Purdue partners with local company for bus services
December 8, 2015
Purdue has partnered with West Lafayette-based Express Air Coach to handle bus services, a move that will save the University money while also upgrading the buses used for such services.
The University currently owns a fleet of 10 buses, four of which are designed and outfitted for longer trips. The decision was made to investigate outside vendors as the University dealt with the fact that its aging fleet was costing more to maintain. Also, buses used for longer trips are nearing the end of their useful life and would cost about $500,000 each to replace, said Rob Wynkoop, managing director in the Office of Service Enterprise and Procurement Services.
"Even with owning a fleet of buses, the need for charter bus services on campus already required about 30 percent of our trip volume to be supplemented with help from outside charter bus firms," Wynkoop said. "We brought together a group from across campus to assess our needs and see if it made sense to search for a company that could offer these services in a way that upgraded what we could provide and do it in a cost-effective manner."
The University spends $1.2 million to $1.5 million annually on charter bus services. This includes both University-owned buses and the use of outside firms. When firms were asked to provide a solution based on that usage pattern, EAC came back with a proposed contract to provide services for less than $1 million. The EAC contract is a three-year agreement and charges will be assessed based only upon actual usage.
Under the contract, all 10 of the current University buses will be replaced. Those include shuttles, used mostly for trips to and from airports; buses that are primarily used locally for field trips; and coach buses for longer trips typically used by athletics and recreational sports.
As part of the agreement, EAC also will provide at least two new state-of-the-art buses that will be wrapped in new Purdue branding. The new vehicles also will feature more modern conveniences, such as Wi-Fi and jacks for phones and other electronics.
There were four full-time employees who handled the University's charter bus operations: One of those employees retired; another has moved to a different position within the University; and the remaining two, as part of the contract, will have the opportunity to work for EAC.
Wynkoop said University users of charter services will call the same number -- 765-494-6554 -- as before to book trips and that online services also will be available.
Questions regarding the transition and implementation can be directed to Wynkoop at wynkoop@purdue.edu. Additional information will be shared soon.
EAC, which already works with the University as a vendor of charter services, is owned by alumnus Paul Davis. The company, which has been in business since 2004, has its office at the Purdue University Airport. To learn more about EAC, visit its website.
