Michigan school district drops MTA service

The Flint Board of Education in Michigan ended a 10-year relationship with the Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) to transport students to and from school aboard MTA buses. The board voted 4-2 to approve a three-year contract with a labor union that represents school bus drivers. "I'm considerably surprised because it's going to end up costing them several million dollars a year or more," MTA General Manager Robert Foy told the Flint Journal. The MTA has transported Flint's regular-education students since 1992. This year, the MTA is transporting approximately 7,800 students at a cost to the district of $3.7 million. The district is expected to pay $4.4 million under the new plan, which includes the lease of 100 used school buses for about $860,000 a year.