JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley students will be riding to school on brand new buses next school year.

The school board April 11 approved a seven-year service agreement with ABC Transit of Allison Park to handle the majority of its daily busing needs.

ABC will replace AJ Myers and Sons, which has been the busing contractor for the district for 26 years. The contract will cost the district about $3.8 million per year, which was the lowest price offered, said Linda Andreassi, district communications director.

The school board also voted to renew its contract for six years with Valley Lines of Freeport, which handles the district's parochial routes within its boundaries. That contract will be for about $1.2 million per year.

ABC has a fleet of 230 buses housed in two garages in Etna and Harmar Township, Allegheny County and employs about 250 people, vice president of operations Todd O'Shell said.

It provides exclusive busing services for the Fox Chapel, Riverview and North Hills school districts.

Adding Seneca Valley will expand the business, O'Shell said.

“We're definitely excited about the opportunity. It's growing our company. We're excited to grow with Seneca Valley and provide a service for them,” O'Shell said.

With the addition of the Seneca contract, the company plans to increase its fleet to 350 buses. The contract requires 78 buses to cover its routes daily.

The Seneca students will ride in all new buses that hold a maximum of either 72 or 84 passengers, O'Shell said.

The company is looking at options for a location to store buses within a couple-minutes drive of the high school, he said. The drivers employed by AJ Myers will be given an opportunity to work for ABC and keep their same route, he said.

The district has 7,127 students and also must provide transportation for students within its borders who attend private schools such as Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.