Glacier Park Foundation wants answers on Red Buses
The following is a letter sent by Glacier Park Foundation president John Hagen to Glacier National Park acting superintendent Kym Hall about the proposed concession contract and how it deals with the historic Red Buses.
The Glacier Park Foundation is a Montana-registered nonprofit whose members are primarily former Glacier Park concession workers. The group considers this a matter of great urgency because the deadline for concession bidders is March 14.
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I’m writing to you on behalf of the Glacier Park Foundation. We’re a citizens group that was formed in 1980. We have about 650 dues-paying members, almost all of whom are former Glacier concession employees. About a hundred of our members are former drivers of Glacier’s Red Buses (some of whom drove as long ago as the 1930s and 1940s).
As you know, Glacier’s 33 historic Red Buses were built between 1936 and 1939. In 1999, they were taken off the road because of failures in their chassis. The National Park Service and the concessioner then proposed replacing the buses with an entirely new fleet.
Public opinion was overwhelmingly opposed to retiring the buses. Our organization took a leading role in calling for the preservation of the historic fleet. One of our directors (Jeff Kuhn) took part in a systematic inspection which showed that the buses could be restored.
The Ford Motor Company then generously invested $6.5 million in renovating the buses. The historic bodies were mounted on new frames, with new transmissions, power trains and other components. The buses were brought back into service in 2002 with the expectation that they would continue to run for decades.
Our members (notably Leroy Lott and many other former drivers) actively assisted with the renovation. The Park Service gave the Glacier Park Foundation a plaque and a commendation when the buses returned to service.
Our members recently have been dismayed to learn of the proposed retirement of more than half the fleet as part of a new concession contract. The prospectus for the pending contract states:
“At the current use level ... the Red Bus fleet will begin to fail at some point during the term of the draft contract ... The concessioner will rehabilitate a minimum of 15 buses over the first 12 years of the draft contract term. The concessioner will replace the remaining 18 non-rehabilitated Red Buses with alternative fuel vehicles ...
“The concessioner will undertake and complete the rehabilitation/replacement of the Red Bus fleet as follows:
“Rehabilitate a minimum of 15 Red Buses over the first 12 years of the draft contract term costing not less than $4,110,000, per the following schedule:
• A minimum of five by the end of 2020
• A minimum of six more by the end of 2023
• The remainder (if any) by the end of 2025
“Replace the remaining 18 Red Buses with alternative fuel vehicles, costing not less than $4,025,000, per the following schedule:
• A minimum of two in 2025
• A minimum of four per year, until the concessioner has rehabilitated or replaced the entire Red Bus fleet by the beginning of the 2029 season.”
The unanimous view of our board of directors (and, we think, of virtually all of our members and of the general public) is that this action is unacceptable, barring the most compelling reasons. The Red Bus fleet is a unique historic resource, probably the oldest operational fleet in the world. Replacing half the buses when all could be renovated at almost the same cost is inappropriate on its face.
We’re astonished that this decision was made with no input whatsoever from the public. The Park Service properly establishes public comment periods for all sorts of minor infrastructure-related and environmental decisions. But here, on a major decision affecting a priceless historic and cultural resource, the public was not consulted at all. We ask that the Park Service promptly release all data supporting its decision, and that public meetings be held to discuss the issue before the pending contract is signed. We ask that the Park Service address the following points:
(1) On what basis do you project that the buses will fail over the next 16 years? Has there been a systematic inspection of structural components in the buses? Have the Ford engineers who renovated the buses in 2000-2002 been consulted?
(2) On what basis do you project the figures of $4.11 million to rehabilitate 15 buses and of $4.025 million to replace the 18 others? Given that the figures per bus are comparable, why should historic buses be replaced rather than refitted?
(3) On what basis did you decide on the 15:18 ratio of renovated buses and replacements? Again, since the price per bus is comparable, why should so many new buses be substituted for historic buses?
(4) Has Ford, which paid the cost of the renovation a decade ago, been consulted as to whether it would support ongoing renovation of the fleet?
(5) What policies exist to extend the life of the Red Buses? For example, are the buses restricted to runs within the park, with other vehicles required for runs to Whitefish, Kalispell and other destinations outside Glacier?
(6) What does the Park Service plan to do with 18 retired historic buses? Why would anyone pay to restore them in the future, when all the new buses would make them superfluous? Will they be warehoused? Will they be sold?
(7) Have you studied the potential effect of removing most of the historic buses from service on Montana tourism?
We would appreciate responses to these questions as promptly as possible. Time is of the essence on this issue. The issue should be debated thoroughly before a new contract is signed. In our view, an addendum should be issued, revising the prospectus to require rehabilitation as necessary for the entire fleet.
The Glacier Park Foundation anticipates being a vigorous advocate for the preservation of all the historic Red Buses as operational vehicles. We’re prepared to enlist our national network of members in contacting Congress and in seeking media coverage. We plan to release this letter to journalists and to the Montana Congressional delegation later this week.
Thanks for your attention to this matter. Please contact us as soon as possible with any information you wish to share.
Sincerely yours,
John D. Hagen, Jr.
President Glacier Park Foundation
johnhagen@usfarnily.net