Making good on his commitment to reduce the state-owned vehicle fleet, Gov. Corbett sent the "white elephant" of the fleet to the auction block: a 1991 tour bus that has cost Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $66,000 in spite of it being driven less than 26,000 miles in eight years.
"This bus represents everything wrong with state government -- it's out-dated, inefficient and broken down," said Corbett. "That's why we are sending it to the auction block, a first step in our efforts to reduce the cost of state government."
Since 2003, when the Commonwealth was given the bus, it has only been driven 25,937 miles, but has required a taxpayer investment of $66,462 to maintain. The bus has also consumed over 12,000 gallons of fuel in that same time period.
Corbett noted that the bus -- formally called Commonwealth One -- cannot move under its own power, requiring an investment expense of approximately $5,000 to repair a transmission control module.
"My administration is committed to refocusing state spending on the core functions of government and that does not include maintaining a 41-foot motor coach that has largely sat in the garage," Corbett said. "This fiscal year alone taxpayers have paid for batteries, towing and window tinting. As of today, we will not ask taxpayers to put one more cent into the upkeep of this vehicle."
Corbett has also commissioned a statewide review of the state's vehicle fleet in an effort to reduce the cost of government. Results from this review are expected by the end of April.
The bus will be placed up for bid as part of the next Department of General Services equipment auction, which will occur in May and June 2011.
