Manhattan School District 114 Advances Search for New Transportation Vendor

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | March 11, 2026

Article Summary: Following ongoing service issues with its current transportation provider, Manhattan School District 114 has officially entered the private market, issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for student busing services with a final bid deadline in early April.

Transportation Search Key Points:

• The district’s official RFP for transportation vendors was published on February 27.

• A pre-mandatory meeting for prospective vendors is scheduled for March 19 at 4:30 p.m.

• Final bids from transportation companies are due by 3:00 p.m. on April 7, and will be publicly opened 30 minutes later.

The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, received an update on its aggressive timeline to potentially secure a new private transportation vendor for the upcoming academic year.

During his Superintendent Report, Dr. Damien Aherne confirmed that the district has officially launched its search for alternative busing options, following a board consensus reached in February. The board initiated the search due to ongoing service frustrations and looming union contract uncertainties with their current provider, Lincoln-Way School District 210.

“Our RFP for transportation vendors hit the newspaper on February 27th and we immediately started to get inquiries,” Dr. Aherne reported. “The proposal packet is on our website also and was emailed to potential vendors as well.”

The district has established a strict timeline for the bidding process. Prospective vendors must attend a pre-mandatory meeting scheduled for March 19 at 4:30 p.m. All final bids are due to the district by April 7 at 3:00 p.m., and the district will publicly open those bids at 3:30 p.m. the same day.

Aherne noted that he intends to provide the board with a comprehensive update on the submitted bids during their next regular meeting on April 8.