget line items will be equal to the lease payment for the new fleet.  Meaning, this solution is budget neutral.  The buses are scheduled to be replaced on a rotational basis every 3 years.

“We are genuinely excited to be able to economically replace our old and extremely expensive-to-maintain bus fleet with safer and more efficient buses. And this solution would not be possible without the willingness and ability of the Ludington Area Schools’ admininistration and transportation department.  This is such a great example of collaboration between school districts and the solid relationship we have with our neighbors to the west.”