For school transportation leaders, the pressure to deliver safe, reliable service—while managing staffing shortages, parent expectations, and operational complexity—has never been greater.

Van Buren Public Schools in Michigan faced all of these challenges across a geographically diverse district spanning rural roads, subdivisions and commercial areas. What followed was a rapid, full-scale transformation powered by Transfinder solutions.

“We have a very diverse type of area in a very diverse district, with a little over 4,500 students in the study body that we transport,” said Elizabeth Banks, Van Buren Public School’s director of transportation.

From Fragmented Systems to a Unified Platform with ‘Over-the-Top Customer Service’

Before Transfinder, the district relied on outdated tools that slowed operations and limited visibility. Routing changes required external support, and inefficiencies compounded during peak planning periods.

“The functionality was horrible,” Banks said. “It took a long time to get anything done.”

After evaluating nine vendors for the better part of a year, the district chose Transfinder for its comprehensive platform—integrating routing, driver navigation, maintenance, and parent communication into one ecosystem.

“It was all together,” she said. “It wasn’t like we would have to go to this company to get this piece and this company to get that piece.”

There was another reason the Van Buren Public School District chose Transfinder technology: “The ease of use,” she said.

Topping it off was the support team behind the solutions, one that returns calls swiftly. “The customer service aspect was a big draw as well.”

The other vendors the district looked at, she said, “weren’t as responsive. We’ve never had that problem with Transfinder. Matter of fact, your (Transfinder’s) customer service has been over-the-top helpful. We have a call back within a couple of hours. It’s not like we’re waiting days.”

In fact, she raved, “I love your staff. I love everybody at Transfinder that we’ve talked to, all of our trainers that we’ve dealt with. They’re just amazing, amazing people.”

Combine it all, the functionality, the all-in-one approach and customer support to back it, and the choice was clear.

“The determination was easy to make once we had our data,” Banks said.

Today, Van Buren has Transfinder’s award-winning suite of solutions, including Routefinder PLUS, parent app Stopfinder, driver app Wayfinder, fleet maintenance tool Servicefinder, and Viewfinder, which provides staff access to monitor the day-to-day operations of the transportation department.

Improving Safety with Wayfinder and Real-Time Visibility

Driver confidence and student safety improved immediately with Wayfinder, Transfinder’s in-vehicle navigation solution.

Instead of relying on paper route sheets, drivers now benefit from turn-by-turn directions and precise stop guidance.

“I’m grateful that we’re able to utilize the tablet and the turn-by-turn direction,” she said. “It makes it safer for the students. It makes it safer for our staff out on the road. It makes them more confident and comfortable doing a route that they may not know because of the turn-by-turn directions.

This is especially critical in a district with varying terrain and unfamiliar routes for substitute drivers. By guiding drivers exactly where they need to go and where to stop, Wayfinder reduces errors that can compromise student safety.

Strengthening Parent Communication with Stopfinder

A major pain point for the district was the volume of parent calls during peak hours—especially around missed buses, delays, and daily uncertainties.

“With the driver shortage, oftentimes our office staff were short as well because we’re covering routes,” Banks said. During the busiest times the office was fielding calls from parents with a reduced staff while other team members were out on the road.

Stopfinder changed that by opening up two-way messaging.

The rollout of Stopfinder transformed that dynamic. Initially piloted with special needs routes, the app quickly expanded district-wide, reaching approximately 75 percent parent adoption.

“We really pushed it in our messaging and then parents started talking to each other,” Banks explained.

Stopfinder enabled:

• Real-time bus updates and delay notifications
• Two-way communication between parents and transportation staff
• Automated alerts that put information directly in parents’ hands

“It’s saving time because we’re not having to field phone calls,” Banks said.

More importantly, it shifted the relationship with families.

“I think that they feel more in control now because they can set up that alert to tell them if the bus is running earlier, if the bus is running late,” she said. “it’s putting more control in their court.”

Driving Operational Efficiency Across the Department

Everything starts with the Routefinder PLUS platform. The safest and most efficient routes are created in PLUS, which is read by Wayfinder and then communicated out via Stopfinder.

With Routefinder PLUS, staff gained the ability to make real-time map edits and routing adjustments internally—eliminating delays that sometimes took months.

“Being able to do these ourselves, we were never able to do those ourselves in our own system,” Banks said. “We had to reach out to (the vendor) and put in a ticket for them to make an adjustment on the map and a lot of times those addresses were not put in the correct place.”

That’s all changed with PLUS.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed with this program is that we are able to easily get in there, make the map edit because we know what it looks like and it saves time. It definitely saves time,” she said.

It’s a changing landscape, literally, this is critically important.

“Especially with new builds, new construction, it’s just amazing that we can just get in there and do it,” Banks said. “I don’t have to wait.

The impact was immediate, measurable and personal. Banks recalled talking with her router and remembering routinely putting in 12-hour days during the summer in preparation for the fall opening.

“Usually come August we’re here 12 hours a day trying to get all the kids routed,” she said. “This year, we’re done. We actually get to take Friday off before the holiday weekend. Wow, look at us go!”

Data-Driven Maintenance and Better Decision-Making

Because safety starts in the garage, by using Servicefinder, Banks and her team now track maintenance data and identifies patterns across its fleet.

This visibility supports smarter, data-driven decisions—helping prevent breakdowns and ensuring safer, more reliable vehicles for students.

A True Transformation

In just one year, Van Buren Public Schools moved from fragmented systems to a fully integrated transportation operation—improving safety, communication, and efficiency across the board.

When asked if Transfinder transformed the transportation department, Banks didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, 100 percent, unequivocally.”

And she’s not shy about sharing it with other transportation leaders. Banks said supervisors will often ask, “Is there something better? What do you use? And I always tell them Transfinder, that’s what we use. Don’t judge a book by its cover, she warned.

“I looked into several of these other companies and they may have looked good on the surface but there was nothing behind the pages in the book,” she said. “We turned the pages. It was empty.”

Key Takeaways for Transportation Leaders:

• Safety improves when drivers have real-time guidance and accurate routing tools
• Parent communication reduces operational strain and builds trust
• Integrated platforms eliminate inefficiencies and streamline workflows
• Data visibility supports better decisions across routing and maintenance
• Strong vendor support is critical to long-term success

To learn more about Transfinder’s transformational tools and service, visit transfinder.com/solutions, call 800-373-3609 or email solutions@transfinder.com.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

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A Michigan man already free on bond in a separate assault case is accused of stealing a decommissioned school bus, crashing it into a tree and ditch, and fleeing on foot, reported Mlive News.

Andre Weston, 21, of Carrollton Township, was charged May 11 with unlawfully driving a motor vehicle, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Police said Weston left the adult foster care facility where he lives around 8 p.m. May 8 without authorization. Staff at the facility in the 800 block of Piper Drive reported him missing about 90 minutes later.

As officers headed to the facility, a call came in around 9:45 p.m. from a homeowner on Lincoln Street reporting that a school bus had become stuck in his front yard.

The homeowner reportedly told police he noticed the stolen school bus driving down the residential street late at night and thought it seemed unusual. The bus later began backing down the road before veering into the yard, striking a tree and becoming lodged in a ditch.

The driver then exited through the back door and ran toward Mapleridge Road. Officers later found Weston near Carrollton High School, about a half-mile from the crash site.

Alleged Stolen Bus Taken from Contractor

After being advised of his rights, Weston admitted to stealing the bus from the high school parking lot, police said via the news report. The stolen school bus had been decommissioned and recently purchased from the school district by contractor Dean Transportation. Investigators said the vehicle had been left unsecured with the keys inside.

A tow truck was required to remove the bus from the ditch, and police are reportedly reviewing surveillance footage to determine exactly when the bus was taken. Weston was arraigned Monday in Saginaw County District Court before Judge M. Randall Jurrens.

At the time of the incident, Weston was free on bond in a separate case filed in March charging him with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors allege he assaulted two female staff members at the foster care facility where he lives. A preliminary examination on the new charge is scheduled for May 26.

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Related: Teen Arrested After Stolen Vehicle Pursuit Ends with School Bus Crash

The post Stolen School Bus Crashed by Michigan Man Out on Bond appeared first on School Transportation News.

Training school bus drivers to respond to inclement weather emergencies is a crucial part of student transportation safety training, but sometimes even the best training can’t fully prepare for the harsh reality of a real-life emergency situation.

Transportation Supervisor Kelly Bennett at Three Rivers Community Schools in Michigan confirmed for School Transportation News that this is how her team of bus drivers felt when a tornado suddenly appeared the afternoon March 6.

“On the day of the tornado, there was no indication that severe weather was approaching. No watches had been issued, and it seemed like a normal, beautiful day,” said Bennett.

Bennett shared that in-house training has led to Three Rivers school bus drivers practicing a variety of responses to emergency situations including inclement weather during Beginning Bus Driver School.

A local news outlet reported that the tornado was severe enough to down trees and rip roofs off buildings. Superintendent Nikki Nash shared a letter on social media March 8 saying that the “rapid and severe” weather emergency struck at the “most challenging time possible: During afternoon dismissal.” With many school buses already on the road transporting students home, it was crucial to act quickly.

Bennett explained that when the tornado warning sirens sounded, most bus drivers did not hear them because they were on routes, but the transportation office staff were alerted on their phones and through the radio. Dispatch then contacted the drivers immediately and directed the buses to re-route to safe locations at the nearest school building.

According to the local news report, within 10 minutes all students were accounted for.

Nash thanked the drivers and staff for their heroic actions and tornado response. “While we recognize that these emergency protocols caused significant delays and inconveniences for many of you, the safety of our students and staff is our absolute top priority,” she said. “I want to thank our students for their bravery, our staff for their quickly thinking and you- our families- for your patience and cooperation as we worked to ensure every child was out of harm’s way.”

Unfortunately, the district’s new transportation building that houses the district’s 20 buses “took a direct hit,” as the tornado passed through. Nash shared in her statement that they “lost the garage roof with several damaged vehicles, including buses in the parking lot.”

Bennett said that the damage was confined to the garage and did not impact the office, so transportation staff that were onsite during the tornado were unharmed.

“Due to the extent of the damage, we are unable to operate from that facility,” said Bennett. “In the meantime, we have returned to our old building, where the mechanic is handling repairs, and the office staff is now working out of the middle school. Although the transition has been challenging, we are continuing to adapt and make it work. Once the garage is secured, we will be able to return to operating out of the office.”

Tornado Response Hinges on Adequate Training

Bennett shared that her advice to other transportation directors “is that there is never such a thing as too much training, especially when it comes to safety.”

She continued that it’s imperative to make this safety training a priority, regularly review procedures during department meetings and investing in additional training opportunities beyond in-house resources.

“Our drivers are trained to prioritize safety above all else when transporting students. In emergency situations, I expect them to remain calm and maintain control, as their response will influence how everyone on the bus reacts,” said Bennett, adding that she emphasizes another facet of school bus safety, “clear and concise communication over the radio.”

She advised “keeping messages brief and direct so others can quickly understand and respond,” which aides safety efforts for both the 16 drivers in the district and the 1,194 students they transport each day.

The local media report also shared that the community banded together for recovery and rebuilding efforts, and the bus drivers drove their normal routes on Monday following the tornado response to ensure that routes were safe for students to return to school.

“Our thoughts and prayers of support go out to everyone who was personally impacted by this event,” stated Nash. “We know that the cleanup process will take days and even weeks, but our strength remains unshaken.”

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Related: Bitter Winter Weather Halts School Bus Operations in Parts of South, Mid-Atlantic

The post Tornado Response Result of Quick-Thinking, Training for Michigan Student Transporters appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Detroit bus driver is facing community backlash after live-streaming himself offering free rides to students walking to school during frigid weather, a gesture he said came from concern, but that school officials warn could pose serious safety risks, reported New York Post.

Darrell Beaver, owner of Ellamin’Op Transportation, advertised the impromptu free rides on his Facebook page Jan. 28, encouraging parents on Detroit’s Eastside to alert their children if they saw his yellow bus.

Beaver wrote, “Hey I’ll be on the Eastside this morning finding kids that walk to school and giving them a free ride. Let your kids know if a yellow bus with Ellamin’Op Transportation on it, Its safe to get on please share and drop some location.”

The post quickly raised alarms among parents and Detroit Public Schools Community District officials. After receiving multiple reports, the district issued a mass text alert warning families that an unauthorized bus was operating in the area.

“An unauthorized bus was reported. Students should only ride official Detroit Public Schools buses on assigned routes,” the alert read, according to local news reports.

Beaver is not affiliated with Detroit Public Schools and is only contracted to operate a planned route with the Braniacs Clubhouse Child Development Center. However, officials reportedly confirmed he allegedly dropped off at least one student at Fisher Magnet Upper Academy with parental permission.

An investigation reportedly found no evidence of malicious intent but emphasized concerns about safety, liability and the precedent such actions could set.

“Removing this gentleman from the equation, we don’t have any information or evidence to suggest he had any nefarious intention,” said Detroit Public Schools Safety Police Chief Labrit Jackson via the article. “But we’re really focusing on sending the message to our young people: do not get into vehicles with strangers.” Jackson warned that publicizing such actions could inspire bad actors to exploit relaxed guidelines.

“The next person who’s watching this now, we’ve given him an idea… a vehicle to have access to our children,” he continued.

The incident occurred as Detroit experienced extreme cold, with morning wind chills between 10 and 15 degrees below zero. Beaver said the harsh conditions motivated him to act.

“I just jumped into help mode. Like, it was freezing,” Beaver told local media. “I was in a bus for over an hour, and my feet were froze[n], so I felt bad to see these kids walking.”

He added that offering rides to random students is not something he typically does and said he did not make money from the additional passengers.

Reaction from parents has been divided. Some defended Beaver, saying his actions helped families who could not afford ride-share services. “I wasn’t mad, but I was just hurt because we were really trying to get to work and school,” parent Jimerson said via the news report. “Lyft is $50. I don’t have $50 to get them to school at six-something in the morning.”

Others, however, expressed serious concerns about student safety.

“Who knows in this day and age what you want to do with someone else’s children,” parent Alana Jackson told local news reporters. “With insurance liability issues, safety issues, stranger danger issues, it’s totally inappropriate.”

No charges are reportedly being pursued against Beaver. He has agreed to stop offering rides to students who are not on his authorized route.

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Related: Michigan School Bus Driver Stops Stranger Attempting to Board Bus
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The post Michigan School Bus Contractor Offers Controversial Free Student Rides appeared first on School Transportation News.

DETROIT, Mich. – Questar Auto Technologies’ predictive Total Fleet Health Management solution is now available on the Geotab Marketplace,a network of fleet-focused solutions for companies looking to increase productivity and compliance while lowering operating costs.

Questar’s AI-driven Total Fleet Health Management solution helps fleet operators to detect vehicle issues earlier, plan repairs proactively, and reduce unplanned downtime through predictive and prescriptive health insights.

Questar is one of the only fleet health solutions that shows the estimated cost of early intervention along with the estimated downstream cost of inaction; thereby helping fleets make confident, economics-driven maintenance decisions.

From easy implementation to higher revenues

Through a cloud-to-cloud integration with Geotab – which means there is no additional hardware to contend with — Questar analyzes vehicle telemetry, engine fault data, maintenance history, and environmental context to identify emerging issues before they become failures.

The Questar platform provides early-warning alerts (up to 30 days in advance), repair recommendations, and actionable insights tailored to each vehicle.

By combining Geotab high-quality data with Questar’s advanced analytics and industry-specific, patented AI Foundation models, fleet operators gain a proactive, data-driven approach to maintenance that drives measurable operational and financial impact. Vehicles stay on the road longer, generating more revenue.

“Fleets are looking for solutions that fit naturally into their existing technology environments,” says Aaron Howell, Vice President of Sales for Questar North America. “Through the Geotab Marketplace, fleets across North America can now access Questar’s advanced features.”

About Questar Auto Technologies:
Questar is a pioneer in vehicle health management, offering a comprehensive solution that includes both predictive and prescriptive VHM. Questar enables Tier 1 suppliers, OEMs, leasing companies, service providers and enterprise fleets to cut downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and maximize revenue through advanced AI-driven analytics. https://questarauto.com

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