NIGP 96216: Bus Transportation Services, School

NIGP 96216 Bus Transportation Services, School, an Item code, encompasses charter and intercity bus services that state and local educational institutions and community colleges procure for student transportation, field trips, athletic competition travel, and extracurricular activities. Recent solicitations show school districts, colleges, and universities acquiring fleet-based charter services with vehicles ranging from 15 to 56 passengers, equipped with amenities such as Wi-Fi, GPS tracking, air conditioning, and wheelchair accessibility. Issuing bodies include independent school districts, community colleges, public charter schools, and state universities across multiple states. The work scope centers on per-trip or time-and-materials pricing for defined or as-needed transportation needs, with contracts typically running one to three years and often including renewal options. Insurance requirements are consistent across solicitations: Commercial General Liability of $1 million to $5 million per occurrence, Automobile Liability of $1 million to $10 million combined or per accident, Workers' Compensation at statutory limits, and Sexual Abuse and Molestation coverage of $1 million where applicable. Vendors must comply with state pupil activity bus certification requirements, maintain vehicles no more than eight to ten years old, and employ drivers holding current Commercial Driver's Licenses with passenger endorsements and clean driving records verified through background checks and drug and alcohol testing.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, California, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, and Oregon. Collin County Community College District issued ITB FY2024-ITB-026 for charter bus services supporting college clubs, groups, and athletic teams with a three-year term effective August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2027, budgeted at $250,000 and requiring primary and secondary vendor awards with responses due May 14, 2024. Stockton Unified School District in California issued RFQ2620 on June 30, 2026, establishing a qualified pool of charter transportation providers on an as-needed basis for a five-year term, requiring responses by June 25, 2026, with five years' minimum experience providing charter services to California K-12 districts and fleet vehicles less than ten years old. West Basin Municipal Water District in California posted RFP RFPGR0127 on June 22, 2026, for charter bus transportation supporting school field trips for grades 3-12 across 17 West Basin service-area cities, with approximately 100 annual trips at maximum capacity, requiring California School Pupil Activity Bus certification and responses by April 28, 2026. Donna Independent School District in Cameron County, Texas, issued RFP 011326-893 on March 21, 2026, establishing an as-needed vendor list for charter bus services across multiple bus sizes (25 to 55 passengers) for the 2026-2027 school year with pricing structured as discount-from-catalog proposals and responses due April 8, 2026. Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey, bid Public Bid No. P-2419 on April 1, 2026, seeking intercollegiate athletic transportation with 56-passenger coaches and 14–25-passenger smaller buses for approximately 55 trips from September 1, 2026, through May 30, 2027, with electronic bids due April 22, 2026.