10.29.2026 City Council - Ad Hoc School Transportation Committee

Fall River City Council Ad Hoc School Transportation Committee meeting, dated October 29, 2026 (the metadata timestamp is October 30). School officials reported an annual transportation budget of about $17 million, with services provided primarily by Amaral Bus Company for general education, Tremblay Bus Company for special education and McKinney-Vento transportation, and Whaling City Transit for special-education door-to-door service. They also reported a $3.57 million homeless-student transportation allocation, $976,351 for special-education transportation, and a $500,000 charter-school transportation budget that the CFO estimated could reach about $660,000. Officials said bus contract costs have risen in recent years, including a 12% increase in regular-education bus prices this year, and anticipated uncertainty when the contracts are next bid. No contract award or new procurement approval occurred.

Committee members discussed possible savings from coordinating or tiering charter-school schedules and transportation, including a potential cost difference of roughly $300,000, and requested follow-up information on charter-school discussions, transportation costs over the prior 10–12 years, and McKinney-Vento transportation. The committee also discussed school-area traffic and neighborhood access hazards affecting school transportation. It voted to request that the city’s corporation counsel contact residents about the access-road issue by the following day, and scheduled its next meeting for December 10. The committee’s role is advisory and it has no binding authority; no other spending or procurement motions were identified.