Two of the city's three retired CATC buses may be for sale to the highest bidder.

The Casper City Council decided in a recent work session to allow the buses to be sold during a sealed bidding process, with hopes that they go to positive uses.

Generally, retired buses are sold or transferred to other governmental agencies, but this year several private agencies asked to purchase the buses.

Since city governments aren't legally allowed to give city property to a private entity, including a nonprofit, the buses had to be either sold or leased.

Jodi's Heart, a Sheridan nonprofit, wanted to buy a bus to use for transportation of physically and mentally challenged residents to day habilitation. Similarly, RCR Inspirations, a Casper nonprofit, wanted to use the bus to transport adults with developmental disabilities to college, jobs and volunteer work in the community.

Lastly, Casper Cabs owner Tom Elliott requested buses from the city to operate a discounted taxi service to and from the local bars to help prevent drunken driving and run an airport shuttle during the day.

Council members considered holding one of the buses to lease to Elliott during the holiday season like they did during the past Christmas and New Years season, but Elliott told them the cost of insurance was prohibitive.

Council member Keith Goodenough wanted the council to sell one of the buses directly to Elliott citing the city's fight against drunken driving.

"There's been an enormous amount of work going into preventing drunken driving and if you can keep them off the road you can help solve the problem," Goodenough said.

City Manager Tom Forslund told the council in an earlier work session that if council members didn't want to put the buses up for sealed bid, they would need to create a very specific criteria for why some could buy the buses and others couldn't.

A sealed bid allows anyone to purchase the buses, including, as Elliott cautioned the council, people who want to use the bus to transport parties and alcohol to Alcova for the weekend.

But council members ultimately decided in a preliminary vote to allow two of the three available buses to be sold during a sealed bid, and hope the buses will go to one of the more worthy causes.

If one of the nonprofits or businesses does not win the bidding process on this round, Metropolitan Planning Office planner Leah Reeb told the council another two or three will be up for sale next spring.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com.