Spare Vehicle Recommendations

Overall County-Owned Fleet

In general, industry sets standards for the number of active "spares" that should be available for regular fleets at between 10-15%. The following standards are recognized:

Law Enforcement and Public Safety

The number of vehicles assigned to Law Enforcement and Public Safety should include a recommended level of spare vehicles of 10 %.

Solid Waste Transfer Trailers

The recommended level of spare vehicles is 10%.

Passenger Vehicles

The recommended level of spare vehicles is 10%. Federal Transit Administration Criteria

In general, transit industry sets standards for the number of active "spares" that should be available in case of routine maintenance / unanticipated breakdown(s), as well a certain number of inactive vehicles known as a "contingency" fleet. The latter represent vehicles that are placed in an inactive status in preparation for emergencies and are not considered as spares or part of the active fleet. The transit industry does not have a uniform spare ratio, however, the recognized transit industry standard for the number of spare buses in a transit fleet should not exceed between 10 to 20% of the total number in operation at maximum service levels (for STS, typically 18 buses are in operation at peak periods).

STS Contingency Fleet

According to the Federal Transit Administration, buses may be stockpiled in an inactive contingency fleet in preparation for emergencies. However, no bus may be stockpiled before it has reached the end of its service life.

Buses held in a contingency fleet must be properly stored, maintained and identified as a contingency plan to meet service needs. These vehicles would not count in the calculation of the "spare ratio". As such, identifying 3 of the 5 existing STS buses as contingency fleet vehicles would ensure the spare ratio is between the recommended 12-15%.

Non-Public School Bus Transportation

A school transportation system should operate a fleet of buses, which is limited to a size and can effectively be used to provide safe, economical, and efficient transportation. In view of the cost to purchase and maintain a bus, the number of spare buses should be based on actual needs. Bus fleets should be sized to provide more vehicles than re-assigned for operational use each day. A minimum 10-15% spare ratio is recommended to ensure spare buses are available in cases when; a bus(es) is in the shop for repairs or maintenance or a bus(es) is involved in an accident or experiences a mechanical breakdown.

Contractor buses that are identified as eligible spares should be the buses in the best mechanical condition. The selected dedicated buses should receive the appropriate compensation.