The Selectmen voted 4-0 Tuesday night to allow Town Administrator Mark Andrews to investigate putting the school bus contract out to bid.

Selectman Brenda Eckstrom presented the motion after expressing concern at what she said was a lack of planning for the school bus fleet. A joint transportation subcommittee, made up of members of the School Department and members of the Board of Selectmen on which Eckstrom participated, was recently suspended by the chairman of the School Committee after three months. Eckstrom said that she was disappointed with that decision and that she had been disappointed in the information provided to the subcommittee.

"There's no planning for the future," regarding school buses, she said, mentioning that after the committee had been suspended, she had received a study from 1998 that dealt with many of the questions that she and other committee members had been asking. She said that she thought that this was the latest information available.

This caused concern among the Selectmen, as it suggested that the town could be spending money for costs that hadn't been analyzed in over a decade.

"It baffles me that we're relying on a study from 1998," Selectman Steve Holmes said. He noted that, with the current economic uncertainty, it might be an ideal time to have a "full menu" of possible contractors, as an open bidding process could drive down prices.

Holmes also cited complaints he had fielded from residents about buses that were filled to half their capacity or less.

"We have cut many services in this town," Holmes said, expressing concern about whether or not the purchasing of new buses to update the existing fleet was a prudent use of town money if the needs had possibly changed.

The Selectmen voted for Town Administrator Andrews to investigate the issue using a "reverse-auction," whereby the companies selling the bus service would compete for the contract. Eckstrom presented an opinion from Town counsel Kopelman and Paige that this was allowed, although the transportation contract is traditionally handled by the School Committee.

Selectman Cara Winslow recused herself from the discussion, citing her job as a representative for union employees who might be affected by the bus contract.

The School Committee formed a Transportation Advisory subcommittee in May to examine the district's busing operation. That committee was suspended this month to give the district's new Transportation Manager a chance to take the reins of the department, said School Committee member Geoff Swett in a Wednesday morning phone call.

Swett, a member of the advisory committee, said that it would meet again within the next few weeks and work to determine which direction to take the Transportation Department.

"The School Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee are still trying to proceed with an RFP [Request for Proposal] process so that we can confirm that it is in the best insterest of the town ... to either continue with what we're doing or to privatize," Swett said. "I think this is, unfortunately, a parallel track which is unnecessary because we have the same goal."

School Committee Chair Cliff Sylvia said Wednesday that though he and School Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch had discussed getting proposals for the busing contract with Andrews and Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue, he did not expect the Selectmen to vote Tuesday to begin the process.

"I can't speak to what they're doing because we weren't consulted," Sylvia said.

The state of the school bus fleet became a hot topic this winter when resident Ellen Begley requested information about the buses safety records after she heard media reports that the school buses were in a "state of disrepair."

Begley received assistance from the Board of Selectmen in obtaining the safety records after being dissatisfied with the School Committee's response. At a subsequent Board of Selectmen Meeting, she presented reports indicated that of the 328 school buses inspected between 2008 and 2010, 190 failed and 147 were taken out of service. The failed inspections had to do with brake problems, exhaust leaks, suspension, tires, and steering, among other problems.

Jaime Rebhan contributed to this report.