Hutchinson, KS – Durham School Services (DSS), a leader in student transportation, continues to uphold its commitment to supporting its community and sustainability with its recent bus donation to the Hutchinson Community College. The college is using the donated bus to expand their CDL Training Program to train more prospective school bus drivers. With this new bus donation, the school now has two school buses to utilize for the program. The other bus currently used for the program was also a donation from Durham. Drivers possessing a CDL are in high demand, and having this bus will help the Hutchinson community in providing another option to conduct driver training.
Bus donations to community partners such as this one to Hutchinson Community College are made as part of Durham School Services’ company-wide Partners Beyond the Bus community outreach program. These bus donations help repurpose retired, non-electric vehicles from DSS’ fleets, further contributing to DSS’ transition to alternative fuel-powered and zero-emission buses. Durham School Services plans to transition to an all-zero-emission fleet by 2035.
The Hutchinson DSS team has been serving the Hutchinson community since 1996. Its upcoming community outreach plans include partnering with First Call for Help to hold a coat drive and participating in the community’s Christmas parade.
“With the increase in demand for CDLs, this bus donation is a significant deal for our CDL Training Program,” said David Krueger, Business & Industry Instructor, CDL Coordinator & Examiner, Hutchinson Community College. “School bus drivers are a vital part of the community, so with this additional school bus, we are able to expand our program and give an extra helping hand to the community by providing more opportunities to those who are interested in becoming a school bus driver. Thank you, as always, to Durham for their generosity and unwavering support to the Hutchinson community.”
“We knew from our previous bus donation to the school that this additional bus would further benefit the community even more, so, of course, we had to contribute again,” said Michael Simmons, Hutchinson General Manager, Durham School Services. “We are glad this second bus donation from Durham has allowed the school to expand its CDL Training Program and potentially bring in more school bus drivers for the community. Hutchinson is our home, so anything we can do to support it, we will gladly lend a helping hand.”
About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.