Firm to Offer Bus Service to Some Peninsula Schools

A Gardena company said this week that it plans to provide home-to-school bus service beginning this fall for students enrolled in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.

Mark IV Charter Lines Inc. announced it would offer the service when classes begin Sept. 11. Each child will be charged $400 a year for round-trip service, or $300 for one-way service. Parents can pay in two installments.

The company said the price will be reduced if its ridership projections are exceeded by 20%. The company did not disclose its projections.

Details Uncertain

Mark IV President Jay Mannino said the company is not yet sure which schools will be served, but that it is unlikely to be all 15 schools in the district. No bus stops or times will be determined until the company knows exactly how many students sign up for the service and where they reside, he said.

Parents can sign up for the service Aug. 23-25 from 3 to 6 p.m., and on Aug. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Rolling Hills High School.

The company that previously provided the service, Laidlaw Transit, notified the district in June that it would no longer run the service. In a recent interview, a Laidlaw official said the company dropped the service because it was not profitable enough. Last school year, about 400 students signed up for bus service. Each was charged $350.

Mannino said that although it is unknown how many pupils will sign up for service, he is optimistic the number will be high enough to make it a viable venture for his company. In a questionnaire mailed to families by the school district, 654 responded that they were interested in the service.

“Right now, it’s a good gamble,” Mannino said. “I am pretty confident we can make something work.”

Mark IV recently signed a contract with the district to provide bus service for students participating in extracurricular activities.