LMSD’s website boasts of having the “largest fleet of alternative fuel school buses on the East Coast.” Maintaining this fleet of 135 vehicles requires routine replacement and maintenance. During the facilities and purchasing meeting on November 13, Board Director and Committee Chair Jason Herman presented the purchasing report. This included the purchase of eleven new diesel fuel buses, totaling $2,363,350, as well as three new gasoline school buses, totaling to $365,667. The decommissioned diesel buses were traded in for $1,000 each, while the gas-fueled buses were traded in for $2,450 each.
Uldis Vilcins, the director of transportation at LM, explained the replacement, saying, “Both LMSD and [Pennsylvania] State Police inspect all buses to ensure safety. To ensure the fleet remains reliable, older buses that are likely to require significant or frequent mechanical repairs, or that are showing signs of corrosion, are replaced.” Vilcins believes that the replacement of the buses will have a positive effect on LM students, as he stated, “The newer buses offer greater reliability and may reduce delays caused by mechanical issues.”
In light of the state-issued $5 million budget cut, funding for transportation has been cut significantly. The cuts to transportation include removing the 4:30 p.m. and Friday late bus runs and discontinuing half days, as well as changing the busing regulations for clubs. Vilcins rationalized the cuts by detailing that the transportation department’s “research indicated that most local school districts don’t provide late bus runs.” Several districts do not offer late bus runs, such as Radnor School District, Marple Newtown School District, Haverford School District, Springfield School District, Garnet Valley School District, Council Rock School District, and more. Several other districts only provide one late bus, including Upper Dublin School District and Plymouth Whitemarsh School District. Vilcins elaborated, “We didn’t want to eliminate late buses…as that might limit some students’ ability to participate in extracurricular activities.” Although over $500,000 was cut from the transportation budget for the 2025-2026 school year, almost $3 million was spent on the new buses.
Students expressed mixed opinions on this change. Ruby Wolf ’28, a field hockey player, said, “Practice would end early, but because of the buses, we had to go to 5:30 p.m., which meant that some people had to miss or leave practice early for other commitments.” Maya Zada ’26 said, “The cuts haven’t affected me directly, but I have had to drive people home from club events because of the lack of late buses.” Lila Apple ’27 said, “The bus cuts are bad for the environment because a lot of people are using cars now instead of buses, increasing carbon emissions.” Some students frowned upon the decision to spend a large sum of money—Danny Silverman ’27 expressed his opinion, “I personally think that there are bigger concerns in our district in terms of where our money should be allocated. I understand the severity of a safety concern in inspections, but I think that there are many more pressing issues that deserve immediate attention instead of the luxuries of having a more comfortable bus that you spend ten minutes on.” Voicing the opposite opinion, Abby McGrew ’27 said, “While cutting late buses is inconvenient for many students, it is more important that we replace any buses that could be a safety hazard on the road.”
Ultimately, the replacement of the school buses is a necessary decision to maintain the safety and integrity of the transportation system at LM. As budget constraints take effect on LM and transportation is cut back, many students are left unsatisfied with the choices by the district.
