OTTUMWA, Iowa — Ottumwa Mayor Tom X. Lazio recently toured Durham School Services’ local transportation facility.

Durham School Services invited Lazio to visit the facility and discuss the inner workings and operations behind getting more than 2,500 Ottumwa School District students safely to and from school every day.

During the Oct. 19 visit, Lazio met with Durham’s Chief Operating Officer Mary Leonard and the local team, who provided insight into Durham’s safety procedures, technology on the school buses, and the preventive maintenance program.

“While the exterior of the yellow school bus may look the same, there are many new enhancements,” Lazio said. “From watching the pre-trip inspection each driver performs before the bus goes out on the road to seeing how real-time data is captured, it is clear that Durham has a very strong focus on safely transporting the students of Ottumwa.”  

“We appreciate the time the mayor spent with us, and we are proud to showcase our team’s continuous efforts to getting our students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn,” Leonard said. “Our Ottumwa team’s dedication to the safety of their students is to be commended.”

Additionally, the mayor of Waterloo, Iowa, Quentin Hart, also toured a Durham facility in June.