Northern Lehigh School District couldn't be more pleased with its new fleet of buses.

In January, the school board approved the student transportation contract with Brandywine Transportation Inc. (A Gross Transportation Group Company) for the school years 2015-2021.As part of the agreement, Brandywine leases the bus garage on the property at a cost of $18,000 per year ($1,500 per month) for the duration of the contract.Ray Nunemacher, terminal manager, said every bus in the district's fleet is new, with the oldest ones being from 2012.Nunemacher said the district has eight brand-new buses equipped with Cummins engines, which are community-friendly and environmentally safe. They use a diesel exhaust fluid, he said.Nunemacher added that it's "great for the community, because they are a quieter running bus, it's better for the kids, and the buses are fuel efficient. In the long run, they do save the district money."All told, Nunemacher said the district has 14 72-passenger full buses, six mini buses (two of which are handicapped accessible), and 10 vans.Greg Derr, director of support services and transportation, said the district is "looking forward to working with Brandywine Transportation for many more years.""We're extremely proud to work with Brandywine Transportation," Derr said. "Ray does a great job for the district. Any time I need something from Ray, he makes it happen."Derr added that many of the drivers have district roots."We are very fortunate here at Northern Lehigh to have many of our drivers who went to school here, graduated from here and now work for Brandywine," he said. "They're great with knowing who the kids are, who the families are and recognizing and handling problems and concerns professionally."