N.J. districts to share transportation services

The boards of education for Branchburg (N.J.) Township School District and Readington Township Public Schools in Whitehouse Station, N.J., are finalizing arrangements to share transportation services, which officials said will result in a more efficient and economical system for both districts.
 
Branchburg will provide the transportation supervisor, and Readington will provide the dispatcher. Between the two districts, there will be the elimination of one part-time dispatcher and one full-time supervisor.
 
Branchburg will house the joint management operation in its facilities. There will be some one-time costs, such as an upgrade of a communication system, but those costs are included in the first year’s savings of at least $70,000 to each of the two districts, officials said.
 
The maintenance of the buses will be shared. Readington will move its technician to Branchburg, bringing the total maintenance staff to three. Branchburg Township has agreed to permit the districts the use of an additional bay, and the township will be provided with maintenance assistance by the districts’ maintenance staff.
 
The $70,000 in savings to each district will come from sharing the cost of one supervisor and one dispatcher, sharing maintenance and eliminating Readington’s cost for rental of a maintenance bay. Officials said additional savings should come from eliminating bus routes when the two operations are merged. Both will reportedly benefit from having a joint pool of substitute drivers and a joint pool of spare buses.