The newly-formed committee charged with determining the safest, most cost-effective way to transport Wareham Public School District students came face to face with the growing cost and age of the district's fleet of buses at its first meeting on Tuesday, January 31.

The Transportation Action Committee was formed in mid-January following a joint meeting of the School Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Finance Committee, during which all agreed that the situation needed to be addressed -- and sooner rather than later.

The committee consists of School Committee Chair Geoff Swett, who volunteered to chair the new committee, Selectman Ellen Begley, a yet-to-be-determined member of the Capital Planning Committee, and Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch and Town Administrator Mark Andrews. All are voting members.

In presenting stats about the district's fleet, Transportation Director Jeff Tatro was hoping some action would be taken on Tuesday.

The average year of the district's regular-sized, 77-passenger school buses is 2002 and the average number of miles is approximately 99,000. For special education buses, the aveage year is 2003 and the average number of miles is 150,000.

Tatro says the district is in dire need of two special education vehicles. Two of the department's current vehicles need to be replaced due to what he called "catastrophic engine failures."

But Begley, noting that she had just seen the information presented that evening, said she wasn't prepared to immediately OK the purchase of the two buses.

"I'm reluctant to vote in the affirmative for any big-ticket items tonight," she said.

Alan Slavin, filling the Capital Planning Committee seat because he currently serves as chair of that committee, said he was uncomfortable supporting any purchases without the approval of Town Meeting voters.

The Capital Planning Committee has not met since the Transportation Action Committee formed and thus has not chosen a member to serve the new committee.

All members agreed that whatever decision the new committee makes should be a consensus.

Without the immediate purchase of the vehicles, Tatro said he'd "have to go to a private contractor and pay twice as much" than if the district transported the students itself.

"B46 we're about to lose," Tatro said, referring to one of the buses. "We've had it looked at. We're about to lose that one."

Without a vote taken Tuesday, officials said the district would likely enter deficit spending from the costs associated with paying a contractor to take the routes once both buses are inoperable.

"If a bus breaks down, you will have to take it off the road," Rabinovitch told Tatro. "We will have to contract out and we will have to run a deficit."

The deficit would have to be explained to Town Meeting voters, who would need to approve spending to fill it.

And that's just the tip of the budget iceberg.

The School Department is estimating that it will cost approximately $1.8 million for the district to run its fleet next year, which is about $400,000 above what Town Administrator Andrews has budgeted in his preliminary fiscal year 2013 budget.

Outsourcing the busing operation to a private vendor completely is something the Transportation Action Committee is considering. Some officials are concerned that doing that would cost even more, however, as the lowest bid received when the School Department put out a request for proposals on the busing operation last year was $2.6 million.

"We're really grappling with the budget process," Andrews said, noting that costs are up in various areas throughout the town.

Andrews has budgeted $100,000 in next year's budget for "capital" items, such as the purchase of new buses. He asked Tatro to determine what that kind of money -- funded through the town's increased meals tax -- could do for the department.

"That's a recurring revenue source that's going to be there [in future years]," Andrews said, before noting: "It's not going to solve all the problems..."

The Transportation Action Committee will discuss that at its next meeting, as well as what the plan is for either replacing buses or outsourcing the operation, and how the town should fund whatever plan the committee comes up with.

The next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 15, at 7 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, located on the third floor of the Multi-service Center.