Fleet:

Manatee County School District, Bradenton, Florida. 280 busses.

Situation:

Manatee County was the first district in the country to use hybrid school busses. Because the purchase price of a hybrid is about 2½ times that of a traditional bus, no one was expecting a quick payback.

Solution:

Using Bandag's BDV tread design, the total tire budget decreased from three cents per mile to less than a penny per mile. Because the district's busses log about four million miles annually, the savings are quite substantial.

"With safety as the number one focus, we continue to rely on technology to enhance safety and save Manatee County taxpayer dollars. The data we collect validates that we have the right tire program in place for both the safety of the students and the best interest for our taxpayers."

- Don Ross,
Supervisor of Vehicle Maintenance
Manatee Co. School District