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ITD forwards new buses along to awaiting agencies

The parking lot near ITD’s Division of Public Transportation office at Headquarters looked a little different this week. Two small transport buses, painted a brilliant yellow, a brown bus and a white bus stood out among staff vehicles in the parking lot Tuesday morning awaiting delivery to anxious recipients.

Purchased through donated match money, the two yellow buses were destined for The Growing Place Child Development Center based in Boise. The twin 14-seat buses were equipped with two wheel-chair spaces and a rear lift.

They were purchased with donations from Simplot, Century 21 and the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, which provided funds for the eight percent match; the remaining 92 percent of the $51,000 purchase price for each bus came from the Federal Transit Authority’s public transportation program.

The buses serve children in the Easter Seals program in the Ada County area.
The Cambridge/Midvale Senior Center received a new eight-passenger bus that also accommodates two wheel chairs and provides a rear lift. The $46,000 bus replaces an existing bus housed at the senior center in Cambridge.

A 12-passenger van, also equipped with a lift and space for two wheel chairs, was headed to the Boise Basin Senior Center in Idaho City. The $44,000 bus replaces and upgrades an older vehicle at the center.

Another bus never arrived at ITD Headquarters – it was dispatched directly to the Blaine County Senior Center in Hailey. That bus also had seating for 14 passengers and two wheel chairs. To be housed in Hailey, the bus cost about $46,000 and was purchased with a local match, FTA funds and about $34,000 from ITD’s Vehicle Improvement Program.

All of the buses were built on Ford chassis in Indiana and sport V8 engines. The bodies were manufactured by Starcraft. Intermountain Coach Leasing of Colorado was the vendor.