Safety infractions, closed routes: Seattle schools have an ‘open request’ for bus provider

With 50 of Seattle Public Schools’ bus routes currently not operating — and a lawsuit hanging over the head of the contractor that drives the district’s students to school — SPS has an open request for bid proposals to supply the district with transportation.

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In February, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) filed a complaint against First Student — the company the district has contracted with as a school bus and driver provider over the last 20 years. First Student provides daily bus service to districts throughout the Puget Sound region, including Tacoma and Seattle.

For repeated safety violations totaling 634 separate counts, the UTC recommended fines of $396,000. First Student was previously penalized by the UTC in 2019, and during a subsequent investigation, the commission determined that additional fines were necessary to ensure safety compliance.

“First Student has entered into a settlement in principle with the UTC concerning the monetary fines assessed by the UTC on February 17, 2022, in connection with the violations identified in the UTC’s 2021 audit,” a statement from First Student reads. “On March 4, 2022, the UTC accepted First Student’s Corrective Action Plan and notified the company that its permanent Safety Rating would remain at Satisfactory – the highest rating possible.”

Seattle Public Schools is currently accepting applications to identify a new bus contractor. First Student’s contract expires at the end of the 2022 school year, and it has the option to re-bid for the contract.

“We currently have an open request for proposals for school bus service for the next few years,” SPS said. “At this time, we cannot comment further about First Student or the procurement process.”

In February, the UTC disclosed that of the 634 safety infractions found between January 2020 and April 2021, “396 were acute, critical, or repeated.”

“Seattle Public Schools has determined that in order to acquire the most effective and efficient transportation services, it is in the interest of the district to re-issue a request for proposal,” SPS spokesperson Tim Robinson told MyNorthwest. “This is a pending competitive procurement process open to all qualified proposers.”

KIRO Newsradio’s Chris Martin contributed to this report.