2008 Woodie Awards
Tally welcomes new transportation system
Katie Kohls
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Community
Students at Talawanda School District will be bringing the same peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, stuffing the same backpacks and tying the same shoes for school-but hoping on some new buses this fall.
Talawanda School District switched from the bus company Laidlaw International to Petermann Transportation, so when the five schools in Talawanda's district began school Aug. 28, the buses read Petermann instead of Laidlaw.
The Talawanda School District includes Talawanda High School, Talawanda Middle School, Bogan Elementary, Kramer Elementary and Marshall Elementary.
After Talawanda's six-year contract with Laidlaw-which operates the Miami Metro buses-expired, the school district put forth a request for proposal, and both Petermann and Laidlaw applied, according to Phil Cagwin, superintendent of the Talawanda School District.
Cagwin said the primary reason for the switch was because Petermann is a local company based out of Cincinnati. Petermann, which now has a five-year contract with Talawanda, also serves schools in Hamilton and Butler counties.
Laidlaw, the largest bus company in the nation, is based out of Chicago and because of the far distance from Oxford, Cagwin said Laidlaw had trouble securing substitute drivers and resorted to using supervisors or mechanics, which caused inefficiency.
"Petermann has committed to having five additional substitute drivers on payroll that would be available everyday," Cagwin said.
All but two of the Laidlaw bus drivers from the previous year switched to Petermann to stay with their route. Additionally, all 36 of the routes are the same as last year.
Terry Williams, Petermann's Talawanda branch manager, said it is especially beneficial to be a local company.
"In this area we are the dominant company," Williams said. "We are able to draw from more resources."
Williams explained that because of their local location, the school district is able to pull from a larger group of employees for the bus service.
As for Laidlaw, Cagwin said he does not think that their business will suffer due to the loss of the Talawanda district.
Williams said that Petermann intends to bring students home in a safe and timely manner, and in these first few days of school, they have lived up to expectations.
Cagwin expressed similar sentiments to Williams.
The transition was seamless," Cagwin said.
Kindergarten began school Aug. 30 and Cagwin was concerned when one bus was 15 minutes late.
When he called the bus on the radio, the bus driver explained that she had to make longer stops because the parents wanted pictures of their children beginning their first school day.
Talawanda School District switched from the bus company Laidlaw International to Petermann Transportation, so when the five schools in Talawanda's district began school Aug. 28, the buses read Petermann instead of Laidlaw.
The Talawanda School District includes Talawanda High School, Talawanda Middle School, Bogan Elementary, Kramer Elementary and Marshall Elementary.
After Talawanda's six-year contract with Laidlaw-which operates the Miami Metro buses-expired, the school district put forth a request for proposal, and both Petermann and Laidlaw applied, according to Phil Cagwin, superintendent of the Talawanda School District.
Cagwin said the primary reason for the switch was because Petermann is a local company based out of Cincinnati. Petermann, which now has a five-year contract with Talawanda, also serves schools in Hamilton and Butler counties.
Laidlaw, the largest bus company in the nation, is based out of Chicago and because of the far distance from Oxford, Cagwin said Laidlaw had trouble securing substitute drivers and resorted to using supervisors or mechanics, which caused inefficiency.
"Petermann has committed to having five additional substitute drivers on payroll that would be available everyday," Cagwin said.
All but two of the Laidlaw bus drivers from the previous year switched to Petermann to stay with their route. Additionally, all 36 of the routes are the same as last year.
Terry Williams, Petermann's Talawanda branch manager, said it is especially beneficial to be a local company.
"In this area we are the dominant company," Williams said. "We are able to draw from more resources."
Williams explained that because of their local location, the school district is able to pull from a larger group of employees for the bus service.
As for Laidlaw, Cagwin said he does not think that their business will suffer due to the loss of the Talawanda district.
Williams said that Petermann intends to bring students home in a safe and timely manner, and in these first few days of school, they have lived up to expectations.
Cagwin expressed similar sentiments to Williams.
The transition was seamless," Cagwin said.
Kindergarten began school Aug. 30 and Cagwin was concerned when one bus was 15 minutes late.
When he called the bus on the radio, the bus driver explained that she had to make longer stops because the parents wanted pictures of their children beginning their first school day.
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