ABOVE: Right after dropping off some students, Ken Atzenhoefer relaxes with his big yellow school bus in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – Besides minor bumps, Fairmont Schools transportation is following through on expectations.

Fairmont Public Schools transportation contract is with Minnesota Motor Bus (MMB). Manager Dave Hurn said currently they have 26 school buses. He said they tend to have a fairly up-to-date fleet.

“We have a few 2012s left,” Hurn said. “For the most part, the owners like to keep newer hardware around and keep up with it. We’re very fortunate that way.”

MMB transports around 350 out-of-town students, 300 in-town, and 100 preschoolers every day to and from school. Besides the bus, Hurn said some students are driven by their parents, drive themselves to school or walk.

Keeping up with this is something Hurn said has caused strain regarding having enough drivers, of which they currently have 26. While they have enough full-time drivers, he said they’ve struggled to find part-time and on-call drivers.

“You’re going to get the same answer from about every bus company,” Hurn said. “There’s not a lot of people out there looking to have a job where they wait for a phone call if somebody’s sick or on vacation. That’s where a lot of bus companies are lacking is the backups to be able to call.”

This problem can be especially prevalent when sickness starts to spread. Hurn said currently the flu is going around and has affected some of his drivers. While this has been a struggle at times, Hurn said overall they have been able to continue running smoothly.

An innovation that is currently being looked into is electric buses. Hurn said it’s something that has been talked about, but not in serious consideration currently.

“There’s still a lot of studies going on right now by the Minnesota Department of Transportation,” he said. “They’ve been fortunate enough to do those tests over the last couple years, and we haven’t had a really hard winter. I think a lot of people are waiting to see how they’re going to do with extended below zero temps and on the same side of it, the extreme heat too.”

MMB also has four disability buses, with three in active rotation and one on reserve. Hurn said they have not had issues accommodating any students with disabilities, and have worked to make adjustments when needed.

Fairmont Superintendent Andy Traetow said the partnership between Fairmont Schools and MMB has been fruitful.

“Minnesota Motor Bus has been a great partner,” he said. “We have very positive open communication and dialog. We function very well together to provide the best possible service to our students and families, a very safe option in getting to school.”

With the Safe Routes to School initiative and employment of several crossing guards, Traetow said walking has also been a popular and safe way to and from school.

“Our city has done a good job of keeping walkways a priority in terms of being in communication with us,” he said.

Traetow said he has received mainly positive feedback from parents and students.

“If there have been incidences that occurred on the bus [MMB] will communicate directly with families impacted, as well as receiving direct communication from the school district,” he said. “One thing we all agree on is we care about our kids and want them to travel to and from school safely. We’re going to continue to work together with our families to provide the best information that we can.”

Transportation contract services are opened for bidding whenever the current contract ends. Traetow said any transportation companies are able to bid, but MMB has consistently been awarded the contract when bidding has been opened.

“As we look to build into the 25-26 school year, we’re taking a deep dive into the school district’s current budgetary status and all our contracts with all our vendors,” he said. “While we have not yet had an organizational meeting for that year with Minnesota Motor Bus, that will be happening in the near future.”

Looking forward, Traetow said he wants to continue evaluating and making the most informed transportation decisions in line with the school district’s mission statement.

“Be a leading, innovative school district preparing kids to thrive today and excel tomorrow,” he said. “I want to make sure we continue a very positive partnership with our transportation company. When there are new innovations on the horizon that can improve the quality of service we provide for our students, we’re doing a thorough analysis of being able to provide the best quality services.”