SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. -- Rising diesel prices are putting pressure on school bus companies across Delaware, with some operators warning that higher fuel costs could affect extracurricular travel for students.
Diesel prices have climbed far faster than gasoline prices, doubling the cost to fill some school buses.
Gerald Dutton contracts buses for three school districts in Sussex County. Dutton said his company is fortunate enough to buy fuel in bulk, so they are less affected than those filling up directly at the pump. However, Dutton said the rapid increase in fuel prices has created uncertainty for transportation companies preparing bids for the next school year.
“When fuel jumps a dollar twenty to a dollar eighty a gallon in the matter of a couple of weeks, that's a kicker to everybody,” Dutton said.
AAA reported that diesel prices in Delaware were sitting around $5.55 a gallon on Friday.
Dutton said fluctuating fuel costs make it difficult for bus companies and school districts to negotiate contracts.
“We do bids for these districts. When we put these bids in, fuel was starting to jump, but we didn't know how far it was going to go," Dutton said. "So we're trying to project our costs. But the reality could be higher, it could be lower, so the districts are kind of at a windfall. They don't know, 'is this a decent price they're giving us or not?'”
One of the districts Dutton contracts with is the Indian River School District, which also operates its own fleet of buses.
According to the district's transportation supervisor, Shawn Tidwell, filling a single bus can cost well over $100.
“It can get up to $150 sometimes. In some of the bigger buses with tanks, it can get close to $200,” Tidwell said.
The district contracts with multiple private bus companies. Tidwell said rising diesel prices could eventually reduce opportunities for extracurricular travel.
“It makes it difficult for contractors to be able to take extra trips,” Tidwell said. “We want to be able to provide opportunities for our students to get outside of the school building, to do learning experiences, but contractors have to second-guess whether or not they can do that because of rising fuel costs.”
Tidwell said no trips have been canceled because of fuel prices so far.
Both the school district and Dutton Bus Service said the state helps offset some of the rising costs through funding that reimburses transportation providers per mile. Officials said the reimbursement rate is adjusted monthly to account for fuel price increases.
