Durham School Services wins Contra Costa County education transportation contract

Durham School Services has been selected by the Contra Costa County Office of Education to run student transportation in Contra Costa County through 2031. The deal adds 64 special education routes and expands Durham’s California footprint to more than 350 schools.

Why it matters: - The partnership extends Durham School Services’ California growth and adds another long-term county education contract through 2031. - The contract covers special education transportation, where reliability, consistency and safety monitoring are especially important for students and families. - With the new award, Durham serves more than 350 schools in California.

What happened: - Contra Costa County Office of Education selected Durham School Services as its new student transportation partner. - Durham and CCCOE will work together over the next five years through 2031. - The service area includes Concord, California, where Durham previously served the community and CCCOE for several years. - The assignment covers 64 special education routes. - The operation will use a fleet of 71 buses.

The details: - Each bus will carry Samsara’s cloud-based platform with intelligent dual-facing cameras, high-definition video and sound capabilities. - The Samsara system is intended to improve driver safety and responsiveness. - Each bus will also use Zonar’s fleet management platform for real-time GPS tracking and pre- and post-trip safety inspections. - Seon video surveillance cameras will be installed to strengthen safety monitoring. - CCCOE said the partnership is meant to support student transportation for school districts throughout Contra Costa County. - Bruce K. Burns, Director of General Services at Contra Costa County Office of Education, said Durham’s experience with safe and reliable transportation aligns with the county’s goal of helping students access educational programs. - Burns also said CCCOE wants strong communication, responsive service and consistent operations. - Durham CEO Tim Wertner said special education transportation requires high care, consistency, communication and operational expertise. - Wertner said Durham will rely on experienced local leadership, dedicated drivers and monitors, and safety technology. - Local operations are being led by General Manager Julie Cortez. - Cortez is a California native who returned to the state after serving as an operations supervisor for Durham’s West Ada, Idaho location.

Between the lines: - The contract adds to a series of California wins for Durham, including earlier announcements for Alhambra and Val Verde. - The company is leaning on technology, local management and repeat-market experience to compete for school transportation work. - Special education routes often require tighter coordination than standard school runs, which makes the emphasis on safety systems and communication especially notable.

What's next: - Durham and CCCOE will prepare for the school year launch and continue ramp-up work under Julie Cortez’s local leadership. - The partnership is set to run through 2031 unless terms change. - Durham is likely to keep pushing California expansion as it builds on its recent contract momentum.