Student transportation provider Durham School Services (DSS) begins a 10-year partnership with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Alaska) School District (MSBSD) in Wasilla starting this July. This will be DSS’ second venture in Alaska as it currently serves the students of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. The new partnership with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District will allow DSS to expand its role as a positive change agent in Alaska, contributing to the betterment of the Wasilla community through its Partners Beyond the Bus community outreach program.

For the next 10 years, DSS will work collaboratively with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District to run an estimated 148 routes to transport its students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Buses will be equipped with best-in-class safety monitoring systems and technology, such as Zonar, Lytx DriveCam, Gatekeeper CCTV cameras, and two-way radios.

“We are embarking on an exciting new journey with Durham School Services,” said MSBSD Superintendent Randy Trani. “We chose DSS to serve our community after careful consideration based on safety, reliability, and quality of service. We are looking forward to this new partnership.”

“Each community has its own unique needs when it comes to student transportation. This is especially true for Wasilla because of their unique climate and terrain,” said Jim Ring, senior vice president of DSS’ West Operations. “We did our research and really took time to learn firsthand about the school district and community’s needs. We will hit the ground running this summer and provide the Mat-Su community with the safe and reliable service for which we have been known for the past century.”