Beach Park School District 3 in Illinois was facing budget cuts and inefficiency in its student transportation program. In 2006, it partnered with Durham School Services to outsource transportation. This partnership has led to improved safety, customer service, and cost efficiency. Durham implemented routing technology, improved training, and helped find solutions like identifying fuel vendors and reorganizing bus schedules. As a result of Durham's preventative maintenance programs and routing efficiencies, the district was able to save money while ensuring students arrive at school safely and on time each day.

1. Beach Park District 3 Increases Efficiency:
by Partnering with Durham
B
each Park School District 3 in northeast Illinois has entrusted Durham School
Services to transport its students safely since 2006. Faced with cuts to state
reimbursement for transportation spending, the district needed to make changes
to its transportation program that would be cost-efficient while still delivering a
quality service to the district. The success of this partnership is due to Durham’s
strong commitment to safety and customer service—something that wasn’t always
a priority for the district’s previous transportation providers. In fact, today, the
district outsources several functions to outside contractors that really understand
how to deliver these school services. As a result of partnering with Durham for
its transportation program, the district can focus on student learning instead of
worrying about transportation management.
Challenge: Finding the Right Student Transportation Partner
The Beach Park District 3 School Board initially contracted their transportation
program to a national school bus company because of less than desired
employee management under district operation. Unfortunately, Beach Park’s first
contractor used the location as a training center for new employees. This meant
that management changes were constant and service was extremely inefficient.
Administrators spent at least two hours every day on transportation issues. The
district’s School Board decided to partner with a local school bus company which
would implement routing technology, and improve employee training, relations
and retention.
When Durham acquired the local school bus operator that had won the contract,
there were concerns from the community that Durham was just another large
contractor that was not concerned about the needs of the community. What the
district soon found out was that Durham’s highly-trained team strikes the ideal
balance: a locally-focused company with national resources.
Solution: Durham Goes the Extra Mile for a Rock Solid
Partnership
The Beach Park School District has found that Durham School Services is more
than just a school bus company but an effective business partner. When the district
““We thought our last provider
was great by comparison but
when Durham took over, our
service improved unbelievably.”
Business Manager,
Ray Costa
800.950.0485 | durhamschoolservices.com | durhamcharterservices.com
Beach Park:
By the Numbers
■ Partnership start: 2006
■ 2,450 student riders
■ 24 home-to-school routes
■ 20 Special education routes
Beach Park School district #3
Beach Park, IllinoisCase
Study

2. 800.950.0485 | durhamschoolservices.com | durhamcharterservices.com
“Durham helped us
find a fuel vendor
that would provide
us tanks. Now
Durham manages
fuel and we just
pay the bill—it has
worked out very
well for everyone,”
Costa said.
“The buses are always
clean—they are not brand
new but still very reliable.
And we’ve had fewer
breakdowns with Durham,”
Costa said.
“We managed to reroute and save
11 buses with Durham, which
saved us a lot of money. We can
actually afford transportation now,”
Costa said.
couldn’t find a fuel vendor, Durham stepped up to identify vendors that would give the district a
fair price.
Costa said that Durham’s responsiveness is what sets the company apart from other providers
he’s worked with in the past. “The best part about working with Durham is that if I need
something, I call our GM and we work it out immediately—whether it’s a field trip or a principal
that has an issue. Problems don’t fester because we solve them right away,” he said.
Durham’s vast expertise in managing transportation programs means that the company can
work with the district to customize a solution that fits the needs of the district. When the district
needed to increase the number of start times, Durham was able to reorganize bus schedules to
reflect this change. “We increased the number of start times in the district form two to three,
and we could never have done that without Durham’s help,” Costa said.
Results: Safe students, satisfied customer, happy employees…
The school district has saved money as a result of Durham’s industry-leading preventive
maintenance program. Not only is the district’s fleet safer for transporting students, but
there are fewer breakdowns and lower costs to the district year after year. The preventive
maintenance program exceeds state and federal inspection requirements making
Durham buses the safest mode of transportation to and from school.
Additionally, with Durham’s new routing plan, Beach Park can now afford its
transportation program instead of growing its deficit each year.
Furthermore, the Beach Park district is no longer a “revolving door” for employees. Costa
said that the drivers and staff in the district are very happy under Durham’s management.
Happy employees mean engaged and accountable employees. Also, in addition to providing
a great service to the district, many of the drivers and staff live in the district and maintain
great relationships with the community. “Our employees are happier with Durham than our
previous providers,” Costa said.
The end result: Beach Park District 3 students get to school safely, on time, and ready to
learn every day.
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