Fuel efficiency is deeply tied to the physical conditions that routes traverse. Not all miles are equal in those physical conditions. Road infrastructure plays a significant role in both school bus fuel consumption and vehicle wear.

In rural districts, infrastructure challenges can be even more pronounced, as noted by Rich Casto, transportation supervisor for Jackson County Schools in West Virginia. The school district uses data analytics to help mitigate associated challenges with sering an area of nearly 500 square miles along the Ohio River and Appalachian foothills.

Data analytics help districts evaluate alternative paths that may reduce wear, even if they require slight adjustments in routing.

Vehicle assignment is another emerging strategy. By matching higher-efficiency or newer buses to more demanding routes, districts can extend fleet life and reduce maintenance costs.

“When districts have this data at the route level, they can make smarter decisions about vehicle assignment [by] putting newer or higher-efficiency units on high-demand, high-wear routes and matching assets to routes in ways that extend useful life across the fleet,” said Craig Berndt, Geotab business segment manager for people transportation.

The connection between routing choices and maintenance outcomes is real and quantifiable.

“Districts that are actively using telematics to inform maintenance scheduling and route assignments are finding they can extend brake and tire replacement intervals meaningfully, and reduce unexpected breakdowns, which have their own significant cost in substitute vehicles and driver overtime,” he added.

Berndt pointed out that a 60-mile route on flat pavement is not the same maintenance proposition as a 60-mile route with six miles of gravel, three significant grades and a railroad crossing that requires a full stop every morning run.

Hard braking events, acceleration patterns and vehicle fault codes captured by GPS and engine diagnostic integration give maintenance teams early visibility into which routes are accelerating wear cycles, and fuel consumption varies significantly by road type, said Berndt.

“A bus working through frequent stop-and-go on a congested urban arterial will burn 20 to 30 percent more fuel per mile than the same bus on a steady rural highway run,” he said.

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Kacy L. Davis, Sr., St. Louis (Missouri) Public Schools (SLPS) transportation director, noted not only do road conditions impact fuel use but maintenance cycles as well.

The Chenango Valley Central School District in Binghamton, New York, hones in on a few of its long out-of-district routes, keeps an eye on vehicles with excessive mileage and considers the impact of railroad crossings on bus routes.

“We have just a couple of long out-of-district routes,” noted Transportation Supervisor Jason Hibbard. “We focus on this a lot. We regularly switch buses on these routes so we can manage overall mileage on these vehicles.”

Last school year, the district saw an excessive increase in the usage of its SUVs for specialized transportation. It had to take the SUVs out of service as its two brand new vehicles are nearing the mileage of its 2017 vehicles.

“We are a 25-square mile district,” Hibbard explained. “Within that small space, we have 12 railroad crossings. Almost daily, we have to reroute based on slow or stopped trains.”

Kathy Calkins, North Clackamas (Oregon) School District transportation director, noted that consistent bus inspections help ascertain the impact of wear and tear from road infrastructure.

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