The Warren County R-III School District will add two new 77-passenger buses to its fleet.Director of Transportation Kevin Pirrung presented the numbers to the board, stating the increasing enrollment in the district is creating a need for larger capacity buses. Currently, many of the buses are only 69-passenger units.“We want to propose running larger buses so we don’t run into any more trouble with our growing district,” said Pirrung. “The more kids we can put on one bus means fewer busses and less consumables like fuel and tires.”The total cost for two 77-passenger buses will be $175,638, which includes delivery from Midwest Transit, whose bid came in the lowest among three competitors at $88,081 per bus.Also considered were Midwest Bus Sales, $89,170, and Central States, $89,825.“Everything is within budget,” said Pirrung, noting the district has two older buses that could be considered for trade-in.The total working budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year is $178,891.Midwest Transit has agreed to deliver the two buses as soon as mid-February with a payment of $87,819 plus an interest rate of $497 per bus, totaling $176,632.00.The $87,819 figure is a reduced rate, as the Midwest Transit was able to provide busses already in inventory. The additional $497 is a pro-rated amount for the district to utilize the new buses for the remainder of the 2015-16 school year.“We’re looking to replace some older buses because of the condition they’re in,” said Pirrung. “These two new busses would go en route immediately.”The district’s transportation department currently serves around 1,700 students with 52 buses, having updated 22 of those in the past three years.“We have replaced pretty close to half our fleet over that time,” said Pirrung. “For the bus world, that’s excellent progression. We’re anticipating growth in the district, and we want to ensure the safety of our students.”The two oldest buses in the district are a pair of 2002 90-passenger units which are still operable and very effective in areas with higher populations of students, according to Pirrung.“They’re both unique and fit in very well with some of our routes because they’re capable of holding so many passengers,” he said.The board voted 5-0 to approve the purchase at its Feb. 11 meeting, with treasurer Bill Hawley and member John Bradshaw absent.School Buses