Palmer will stop using 2 other facilities in Austin

Palmer Bus Service, which provides transportation for Austin Public Schools, is building a new facility next to Jim’s Marketplace on 11th Street Northeast to replace its two other locations around town.

“We’re in two locations right now,” said Rich Hingeveld, mechanic and driver with the company. “Basically, it’s going to be big enough to combine both locations.”

The company will be moving in to the new building next month and expects to have the transition finished by the end of the year. They will begin operating out of the facility after the school’s winter break.

“It’s going to be a hell of an improvement over what we have,” said Floyd Palmer, CEO of Palmer Bus Service. “We’re really excited about it.”

Apart from the convenience of having everything in one place, the new facility will be able to house nearly all of the company’s buses under its roof, which will help keep the vehicles running well, Hingeveld said.

Palmer will lease the property from the owner of Jim’s Marketplace. The company’s 23rd Avenue Southwest depot is for sale, while no action has been taken yet for the other location, on 10th Street Southeast.