Agenda Item
b. Approval to Secure Charter Transportation Service for Georgia Aquarium Experiential Learning Experiences and Junior Achievement for Students in Grades K-12 (Not to exceed $690,000)
Summary: Presented by: Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education authorize the DeKalb County School District to secure transportation services from Samson Tours, Inc., Coast to Coast Tours, LLC, and R&W Motor Coach, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $690,000.
Why: This request is for Samson Tours, Inc. and Coast to Coast Tours, LLC to provide transportation to and from the Georgia Aquarium to allow students in grades K-12 to participate in instructor-led experiential learning experiences. Students will gain access to opportunities that explore careers in Marine Science. In addition, students will have the opportunity to accelerate their learning and bridge gaps in their knowledge as they engage in real world applications and experiences in science and other core content areas.
In addition, this request is for Coast-to-Coast Tours, LLC and R&W Motor Coach, Inc. to provide transportation to and from the World Congress Center to allow our sixth and seventh grade students to participate in Junior Achievement Biztown and Finance Park field trips.
Details: Samson Tours, Inc., Coast to Coast Tours, LLC, and R&W Motor Coach, Inc., are current approved carriers that can provide services until May 2026 based upon availability.
To accommodate K-12 students, Samson Tours, Inc. and Coast to Coast Tours, LLC will transport students to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia to participate in the Georgia Aquarium educational programs and opportunities. Service for a 48-56 passenger bus costs approximately between $749.00 - $1,599.00 per bus.
To accommodate all sixth and seventh grade students, Coast to Coast Tours LLC and R&W Motor Coach, Inc. will transport students to the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia to participate in Biztown and Finance Park, a financial literacy simulation partnership with Junior Achievement. Service for a 56-passenger bus costs approximately $1,125.00 - $1,250.00. The total number of buses needed to transport all sixth and seventh grade students is 312 buses.
Financial impact: The total amount for transportation in an amount not exceed
$690,000. The charge codes are below:
100.2700.551900.00011.6600.9990.6010.035.0000
100.1000.530000.63311.7480.9990.8010.035.0000
Contact: Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0731,
Dr. Sean R. Tartt, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0731,
Dr. Rose Prejean-Harris, Assistant Superintendent 6-12, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0137,
Mrs. Janetta Greenwood, Director, Fernbank Science Center, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-874-7119
Effective: Upon Board Approval
Status: Attorney Approval Not Required
(404) 768-8687
QUOTE: DCSD.GAI 25.26
CUSTOMER INFORMATION DETAILS
353 buses for instructor-led field trips to Georgia Aquarium.
Dekalb County School District
Please note that billing will take place an invoices are
Hannah Maharaj completed and the number of buses per trip may change based
on increases or decreases in students and chaperones
Hannah_Maharaj@dekalbschoolsga.org attending.
(678) 874-7140
SUBMIT TO
Samson Tours Inc
3745 Zip Industrial Blvd SE
Atlanta, GA 30354
sales@samsontoursinc.com
Total Quote
$299,997.05
Georgia Aquarium Partnership Bus Services for Round Trips from Schools to GAQ (Grades: K, 2, 5, 8, HS Bio)
Trip Type Passengers Vehicles Drivers Recurrences
Round Trip Based on Date School Bus 1-3 9/9/2025-5/27/2025
1 Pick-up: Local School
2 Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
3 Return: Local School
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(404) 768-8687
QUOTE: DCSD.GAI 25.26
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These are the terms and conditions governing sales by Samson Tours, Inc. (“Samson”). Placing a work order for service constitutes acceptance
of these conditions of sale. No addition to, waiver of, or modification of these Terms and Conditions, nor anything stated on the Customer’s
Work Order Invoice shall be binding on Samson unless expressly agreed to in writing by Samson, such writing states that it supersedes these
Terms and Conditions in that regard, and the specific provision has been initialed as “accepted” by Samson. Any proposal for additional or
different terms or any attempt by Customer to vary any of the terms of this document is rejected, but such proposal shall not operate as a
rejection of this document unless there is variation in the description of the service, date, price, or duration.
1. Quotations All quotations are valid for 30 days from date of issue unless otherwise stated in writing and are subject to the availability of fleet
at the time of order. Quotations are subject to change based upon actual trip itinerary. Overnight booking quotations do not include driver's
hotel room (Customer must pay for driver’s Holiday Inn style or similar accommodations which have capacity for bus parking), parking fees,
tolls, or gratuity unless otherwise stated on the quotation.
2. Payments a. The total charge is based on information given at the time of booking and may vary according to actual duration of trip or
mileage. The group may be billed for over-time charges if the group returns after the release time on the order. b. Charges begin and end when
vehicles depart and return to the garage. c. The non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking. The balance is due three weeks prior to
departure date (unless payment terms stated on confirmation/invoice say otherwise). Exception: Government customers and military trips need
to have purchase order placed three weeks prior to departure date. d. Samson accepts cash, check, ACH, wire, and credit card (There is a 3%
fee for Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express). e. The Customer is responsible for and agrees to pay all collection costs, court costs,
and legal fees incurred to collect delinquent balances. Outstanding balances are subject to 1.5% interest per month.
3. Cancellations Trips must be canceled 30 days in advance. There are no refunds for any trip canceled with less than 30 days’ notice. All
revisions to your order must be completed more than 72 hours prior to departure. No changes after that time are permitted. Samson is not
responsible for cancellations or delays caused by traffic, road conditions, weather, or other causes which it has no control over.
4. Personal Property All baggage and other personal property are handled at the passenger's own risk. Please check with Samson to confirm
the baggage capacity in the chartered bus or other transportation vehicle. Samson Tours, Inc is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged
property.
5. Right of Substitution Samson Tours, Inc. reserves the right to substitute equipment if in Samson’s sole discretion a substitution is necessary.
Samson Tours, Inc. will substitute SUV, VAN, MINIBUS, MINI COACH, COACH, OR SCHOOL BUS with enough seats to accommodate the
group’s total passenger count.
6. Time a. Arrivals and Departures are estimated. Please build at least 15 minutes for traffic variances into your itinerary. b. Samson Tours, Inc.
arrivals or departures within 15 minutes of contracted time are not considered late. c. It is the Customer’s responsibility to select a pick-up time
that will allow enough travel time contemplating different factors. Samson will not be responsible for late arrivals due to Customer’s poor
planning.
7. Unavoidable Delay or Non-performance Samson Tours, Inc. shall not be liable for loss of time or failure to perform services under a contract
due to mechanical problems, weather conditions (including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, snow and/or ice storms, or wildfires),
epidemics, traffic congestion, or other conditions wholly beyond Samson’s control. Samson will make reasonable attempts to minimize the
delays and/or make alternate arrangements to enable travel to your destination.
8. Insurance a. Liability Coverage Insurance: Samson shall carry and keep in force comprehensive general liability insurance covering the use,
maintenance, and operation of its fleet in amounts not less than $ 5 million in liability coverage insurance. Upon request and receipt of booking
deposit, Samson shall present Certificate of Insurance to Customer. b. Trip Insurance: Samson is responsible for general liability coverage
insurance (see Section 8(a) above). General liability coverage insurance is for what is stated above. Samson strongly recommends that each
Customer purchase trip insurance. If you do not wish to purchase trip insurance, please let your Sales Associate know. Please note: Samson is
not responsible for late arrivals or missed events. If Customer declines trip insurance, he/she waives any claim against Samson for claims trip
insurance would cover.
9. Limitation of Damages Customer waives any claim for consequential damages against Samson arising out of or related to Samson’s services.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this agreement, under no circumstances will Samson’s trip liability exceed the price of
transportation services.
10. Amenities Samson Tours, Inc may offer, upon request, TV, DVD, PA, power plugs, WiFi, seatbelts, wheel-chair lift, air-conditioning, and
bathroom for free on equipped vehicles. If any are not operable during the service, no money will be refunded/credited. If any of the
aforementioned items are provided at an extra fee that will be refunded if they are not available.
11. Safety in Riding a. Customer agrees to inform all members of their group of group’s obligation to follow the driver’s instruction.Passengers
must obey driver at all times. b. All passengers must remain seated while vehicle is in motion. c. Passengers should not distract driver from
driving.
12. Right to Refuse Transport Samson reserves the right to refuse to transport or to remove any passenger from any transportation vehicle at
any point should the driver determine in his/her sole discretion that allowing such passenger on board would potentially endanger the safety of
the driver, other passengers, the public, or Samsons equipment. In addition to, and not in limitation of the foregoing, Samson reserves the right
to refuse transport or to remove any passenger from any transportation vehicle at any point for the following reasons: a. to comply with any
www.samsontoursinc.com
(404) 768-8687
QUOTE: DCSD.GAI 25.26
government regulation or directive; b. to help protect against weather or other conditions outside of Samson’s control; c. if passenger does not
have government required travel documents to enter country (for travel across international boundaries); and d. to help protect the safety of
other passengers and the driver i. when passenger demonstrates disorderly, offensive, abusive, illegal, or violent behavior; ii. when a passenger
is visibly intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated; iii. when passenger fails to comply with driver’s instructions or interferes with the driver’s
duties; iv. when passenger has dangerous or deadly weapons; or v. when passenger demonstrates symptoms of a communicable disease or
infection reasonably believed to pose a threat. In the event the driver exercises discretion and either refuses to allow a passenger to board or
asks them to get off the transportation vehicle for one of the reasons stated above, no refund will be issued to the Customer. If Samson incurs
additional time as a result of refusing to transport a passenger or asking passenger to disembark, Customer will be charged for the additional
time.
13. Indemnification To the maximum extent allowed by law, Customer shall defend and indemnify Samson and its employees and agents
against all sums, costs, and all liabilities, losses, obligations, suits, actions, damages, penalties, fines, interest and other expenses (including
investigation expenses and attorneys’ fees) that Samson may incur or be obligated to pay as a result of (a) Customer’s negligence, (b)
Customer’s violation or alleged violation of any federal, state, county or local law or regulation, and (c) Customer’s breach of contract.
14. Choice of Law All orders shall be construed, and the rights of the parties interpreted in accordance with the laws of the state of Georgia
without regard for conflicts thereof. The parties agree that any dispute arising under this order shall be brought in the Superior Court of Fulton
County, State of Georgia.
15. Severability In case any provisions is, for any reason, held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect in any jurisdiction, such
invalidity, illegality and unenforceability will not affect any other provision or any other jurisdiction, but the Terms and Conditions will be
changed and interpreted in any jurisdiction as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been a part of the Terms and
Conditions so that Terms and Conditions will be valid, legal, and enforceable to the maximum extent permitted in relevant jurisdiction.
16. Changes to Terms and Conditions These Terms and Conditions may be modified or amended at any time. Amendments will be effective
once updated Terms and Conditions are posted online. These Terms and Conditions may not be changed or contradicted by any alleged oral
agreement with any representative of a Samson Tours, Inc. or otherwise.
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