Nearly half of parents with school bus riders say their child has experienced a close call near a bus or in a school zone, according to a new national survey that also found broad support for automated enforcement against motorists who illegally pass stopped buses.
The Governors Highway Safety Association said in a Sept. 15 news release that 46 percent of parents whose children ride a school bus reported such an incident. The survey also found that 91 percent of parents support automated stop-arm enforcement, which uses cameras mounted on buses to identify vehicles that pass while a bus is stopped to load or unload children with its flashing red lights activated and federally mandated stop arm extended.
Overall, 36 percent of the respondents said their children experienced a similar close call involving dangerous driving near a school bus or school zone, which GHSA said includes distracted driving and speeding. Another 43 percent said they know another child who had experienced a close call.
When asked why they think motorists drive dangerously around school buses, 53 percent of the parents think the motorists do not believe they will be caught.
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted June 16 through 25 by the Ocamb Group and included 525 U.S. parents with children ages 6 to 17 living at home. Separate oversamples of 250 Texas parents and 251 Ohio parents were interviewed June 26 through 28. Ocamb Group founder David Ocamb said respondents were recruited through a national online research panel. The national sample was weighted by gender and geographic region to better reflect the U.S. population of parents with school-age children. For the national sample of 525 respondents, the equivalent maximum margin of sampling error is approximately plus or minus 4.3 percentage points at the 95-percent confidence level. The Texas and Ohio oversamples each have an equivalent maximum margin of sampling error of approximately plus or minus 6.2 percentage points.
The findings come as students are back in classrooms across the country and communities renew efforts to protect children at bus stops, crosswalks and school zones. Parents responding to the survey described motorists passing buses with flashing lights and extended stop signs, speeding through school zones and driving while distracted.
In accounts released with the findings, one parent said a motorist tried to pass a school bus on the side where the parent’s child was walking and nearly struck the student. Another described a car swerving within feet of a child who was crossing in front of a school bus while its lights flashed and its stop sign was extended.
“Parents are telling us that dangerous driving around school buses and school zones is not an abstract concern but something their children are experiencing firsthand,” GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins said in a statement.
Adkins added that driver education remains important, but the findings show parents also want motorists held accountable when they endanger children. He encouraged communities to use proven tools and technology to make school travel safer.
Parents called for stronger enforcement and greater use of stop-arm cameras, according to GHSA. One respondent also suggested placing more crossing guards at busy intersections during school arrival and dismissal times.
“This is a back-to-school, wake-up call and it’s no wonder that 91 percent of parents support automated stop-arm enforcement to protect their children’s safety,” Justin Meyers, president and chief innovation officer of BusPatrol, told STN.
BusPatrol, which markets school bus stop-arm camera systems, provided financial support for the survey, according to GHSA.
The association, which represents state and territorial highway safety offices, said the results add parents’ perspectives to a broader national push to address illegal passing and other dangers around school buses.
The Illegal Passing National Action Plan
GHSA and BusPatrol released “A National Action Plan for School Bus Safety” in March. The organizations described it as the first comprehensive 50-state roadmap for protecting the approximately 20 million children who travel on the nation’s 500,000 school buses each day.
The plan includes 69 recommendations for state highway safety offices, law enforcement agencies, school districts, educators, school bus drivers, technology companies, autonomous vehicle providers, safety advocates, judges and prosecutors.
Recommendations include adding school bus safety to state highway safety plans, using data to identify locations with frequent violations, expanding public education campaigns, establishing stop-arm enforcement programs and training drivers to recognize unsafe motorist behavior. The plan also effectively calls for more consistent definitions and reporting protocols for bus-stop injuries and related incidents.
As STN previously reported, the plan refers to estimates that motorists illegally passed school bus stop arms over 39 million times during the 2024-2025 school year, the equivalent of each school bus being passed once every three days.
Since then, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services’ annual one-day survey, in which participating school bus drivers manually record illegal passings, extrapolated that the number of illegal passings decreased for the 2025-2026 school year but still show a significant problem. Over the summer, NASDPTS reported that 101,334 school bus drivers in 39 states and the District of Columbia observed 56,024 illegal passings in one day. NASDPTS adjusted the results to estimate nationwide daily violations and projected that figure across a 180-day school year.
The action plan grew out of discussions at the inaugural National School Bus Safety Summit in December 2025. BusPatrol convened the event with support from GHSA and Safe Kids Worldwide, bringing together nearly 500 government officials, law enforcement representatives, transportation professionals and safety advocates.
The plan also seeks to draw more attention to close calls and psychological trauma that may never appear in traditional crash statistics.
GHSA Captures Perspectives on Real-Life Illegal Passings
The new GHSA survey did not measure crashes or injuries. Instead, it captured parents’ reports of close calls and their views about enforcement. Two recent incidents in Michigan and Florida illustrate the different dangers children can encounter around school buses and nearby roads.
In Bedford Township, Michigan, an elementary student came within inches of being struck by a car that passed his stopped school bus Sept. 9, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened about 4:05 p.m. in the 7600 block of Douglas Road as the student was being dropped off by a Bedford Public Schools bus. Sheriff Troy Goodnough said the bus had its flashing red lights and stop arm activated, legally requiring other motorists to stop.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the student beginning to cross the road in front of the bus before abruptly stopping as a blue Chevrolet Malibu passes in the opposite direction.
“Thankfully, a devastating incident was avoided due to the awareness of both the student and bus driver observing the vehicle prior to the student completely crossing the roadway,” Goodnough said.
Bus surveillance video captured the vehicle’s license plate, allowing investigators to identify the driver as a 19-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, authorities said. Police used Flock cameras in Bedford Township and Toledo to locate the vehicle.
The sheriff’s office is seeking a reckless driving charge against the driver.
Michigan law requires motorists to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its overhead red lights are flashing. Passing a stopped school bus can result in a civil infraction and a fine of up to $500. A violation resulting in injury can carry a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail.
In Escambia County, Florida, a 12-year-old Pensacola boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a car Sept. 8.
The Florida Highway Patrol said via local news reports that an Escambia County school bus was stopped facing west on La Ventana Drive and unloading students at the intersection. After leaving the bus, the boy walked west toward Muldoon Road.
“As he attempted to cross Muldoon Road to reach Perkins Street, he walked directly into the path of a northbound white sedan driven by a 25-year-old Pensacola woman,” the Highway Patrol said.
The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Authorities did not say the Florida driver illegally passed the school bus. The incident nevertheless highlights the risks children can face after leaving a bus and crossing nearby roads.
School startup across the U.S. comes with noteworthy snafus at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, tragic student fatalities, and speculation on electric bus mandates and funding.
Glenna Wright-Gallo, vice president of policy for software provider Everway, leverages her personal experience having a disability and her experience as the former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services to speak on student behavior, absenteeism, IEPs, assistive technology, travel training, funding, U.S. Department of Education upheavals and more. She will present a keynote at November’s TSD Conference in Dallas-Frisco, Texas.
The new school year has begun in the Empire State, and local school districts and bus companies have an additional five years to transition to all-electric fleets. But transportation leaders and policymakers say the clock is still ticking on major funding and infrastructure challenges that could make or break the ambitious mandate.
As part of the 2027 fiscal year budget passed in May, lawmakers extended the deadline for full compliance with New York’s electric school bus mandate from 2035 to 2040 and the requirement for all new school bus purchases to be zero-emission from 2027 to 2032. The move is widely viewed as a necessary reset for the nation’s largest school transportation system, but sources caution that time alone won’t solve the structural barriers districts face in electrifying their fleets.
“It’s great that both parts of the legislation were moved down five years, but the looming questions weren’t answered, and the school districts still have so many questions that the contractors really can’t answer,” said Corey Muirhead, executive vice president for New York City contractor Logan Bus. “They still don’t understand how the state funding is going to work and how they’re going to get reimbursed.”
A First Step, Not a Finish Line
For years, the state’s three primary school transportation associations—the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT), New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA) and New York State Bus Distributors Association (NYSBDA)—have warned that the mandate, as originally written, was moving faster than the market, utilities and school budgets could reasonably support.
“Over the past five years, New York’s school transportation industry…has collaborated closely with Gov. [Kathy] Hochul’s administration and state lawmakers,” said lobbyist Andre Claridge, who represents NYAPT and the NYSBDA and formerly worked with the NYSBCA. “We have kept state leaders updated on our progress toward meeting the electric school bus mandate while highlighting the significant challenges faced by local school districts and industry partners.”
Claridge called the five-year extension “a welcome first step,” but stressed that the law’s language “leaves no room for innovation and requires revision.” He and other industry leaders are pushing for not only extended timelines, but increased state investment and regulatory flexibility that would allow other zero- and near-zero-emission technologies to count toward compliance.
“We opposed the mandate from the beginning and advocated for no mandate or a more realistic timeline. Finally, they heard us,” commented David Christopher, executive director of NYAPT. “We are now looking at how we will lobby going forward, because five years will go by quickly, and we need to provide realistic transition plans for the legislature to consider. Hopefully they will listen.”
Tim Flood, executive vice president for New York school bus contractor The Trans Group, said the compliance delay offers a little relief but noted the challenges “are still very real and numerous.”
“I think there will be changes to the mandate. I certainly hope there will be,” he continued, citing a belief that ongoing negotiations will add more delays between now and 2032. “But at this point and time, we have to move forward as it is exactly how it is.”
The new deadline could also be impacted by upcoming political election cycles, he added.
Meanwhile, the extension could provide breathing room to build out a more data-driven, district-by-district, company-by-company approach.
An electric Type A school bus operated by Trans Group company Educational Bus Transportation, Inc. on Long Island, New York.
Where Electric Buses Prove Viable Is a Diverse Playing Field
“There is no category of district based on what we’ve seen where an electric school bus is inherently not viable,” said Alok Disa, senior advisor for the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) clean transportation team.
NYSERDA is tasked by the state legislature with awarding funds to districts for purchasing electric school buses and related infrastructure as well as developing electrification plans for fleets. Disa pointed to real-world operations in rural, suburban and urban communities based on the organization’s experience work with school districts across the state.
About 50,000 school buses of all fuel types operate across New York. The split between large school buses and Type A “vans” is about 60-40.
Disa explained that more than 350 electric school buses are currently registered in New York state, up from roughly 250 to 275 the previous year, and 54 school districts currently have at least one electric school bus deployed. The World Resource Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative says the number is more like 561 ESBs deployed in New York, with over 1,200 in the pipeline or “committed” to a school district or bus company through state or federal funding.
Despite the figures, most electric school buses operate outside New York City, countering the perception that electrification is only advancing in dense urban markets, Disa noted.
Early data from NYSERDA’s work with school districts on the fleet electrification planning program suggests that approximately 80 percent of routes statewide fall within the range today’s electric school buses can handle, once reasonable safety margins and cold-weather performance are factored in. In general, Disa said NYSERDA estimates that roughly 70 to 80 miles per day is the typical working range for many morning and afternoon home-to-school routes, even in cold regions such as the Adirondacks, Western New York and the Finger Lakes.
“We recommend that districts begin their electric school bus transition with some of their a.m./p.m. routes…rather than starting with extracurricular or longer trips,” he said, adding that districts operating buses in severe winter conditions have largely been able to keep those vehicles in service with appropriate planning and protocols.
Challenging Case in Point
In addition to being the transportation director for Naples Central School District, located about an hour drive southeast of Rochester, Pat Elwell also owns personal electric vehicles. That led him to push the district to apply for the first round of EPA Clean School Bus Program funding in 2022, around the same time the state legislature passed the electric mandate.
Elwell is also a bus mechanic, so his attention was finely tuned to how the ESBs would operate once the first two were delivered in March 2024. The district also has an electric Chevrolet Equinox used for students served by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“Our first issue came right out of the gate when our Level 2 chargers were taking 17-plus hours to charge our buses,” he shared with STN. “Working with the charger company, and getting a crash course in charger programing, we were able to fix this problem to where they [now] charge up within six to eight hours.”
Otherwise, he said maintenance has been “negligible,” though brake inspection intervals had to be cut in half to six months or 6,000 miles.
“I received a frantic radio transmission one morning from the driver that she smelled a burning smell on the bus. When the bus made it to the transportation facility, I quickly found that the smell was from the right front brake,” recounted Elwell, who is also the president of NYAPT’s Wayne-Finger Lakes chapter. “Turns out that with one pedal drive the drivers do not use the brakes much, therefore the pads had seized in the caliper bracket.”
While he said the ESBs only need one daily charge to operate all in-district and the one out-of-district route in 40- and 50-degree spring temperatures, an obvious challenge has been heating the ESBs in winter. Elwell said he learned the 10kWh heat pumps originally installed were too small for the cabin heating system. Even then, issues have remained.
“Working with the engineers at IC Bus they came to the conclusion that a 20-kWh pump should fix this problem,” he explained. “We did swap them out, and the difference in heat and battery consumption was significantly better. Fast forward to winter 2026, with sustained temps in the single digits and below zero, and the buses could not produce heat to be able to operate the buses safely and comfortably. Therefore, we moved the runs to diesel buses.”
He added that a repeated test of winter-time range in January and February 2025 documented the need for mid-day charging to complete back-to-back runs within the district service area, “which still holds true to this day,” he said.
The longest Naples routes are 80 miles round trip per day, Elwell continued, with the average morning and afternoon routes being 29 miles. In addition to the two EVs, the fleet currently consists of 13 diesel Type C school buses, six gasoline Type A vans, three SUVs, and a sedan.
“We currently use diesel/gasoline buses for out-of-district routes and field/athletic trips as the ESBs do not have the range,” he added.
So far, he said he has calculated a cost of around $0.57 per mile/kWh for his ESBs and $0.65 per mile for diesel. He added that he has been working with NYSERDA to develop a better formula.
Meanwhile, there’s the issue of support. It was only a couple of years ago Lion Electric filed for bankruptcy protection and was then acquired by Montreal investors, with the caveat that the electric school bus line would only be sold and serviced in Quebec. Other players in the segment have also fallen by the wayside, which creates concern for long-term customer support and warranty coverage.
“Some of those chassis, those companies aren’t even in business anymore, and I think that’s going to be one of the challenges,” commented Trans Group’s Flood. “Maybe not as much in the vehicles but in charging stations, in charging software. There are a lot of options, but how many are going to be there three, four or five years from now?”
“We don’t find a problem with electric buses because we are lucky enough to be in a location with sufficient power and have routes that are relatively short … [W]e’ve never had a bus where the batteries have been drained fully,” commented CEO Matt Berlin. “We are not worried about someone being stranded in the middle of rural New York. In the worst case, they’re in the middle of Queens.”
Berlin added that if NYCSBUS was running 100 ESBs, it might be a different story.
New York City formed the non-profit NYCSBUS in 2021 after acquiring the assets of school bus contractor Reliant Transportation. NYCSBUS operates a fleet of over 900 school buses with 888 routes. Twenty-nine of the school buses are electric. All so far are Type A’s consisting of 22 Micro Birds, six Type A Collins Bus (five with Lightning eMotors electric drives and one with a Motiv), and a RIDE Achiever.
As of the new school year, Berlin said the average daily route any school bus travels a day is 65 miles, which is normally within range of an ESB. A quarter of the 888 daily routes are 30 miles or shorter.
“We are not putting our EVs on every single route. We’re lucky that the city is compact,” he explained, adding that ESBs aren’t currently used on longer routes from Queens to New Jersey. “We’re lucky that regenerative braking benefits urban driving more than rural.”
He said the 29 Type A ESBs cost $0.13 per mile to operate, compared to $0.45 per mile for gasoline ($4.10 per gallon and 9 mpg) and $1 per mile for diesel ($6 per gallon and 6 mpg).
Like elsewhere in the state, Berlin said winter temperatures impact the range. He added that a proprietary route planning tool calculates which routes are best served by an ESB or an internal-combustion bus. The set goal is to return the former to the depot with a 20-percent charge remaining each day.
He also is looking at the viability of adding repowered school buses with electric batteries.
“We think the promise of repowering is terrific, if it worked right, and we haven’t seen it work. But if it did, it would cut the [purchase] price by a third,” he added. “Not to mention create jobs in New York City and train another generation of mechanics in how to work with these vehicles.”
Billions Still Needed for Buses and Charging
While route viability is trending positive, at least in some areas, dollars remain a major sticking point.
“It’s a massive capital outlay to reach this goal for many folks,” observed Flood at Trans Group. “For us as contractors, for school districts, whether they’re operating their own [fleet] or contracting or a combination of both, allocating or acquiring the capital to do those things … it’s just a challenge.”
Logan Bus’s Muirhead noted that new purchase costs of ESBs, could range from 30-percent to as high as 70-percent more than an internal combustion engine bus, putting school districts between a rock and a hard place.
“A school transportation’s budget was $2 million, and now it goes to $5 million?” he asked. “The way that I understand state reimbursement is that the district has to fund that $5 million, and then at the end of the year they get reimbursed by the state. This [is] the biggest elephant in the room that’s not addressed.”
Lobbyist Claridge said the industry has consistently told state leaders that fully funding the transition, “covering the billions required for new buses, charging infrastructure and power grid capacity,” he shared, is essential if New York is to convert what is “arguably the largest land-based mass transit system in the nation.”
Without that, he warned, the mandate risks outpacing realistic district budgets.
Another issue is the additional parking space needed for ESBs based on charging needs. Berlin said the NYCSBUS yard would need to be 25-percent larger to park ESBs with traditional bollards and in-ground chargers.
“That is certainly an issue for us. It is an additional cost of these vehicles,” he said. “It requires more parking, which is more space, and you know in New York City that’s expensive.”
He added NYCBUS has considered overhead chargers, portable charger carts and even induction or wireless charging.
So far, NYSERDA administers $500 million from the state Bond Act through the New York School Bus Incentive Program, with another $100 million added in the state budget, for a total of $600 million earmarked specifically for electric school buses and associated infrastructure.
Disa said that when NYSERDA incentives are combined with State Education Department aid formulas, “for a lot of districts…inclusive of the charging costs, it can be the equivalent, or even it can be cheaper to acquire an electric school bus than a diesel or combustion bus right now,” with no additional local tax impact.
Still, those funds represent the early days of a far longer and more expensive transition. With roughly 50,000 school buses operating statewide, and only a fraction on the road being electric or in the pipeline, tens of thousands of vehicles will still need to be replaced by 2040. Claridge argued that even with the extension, “meeting these goals will ultimately require additional time, state investment and flexibility.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the return of the Clean School Bus Program by next month. Nearly $2.5 billion must still be awarded nationwide. How much will go to New York school districts and bus companies remains to be seen.
Three electric school buses operated by school bus contractor Logan Bus in New York City.
Utilities and Infrastructure: ‘Early and Often’ Engagement
Beyond fleet costs, infrastructure and utility partnerships may pose the steepest near-term challenges for school districts and contractors.
“One of the critical elements that distinguish an electric school bus deployment compared to a traditional combustion bus is you do have to have a couple new stakeholders in the room, and one of those is your electric utility,” Disa said. “We recommend until we’re blue in the face that you’ve got to start talking to your electric utility early and often.”
Through NYSERDA-funded fleet electrification plans, school districts like Naples CSD are working with engineering firms to assess route energy needs, depot capacity, interconnection timelines and likely utility bill impacts. Disa said many districts currently have enough available capacity to support at least a few buses while longer-term upgrades are planned and financed, but those efforts take time and coordination.
Infrastructure upgrades are Naples CSD’s “biggest hurdle,” Elwell added. He said the district currently has adequate electricity for adding one more ESB to the fleet before utility provider NYSEG will need to upgrade the transmission line.
Claridge noted that utilities and the broader grid are central to whether the mandate can be implemented on the ground. “Fully transitioning [to electric buses] is impossible without adequate power grid capacity, charging infrastructure and funding,” he said.
Disa again pointed to NYSERDA’s fleet electrification plans led by consultants to help.
“These plans receive input from utilities, which can help determine infrastructure needs and next steps,” he explained.
For example, First Student announced Tuesday it is partnering with Con Edison and NYSERDA to demonstrate First Charge, the school bus contractor’s above-ground charging infrastructure. The organizations claim that installation could reduce infrastructure costs by 20 percent through less construction.
First Student is adding 40 ESBs in New York and is considering expanded solar and creating a smart energy hub.
“Deploying electric school buses at scale requires more than vehicles. It requires the right infrastructure, technology and utility partnership,” said Kevin Matthews, head of electrification at First Student. “Working with Con Edison, we’ve demonstrated a more efficient approach that can help overcome some of the cost and construction challenges that have traditionally made fleet electrification difficult in dense urban environments.”
Con Ed and NYSERDA are funding the project, which includes six bus vouchers through the New York School Bus Incentive Program and four retrofit buses.
Third-Party Testing and Policy Uncertainty
Another unresolved issue is a state law passed in last year’s budget requiring independent third-party testing of electric school bus range on specific routes and under varying conditions—a provision Claridge and other stakeholders describe as “overly complex” and disconnected from market realities.
Claridge said NYSERDA “continues to grapple with the implementation of this overly complex legislation,” and that the working group tasked with developing a regulatory framework “appears to have stalled” due to the law’s lack of clarity and practicality. He characterized the agency as “attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole.”
Disa said NYSERDA is using empirical fleet data and route planning results to answer the core questions lawmakers raised, such as how climate and terrain affect electric range. He noted NYSERDA convened a working group of industry stakeholders last September to help identify information that could benefit school bus operators and support industry stakeholders in finding their own paths to compliance.
‘Not a Time to Sit Back and Wait’
Everyone agrees that, despite the five-year extension, school districts cannot afford to wait.
Claridge emphasized that while the electric school bus mandate “has clear value,” the current policy framework “requires revision” to create space for innovation and realistic funding mechanisms.
Disa framed the extension as an opportunity for districts to move from planning to pilots and then to scale deployments, not as a pause button.
“Even though there is some extra time … it’s not a time to sit back and wait for years to elapse,” he said.
Districts that haven’t started a fleet plan should begin now, he added, while those with plans in hand should work with NYSERDA to get their first buses on the road and then scale up.
NYAPT’s Christopher said two important challenges remain.
“School districts vote on their budgets here, so regardless of the state mandates, if local district residents say no, buses are not purchased. This remains unresolved to date, putting a district in an untenable situation,” he explained. “Secondly, we have multiple utility companies operating in the state, and they all do business differently. It’s difficult for a school district or NYERSDA, for that matter, to sort through all the different rules and processes each utility follows in order to build out infrastructure.
“There needs to be more coordination and more attention to districts that need infrastructure built out if the mandate holds in five years,” he continued. “Districts need certainty from utilities regarding costs and timelines to secure voter approval and funding. It’s complicated to say the least.”
LOS ANGELES, Calif.— HopSkipDrive, the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation, today debuted CareEngine, the technology platform that powers every HopSkipDrive ride. Purpose built for the complexity of school transportation, CareEngine connects school districts, schools, families, riders, CareDrivers, and HopSkipDrive’s Safe Ride Support team before, during, and after every ride, so everyone gets the information they need at the right time.
Districts today are too often stuck stitching coordination together with disconnected systems that don’t speak to each other, can’t move at the speed students need, and aren’t sustainable over time. When something changes, coordination breaks down exactly when it matters most.
CareEngine was built to close that gap. School transportation is unlike any other transportation, involving far more than a car and a driver moving a rider from one place to another, and every ride is personal: a seven-year-old who depends on a consistent pickup routine, a teenager experiencing homelessness in her third school placement this year, a student who is non-verbal and relies on a familiar greeting. A late pickup can affect a classroom, an outdated handoff instruction can create a safety concern, and a missed update can lead to uncertainty and a chain of phone calls.
When a student’s home address changes at 10:30 at night, CareEngine puts a new plan into motion, and coordinates everyone in real-time. The CareDriver’s route updates automatically in the CareDriver app. RideIQ gives district staff real-time visibility into the change, the school’s Daily Queue shows the day’s updated pickups and dropoffs, the student can follow their own ride through Track My Ride, and the family’s Caregiver app confirms the new pickup, all without a series of phone calls, left messages, or lost sticky notes that plague current processes.
CareEngine brings that coordination to every part of the ride:
● Seamless coordination, always in sync: Districts can book a full school year of rides in minutes. When a pickup time, address, rider instruction, or any other detail changes, CareEngine automatically routes the update to everyone who needs it, the district, the family, and the CareDriver, so one update replaces five phone calls.
● Proactive, human-centered safety: CareEngine brings the CareDriver app, HopSkipDrive’s Safe Ride technology, and the Safe Ride Support team into one connected system that can flag unsafe driving while a CareDriver is still on the way to pickup, giving Safe Ride Support the chance to intervene before a child ever gets in the car.
● Individualized care at scale: CareEngine’s unified system captures each student’s specific needs and preferences, and seamlessly communicates them to the CareDriver at the right time, every ride. This creates a consistent experience tailored specifically to each student, even when the CareDriver changes. CareEngine makes it possible to deliver this level of individualized care consistently across thousands of students and millions of rides.
● Speed when it matters most: New rides are guaranteed in as little as six hours, and location changes in as little as two. For a student whose housing placement changes unexpectedly, that means getting to school the next morning, not the next week, protecting their attendance and continuity at their school of origin.
● A system that improves with every ride: Every ride adds useful information: how long a pickup actually takes, where delays keep repeating, and which instructions reduce confusion. HopSkipDrive’s team uses those insights to make coordination smoother and more reliable over time.
“We’ve spent more than a decade building purpose-built technology for every person involved in a student’s ride: districts, schools, families, riders, CareDrivers, and our safety team,” said Joanna McFarland, CEO and co-founder of HopSkipDrive.”CareEngine is what happens when all these applications connect with each other in one unified system. It helps transportation teams spend less time chasing information and more time serving their students. It’s not a new fix for the driver shortage. It’s what makes sure the capacity districts do have isn’t wasted on coordination they shouldn’t have to do by hand.”
CareEngine arrives as student transportation faces two forces at once. Need is rising: More students require specialized transportation than ever before, from students in temporary housing to students in foster care to students with IEPs who need consistent, individualized care. At the same time, capacity remains constrained and issues like budget restrictions and school bus driver shortages persist. HopSkipDrive’s 2026 State of School Transportation Report found that 71% of districts experienced at least one tangible operational consequence of driver shortages in the past year, including longer ride times, missed or late pickups, and staff pulled in to cover gaps. Nearly a quarter, 23%, say they can no longer offer transportation for extracurricular activities or field trips at all.
About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation. The company is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and an industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI. HopSkipDrive’s marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 14,500 schools across two dozen states, with over 2,000 school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit partners. Millions of rides across 130 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., – First Student, North America’s largest student transportation services provider backed by EQT Infrastructure, and Con Edison, today announced the completion of the first phase of an electric school bus project serving the New York City Department of Education. The project brings together electric school buses, First Student’s First Charge infrastructure solution, advanced bi-directional charging technology, and a cost-effective approach to fleet electrification in one of the nation’s most complex urban environments.
“We’re incredibly proud of the work we’re doing with Con Edison and the progress we’re making together to advance electric school bus transportation,” said John Kenning, CEO and President of First Student. “Our mission is to provide the safest, most reliable, and efficient ride to school, so that students arrive ready to learn and achieve their full potential. Living that mission means continuing to live our values, including setting the highest standards for student transportation. Safety will always be at the heart of everything we do, and we’re proud to pair that commitment with innovation that is improving the sustainability of student transportation.”
At the center of the project is First Charge, First Student’s innovative trenchless, modular charging infrastructure solution that reduces costs and accelerates time to market. By avoiding traditional underground trenching, the installation reduced infrastructure construction costs by 13% while minimizing construction complexity and disruption, an especially important advantage in dense urban environments like New York City.
“Con Edison supports innovation to help make transitioning to electric vehicles affordable for our customers,” said Vicki Kuo, senior vice president of Customer Energy Solutions at Con Edison. “Eliminating the need to bury the service line to these chargers lowers the upfront costs for First Student and is a strategy that other fleet owners can replicate to save money and complete projects more quickly. Replacing inefficient, fossil fuel-powered buses with vehicles that produce no tailpipe emissions will help keep our region sustainable.”
Con Edison and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) contributed funding for the project. The funding included six bus vouchers awarded through NYSERDA’s New York School Bus Incentive Program through First Student’s school bus manufacturer, International, as well as funding for four retrofit buses.
This project is also exploring ways to decrease energy costs for fleets. Using advanced load management software, the electric school buses charge during off-peak hours when energy is less expensive, not only decreasing complexity but also ensuring energy is used efficiently.
First Student is continuing to expand its electrification operations in New York with the addition of 40 new electric school buses. First Student is also considering additional initiatives at its Brooklyn facilities, including expanded solar use and the creation of a smart energy hub.
NYSERDA is supporting the purchase of six electric school buses for this project through the New York School Bus Incentive Program and through First Student’s vendor, International, and four retrofit buses through the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program.
“This project is exactly the kind of critical infrastructure investment to which EQT is committed across our portfolio – pairing patient, long-term capital with practical innovation that strengthens energy security and accelerates the shift to cleaner transportation,” said Crosby Cook, Partner at EQT Infrastructure. “First Student’s work with Con Edison demonstrates that the right partnership between fleet operators and utilities can make electrification more affordable and scalable.”
“Electric school buses offer a healthier, quieter transportation experience for students while reducing pollution in the communities they serve,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “Projects like this demonstrate how thoughtful planning, innovative charging solutions, and strong partnerships can help lower costs and accelerate the deployment of electric school buses in New York City and across the state.”
“Deploying electric school buses at scale requires more than vehicles; it requires the right infrastructure, technology, and utility partnership,” said Kevin Matthews, Head of Electrification at First Student. “Working with Con Edison, we’ve demonstrated a more efficient approach that can help overcome some of the cost and construction challenges that have traditionally made fleet electrification difficult in dense urban environments.”
During the 2025-26 school year, First Student operated approximately 490 electric school buses, with more than 550 additional vehicles on order. The company has surpassed 11.2 million miles driven in electric buses.
About First Student
First Student, the leading student transportation services provider in North America, safely transports millions of students across the U.S. and Canada each day. With a fleet of more than 48,000 vehicles and a workforce of highly trained drivers, the company partners with school districts, divisions, and boards to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient transportation solutions that families can depend on. Recognized as a CIO 100 Award winner and named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2026 list, First Student provides a range of transportation services, including special-needs transportation, routing and fleet management, vehicle electrification, maintenance services, and charter transportation. Through its proprietary HALO technology platform, First Student is helping shape the future of student transportation by integrating safety, operations, maintenance, workforce management, and customer communications into one intelligent transportation ecosystem that enhances safety, improves operational performance, and creates a more connected transportation experience for students and families. Learn more at https://firststudentinc.com
State records show a Minnesota school bus contractor repeatedly operated vehicles that state inspectors had placed out of service for safety violations, but prosecutors rarely filed charges, reported ABC 5.
The investigation reportedly followed a high-profile crash involving a Pride Transportation school bus last spring. The bus carrying students reportedly lost control and struck a building on the Hamline University campus, injuring three children and an adult.
According to the news report, records indicate the Minnesota State Patrol caught Pride Transportation operating school buses marked out of service at least 16 times since 2020. State inspection rules prohibit those buses from returning to service until identified defects are repaired, and the vehicles pass reinspection.
In one instance, a trooper reportedly found five out-of-service Pride buses transporting students in St. Paul. The citation referenced the company’s history of operating buses after failed annual inspections. About 85 percent of the company’s buses failed their latest inspections this year, according to state records cited in the report.
A former participant in the inspection process, who requested anonymity to protect his employment, alleged that some buses returned to service without repairs after receiving out-of-service decals. “We’d apply the out-of-service decal, and they say they’d get it fixed and then it would be en route that evening with nothing fixed,” he said.
An attorney representing Pride Transportation declined an interview and offered no comment. However, a company driver previously told local news reporters that buses sometimes failed for minor issues that were repaired, and that failed buses were not driven.
Troopers reportedly requested criminal charges in nearly every cited instance involving an out-of-service bus, the investigation found. Minnesota lawmakers increased the offense from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor in 2023, but court records reportedly show prosecutors have filed the charge only once since the change.
St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao reportedly said there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges in the cases reviewed by her office. Kao did not respond to any additional questions.
The investigation also identified a previously unreported crash last May in Edina. A Pride bus without students reportedly crossed a parking lot and struck a house. Investigators could not determine the exact cause but cited possible driver error. Inspectors also concluded the bus should not have left the garage because of critical safety problems, including a severely worn tire.
scale pupil transportation, David possesses deep expertise in operational oversight, safety protocols, fleet
maintenance, employee engagement, and client relations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Rutgers University.
A family dog turned the first day of school into an unexpected adventure after escaping from his home and boarding a school bus in Farmington, New York, reported Today News.
According to the news report, Ashley Miller had promised her daughter, Madelyn, a 10th grader, that she would remain inside while Madelyn and her brother, Parker, a seventh grader, boarded the bus at about 7 a.m.
Madelyn reportedly considered having her mother at the bus stop embarrassing. Miller’s husband, Jason, was upstairs secretly recording the children as they prepared to leave for school.
However, the family’s 1-year-old golden retriever, Finley, disrupted those plans.
Miller opened the front door as the school bus approached the family’s cul-de-sac, and the 83-pound family dog slipped between her legs. Finley ran directly toward the bus and climbed aboard, where he was greeted by students eager to pet him.
Miller, a pediatric emergency room nurse, chased Finley while barefoot and wearing pajamas. She followed him onto the bus and attempted to remove him from the aisle, according to her comments to local news reporters.
Because Finley was not wearing his collar, Miller grabbed a portion of his fur and carefully pulled him backward before escorting him down the bus steps.
The bus driver reportedly embraced the unexpected interruption. Miller described him as cheerful and said he had been greeting students through the bus’s exterior speaker. “Good morning, Finley,” the driver announced after the dog boarded.
Jason captured the entire incident on video without his wife’s knowledge. He was reportedly laughing when Miller returned to the house after directing Finley back into the yard.
Parker also found the situation funny, while Madelyn was horrified that her mother had boarded the bus in her pajamas.
“I think I lost five years of my life on the first day of school,” Miller said. “I’m still recovering.”
New York City has installed 15 mph “School Slow Zones” at more than 200 school locations as officials move toward lowering speed limits around every eligible school across the five boroughs.
The New York City Department of Transportation (NCYDOT) expects to install roughly 800 of the School Slow Zones by the end December, according to a Sept. 9 announcement from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. The work represents the first year of the administration’s commitment to expand the zones under Sammy’s Law.
The city announced in March 800 additional school locations with 15 mph speed limit postings this year, increasing the citywide total to approximately 1,300. The long-term plan calls for establishing the lower limits at all 2,300 eligible school locations by the end of Mamdani’s first term, or Jan. 1, 2030. Those locations house about 3,200 public, private, parochial and charter schools, including schools that share campuses.
“Every student deserves to feel safe when they make their way to school, and every parent deserves the same peace of mind,” Mamdani said in the statement.
NYCDOT officials said about 700 locations with existing 20 mph School Slow Zones will be reduced to 15 mph, while approximately 100 new zones will be established at schools where the current limit is 25 mph. The agency is prioritizing locations using safety data and coordinating the work with other planned street improvements.
Each proposed speed limit change requires a 60-day notice and comment period for the local community board. The city may also add speed humps, intersection treatments and other design features intended to slow vehicles at locations considered particularly dangerous.
City officials said a pedestrian struck at 25 mph is more than three times as likely to suffer a serious injury as someone struck at 15 mph. DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said even a small speed reduction can affect whether a crash becomes fatal.
Legislation Created School Slow Zones
The initiative follows the passage of Sammy’s Law in 2024, which granted New York City authority to establish speed limits below 25 mph. The law is named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old who was fatally struck by a driver in Brooklyn in 2013.
The city is also preparing to install its first gated Open Street outside a school. The swing-arm gate will be placed this month on Clarkson Street between Hudson and Varick streets in Tribeca. It will allow the block to close temporarily to vehicles for recess, outdoor learning, student pickup, and drop-off.
The Clarkson Street redesign will add public seating, expand pedestrian space, improve crossings and visibility, and encourage drivers to reduce their speed. The city is completing the project with City-As-School High School, M.S. 721, and Open Plans.
Clarkson Street is one of 77 Open Streets at schools launching for the 2026-2027 academic year. The program allows participating schools to temporarily close streets to vehicle traffic.
Flynn said Open Streets can provide children with outdoor areas for learning and playing while creating calmer pickup and drop-off periods for families.
The gated street is among safety redesigns planned for near more than 300 schools this year. Other projects include pedestrian and bicycle improvements benefiting more than 10 Bronx schools and permanent upgrades to school Open Streets on Beaumont Avenue in the Bronx and Avenue B in Manhattan.
TSD Conference attendees making travel plans for November may want to think twice before booking their flight home.
A new two-hour experience, “Big Ideas and TSD Takeaways,” concludes the 2026 TSD Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 8 to 10 a.m. Rather than simply recapping the event, the interactive session is being designed to challenge attendees with the kinds of complicated, real-world situations that student transporters regularly encounter, and that are not addressed in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
The featured workshop, “Twists, Turns & Modifications: A Scenario-based Workshop for Achieving Safety, Compliance & Best Practices in Transportation,” will ask participants to work through scenarios involving students with disabilities and special needs. The answer may not be as simple as following a written procedure, and it is highly likely is no time to wait for an IEP team to reconvene and address the issue.
School buses and other school vehicles are dynamic environments. An IEP may establish transportation requirements, but not every situation that develops during a route can be anticipated on paper. Safety concerns, changing student needs, medical issues, behavior and other circumstances can require transportation professionals and collaborators to assess what is happening, determine what can safely be done in the moment and understand what should happen next.
That intersection between compliance and real-world decision-making will form the foundation of the closing workshop. Organizers are developing scenarios that will allow attendees to discuss possible responses, hear different perspectives and examine how transportation, special education, medical and therapeutic considerations can influence a decision.
The goal is to make the final two hours of the TSD Conference some of the most participatory and practical of the entire conference — while giving attendees an opportunity to connect lessons learned throughout the week and take those ideas back to their operations.
Twists, Turns & Modifications” also serves as the logical bookend for Friday, Nov. 6 opening general session “When Guidance is Incorrect or Missing.” Following a keynote by behavior expert Patrick Mulick, TSD Tenured Faculty members Alexandra Robinson, Launi Harden and Sue Shutrump will discuss the importance of not accepting direction from superiors that contradicts regulations, compliance or best practices. The session is based on an article written by fellow TSD Tenured Faculty Member Emeritus Linda Bluth, which will appear in the October edition of School Transportation News magazine. Attendees will receive strategies on how to handle these situations.
Main Conference registration is currently $499 under the Early Bird rate through Oct. 2, a $100 savings from standard registration beginning Oct. 3. Registration includes access to keynote, general and breakout educational sessions as well as conference networking events.
A substitute school bus driver was fired after failing to drop off two students with special needs at school and leaving them alone on the bus at the Tooele County School District transportation yard located west of Salt Lake City, reported 2 KUTV News.
The incident occurred Aug. 24, when 7-year-old Winston Prawitt and another unidentified student remained on board the bus instead of being dropped off at Canyon Middle School, according to local news reports.
Transportation staff later located the bus at the district depot with both students inside. “The two boys were on that bus alone, parked in direct sunlight, for nearly 10 minutes,” Travis Prawitt, Winston’s father, said via the article.
Video footage reportedly showed Winston pounding on the bus windows. Winston has level two autism and was nonverbal until nearly age 5. His parents said his disability makes it difficult for him to provide a detailed account of what happened.
The district said via the news report that the substitute driver failed to follow required procedures for ensuring all students had exited the vehicle, before returning it to the bus garage. The driver, who reportedly had several years of school bus driving experience, was terminated.
According to the news report, district transportation staff have since reviewed bus-clearing procedures with all drivers. The assistant superintendent and transportation director also presented potential child-check enhancements to the Tooele County Board of Education Sept. 8.
The Prawitts said they were permitted to view only part of the bus surveillance footage and that it did not include audio. District officials said access must comply with student privacy laws because multiple students appear in the recording. The family said it would accept redacted footage but wants the complete record involving Winston.
Since the incident, Winston has reportedly experienced nightmares and anxiety and now checks whether his regular driver is operating the bus.
His parents are calling for a proposed “Winston’s Law” that would require enhanced child-check safeguards on Utah school buses. One possible system would require drivers to walk to the back of the bus and press a button after completing each route.
“Human error does happen in any profession,” Alaina Prawitt, Winston’s mother, told local news reporters. “Anything we can do to try and help human error not be a problem, such as putting an alarm on the bus or something to help check that things are getting done accurately, is what I would love to see. I just want this to never happen to another child.”
A 6-year-old elementary school student died after her school bus struck her moments after she disembarked in a residential Frankfort neighborhood.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to School Transportation News that the child was identified as Jenna Menias. She was pronounced dead Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Menias had reportedly just exited the school bus near her family’s home when she was struck by the same bus, her mother, Yvette Menias, told local media. The article added that it was not the route’s usual bus driver. Police have not confirmed that sequence of events.
In a news release, the Frankfort Police Department said officers were dispatched at approximately 3:24 p.m. for a traffic collision involving a school bus and a juvenile pedestrian.
Officers arrived and found Menias unresponsive with serious injuries caused by the collision, the release states. Witnesses and first responders immediately administered CPR and other lifesaving measures at the scene.
An ambulance transported Menias to a local hospital for treatment, where she was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Several other passengers were aboard the school bus when the collision occurred. Police said no additional injuries resulted from the crash, and arrangements were made to safely reunite the other passengers with their families.
Frankfort School District 157-C confirmed in a Sept. 9 statement provided to STN that Menias was a student at Grand Prairie Elementary School.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that our school community has experienced an unimaginable loss,” the district stated. “Tragically, the bus accident that occurred yesterday has resulted in the passing of one of our Grand Prairie Elementary students.”
The district extended its condolences to Menias’ family and friends, saying the entire District 157-C community was devastated and mourning alongside them.
District officials said schools remained open Wednesday to receive students and employees as they processed Menias’ death together. Additional support resources were made available throughout the district, including social workers, psychologists, and other trained personnel.
The district added that more mental health professionals would be available as needed to offer individual assistance to students and staff experiencing grief, anxiety, or other emotions related to the collision.
“Our hearts remain with the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers, and all those who have been affected by this tremendous loss,” the district stated.
Police described Menias’ death as a tragedy with far-reaching effects on the community.
“This tragic incident has had a profound impact on those involved, their families, and our community,” the department stated. “We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this heartbreaking event.”
Police also asked the community and media to respect the privacy of those involved and allow their families time and compassion during the period of grief.
Authorities have not said what happened immediately before the collision. The police release did not identify the bus driver. No charges have been announced at the time of this writing.
Districts transport students with disabilities every day under an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The cost recovery opportunities that supports those rides sit in several places at once: school-based Medicaid, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), state categorical aid and grant programs. Knowing which dollars apply, and holding the documentation to claim them, is where most operations lose ground.
In September 2026, Zonar and School Transportation News (STN) surveyed transportation professionals across the U.S. about how their districts fund and document specialized transportation.
Join Zonar and a panel of experts for an open conversation about where the money comes from, what districts document today and what gets missed along the way. Get direct insights from the perspective of consultants, district leaders and the staff who handle claiming.
What we’ll cover:
Where cost recovery for transporting students with disabilities comes from, and which sources districts already use
How school-based Medicaid reimbursement works for specialized transportation, from eligibility through the claim
Why documentation is where most claims break down, and what a defensible ridership record looks like
How one Florida district handles Medicaid claiming today, including the manual matching behind every submission
Where the survey data shows the widest gap between cost recovery options that are available and funding claimed
Practical next steps for transportation and special education leaders heading into the rest of the 2026-2027 school year
How ridership tracking makes applying for cost recovery easier and more reliable.
Brought to you by Zonar
REGISTER BELOW:
Featured speakers:
Rachel Trindade
Chief Marketing Officer
Zonar
With more than 25 years in marketing and 15+ years in logistics, Rachel has helped companies drive significant growth faster than industry norms. At Zonar, she leads marketing and demand generation.
Before joining Zonar, Rachel served as CMO at FlavorCloud and Extensiv, and led global marketing at Teletrac Navman (Vontier) across four continents. She holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and has been recognized as a leading Woman in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Chain Executive and named California’s Most Visionary Tech CMO by CEO Monthly.
Tim Ammon
Owner
Ammon Consulting Group
Tim Ammon has spent more than 25 years supporting transportation and fleet operations, working with more than 500 organizations across three countries. His work focuses on identifying opportunities to improve operational performance through process improvements, technology adoption, and personnel practices, consistently helping organizations bridge the gap between desired and actual performance.
Tim has also provided extensive professional development services in leadership and management, decision-making, organizational resilience, and cost and technical analysis. He holds a Master of Public Administration from American University and certifications in School Risk Management, Operational Risk Management, and Change Management.
Karen Thomas
Medicaid Coordinator
Leon County Schools
Karen Thomas handles Medicaid claiming for Leon County Schools in Tallahassee, Florida, where she manages the documentation behind every reimbursement the district submits for transporting students with disabilities. Her work covers pulling the daily records, matching each ride to the correct route and the correct student, then compiling the full file for submission.
She brings a ground-level view of what it takes to get funding for transporting students with disabilities, along with the tools and tricks that make her job easier.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is conducting a three-day School Bus Safety Outreach event to increase public awareness and reinforce safe driving practices around school buses statewide, reported KXGL News.
The initiative running Sept. 8-10 includes partnerships between state troopers and local school districts. Troopers are observing school bus routes and loading zones while monitoring whether motorists comply with South Dakota’s school bus stopping laws.
According to the news report, marked patrol vehicles are visible near school bus stops, loading areas and high-traffic routes where students board and exit buses. The increased presence is intended to remind drivers about their responsibilities, discourage dangerous behavior and help protect children traveling to and from school.
“School bus safety is a shared responsibility,” Highway Patrol Capt. Jon Stahl said via the article. “Our presence during these three days is meant to educate drivers, support school districts and reinforce that stopping for school buses isn’t optional, it’s essential for protecting children.”
As part of the outreach, troopers are following select school buses along their regular routes to observe how nearby motorists respond. They will also position marked patrol vehicles near loading zones to increase law enforcement visibility.
Additionally, troopers are conducting targeted safety operations to identify violations and encourage motorists to comply with school bus safety laws. The South Dakota Highway Patrol will provide safety reminders and information to community members and news media throughout the initiative.
Motorists should remain alert when approaching school buses and anticipate frequent stops, particularly during morning and afternoon travel times. Drivers should slow down around buses and watch carefully for students who may be walking near the roadway or crossing the street.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol also reminded motorists that they must stop when a school bus displays flashing red lights. Drivers should remain stopped until the lights are deactivated, and it is safe to continue traveling.
Officials said seemingly small actions behind the wheel, including reducing speed, avoiding distractions and stopping as required, can prevent potentially tragic incidents.
The outreach reflects the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s effort to work alongside school districts and communities to promote safer travel for students across the state at the beginning of the school year.
Managing payroll for a school transportation department can involve complex schedules, changing assignments, driver time, and manual data entry. DeSoto County School District invested in dispatch and timekeeping software to make payroll more efficient, accurate, and manageable.
In this webinar, we’ll explore how modern payroll technology helps school districts streamline timekeeping, improve visibility into driver hours, and reduce the administrative burden associated with payroll processing. You’ll learn how connected transportation data can support better decision-making and more consistent day-to-day operations.
Designed for transportation directors, payroll teams, and school district leaders, this session will highlight practical considerations for evaluating payroll software and modernizing back-office workflows. Discover how the right technology can help your district save time, enhance efficiency, and build a stronger foundation for student transportation operations.
Brought to you by Bytecurve
REGISTER BELOW:
Speakers:
Levi Williams
Director of Transportation
DeSoto Public Schools
Levi Williams leads transportation at DeSoto Public Schools and will share firsthand perspective on the district’s move to modern payroll and connected transportation workflows, including the operational challenges, implementation experience, and outcomes that other school transportation leaders can relate to.
Conerly Burrell
Payroll Specialist
DeSoto Public Schools
Jonathan Agenten
Director of Sales
Bytecurve
Jonathan Agenten works with school transportation organizations to connect operational challenges with Bytecurve and busHive solutions.
In a first of its kind, STN EXPO West introduced a new session series focused on the use of artificial intelligence in school transportation. Held July 14, the track focused on AI in dispatch, personnel productivity, budgeting, fleet management, risk mitigation and bell schedules. Prior to the six breakout sessions, a general session “Beyond ChatGPT: The AI Revolution in Student Transportation,” consisted of all AI session speakers and served as an opening panel, helping transportation leaders cut through the hype to define what AI actually is—and isn’t—today.
Moderated by STN Editor-in-Chief Ryan Gray, the panel consisted of Richard Jimenez, director of transportation for Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; Timothy Purvis of Pupil Transportation Information; GP Singh, the founder of Bytecurve and a strategic advisor to Transit Technologies after selling his company last year; and Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, Ph.D., the executive director of enrollment and student services for Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma and founder/CEO of Bloom Bigger Coaching.
The panel dissected AI’s transformative impact, referencing tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude. It spotlighted Broken Arrow’s integration of AI for daily operations, policy analysis, comparative studies on sick leave and overtime (notably for special education aides), and public records requests.
Jimenez shared how AI use at Placentia-Yorba Linda streamlines compliance, special education (IEP/IDEA) processes, legal messaging to parents, and multi-services bid response summarization, reducing manual workloads and enhancing communication.
Tim Purvis, however warned of data exposure risks in field trip and alternative transportation bids, public records requests and contract reviews, reinforcing the “bad data in, bad data out” principle. He advocated for robust policies like Broken Arrow’s Vision and Mission.
Singh clarified that true AI synthesizes multi-source data for actionable insights, distinguishing it from mere automation and recommended retrieval augmented generation (RAG) for fact-based outputs. The panel outlined essential AI safeguards: Exclusive use of IT-approved and licensed tools, multi-factor authentication, and strict avoidance of uploading confidential or personally identifiable information.
The panelists detailed the many ways AI is being integrated into school transportation operations, from predictive maintenance, vehicle diagnostics, telematics, and fleet management to dispatch automation, field trip planning, attendance tracking, and master bell schedule optimization. They also highlighted applications in driver and employee performance, including driver coaching, behind-the-wheel assessments, accident analysis, training plan development, safety modules, and automated performance reviews.
Beyond daily operations, panelists described using AI to support budgeting, identify contract issues, research laws and regulations, analyze public documents and district-specific data, plan travel, develop parent communication templates, and even compare social media claims with more reliable information.
A recurring theme was the importance of “context engineering,” or providing AI tools with detailed, relevant instructions. Panelists recommended using prompts of roughly 300 words tailored to a district’s specific needs. They also encouraged gradual staff adoption, internal model training and continued human review to reduce errors and prevent AI-generated misinformation or “hallucinations.”
Survey data of 23 STN EXPO attendees found that 65 percent of respondents use AI at least occasionally or daily, with ChatGPT dominating use. Eighty-two percent of respondents are using it for writing emails/communications. Whereas 59 percent are using AI for customer/parent communication, 45 percent for policy or document drafting, 41 percent for training or onboarding materials. The percentage falls to 32 percent for data analysis and reporting. The lowest use cases are database/app development (14 percent) and routing/logistics support (9 percent). Plus, the survey found that most districts are still in “Wild West” mode with only 33 percent having formal organization-wide guidance and policies.Lack of training at 68 percent is the main driver for holding transportation employees back from using AI.
Cathy Whitney, transportation coordinator at Glenn County Office of Education in California, shared with School Transportation News after the conference that she is still new to use of AI. She said she doesn’t believe her organization has any policies or guidance on use cases.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how it can help and improve on what we’re already doing that may save time and save the funds for other needed items. It’s exciting to see how fast it’s growing and the things that it can do in a very short time,” she added.
However, her biggest fear is getting the wrong information and using it in a report or a way that presents false information. “When I was at the STN [EXPO] conference, they kept saying check and make sure that the information is correct. We already do that in our regular lives every day,” Whitney added. “I think a lot of people are unsure or aren’t good with change and [fear] that AI is going to take jobs away from other people. I think they would have to see the positive side and see how it helps them in their lives and jobs to save time.”
Her takeaway from the sessions was to learn more about AI. “I want to create and gather data by putting information into AI that would [normally] take me hours to do and have it create it in a very short time. I look forward to a future with AI in it,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Keba Baldwin, the director of transportation and central garage for Prince George’s County Schools in Maryland, shared on the School Transportation Nation podcast that his district has adopted AI policies and is cautious about its AI use cases. He said transportation is unable to use ChatGPT or Claude because they don’t meet the district’s security standards.
In a year’s time, PGCPS has expanded from using AI for help crafting emails to now analyzing data. “I’m thankful it’s helping to cut some of our workload in half,” he said on Episode 319. “But the technology is still developing, and we just want to keep up with it.”
When navigating vendors who say they have AI integrated into their technology suites, Baldwin advised asking the right questions. “At the end of the day, I need to know if their infrastructure can align with my infrastructure to get us the outcome,” he said, adding that some companies might not even meet the district security measures, and student transporters should be aware of that.
“How much time it’s going to take to implement? What’s the customer care on that? Can I call you 24/7?” he said of some other questions to ask. Additionally, he said technology demos are great but remain at surface level. When implementing new technology, he advised directors to get into the weeds of the offerings.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the September 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
Follow the adventures of Calvin, an anxious but dutiful bus driver, and his sentient and safety-conscious school bus named Christina. The short story follows Calvin’s route adventures while highlighting very real circumstances that drivers face and underscoring the importance of student transportation safety. Find group discussion prompts at the end of each article. The story advisor is Fredrick Tottenham, student safety specialist with Irving ISD.
Sasha, I whisper.
Usually, Sasha is the one who steadies me when life takes a U-turn. Now she is the one in trouble, and every nerve in my body screams for me to get to her. But Townsend High is still waiting—rows of students depending on me to arrive. The thought presses against my chest like an ever-augmenting weight. How can I run toward Sasha without abandoning the students?
The radio crackles and for a few seconds, all I hear is static. The white noise reminds me that I am not alone, I have help.
Base to Route 7568, please give Dispatch a landline when you are parked in a safe location.
I take a right turn and pull into a quiet neighborhood where tall trees lean over the curb and pour cool shade across Christina’s windshield. Out of the sun’s glare, my phone screen sharpens. I squint, thumb through my contacts, and zoom in on the number for Ervens ISD Transportation Dispatch.
It seems like an eternity passes before Ms. Debbie clicks over and says, “Mr. Calvin, are you in a safe location..? Good, sir. I know you heard the emergency code over the radio, and you must be worried about Ms. Sasha. We have a plan for you and your students, please listen closely…”
A comforting warmth drives through me when I realize Ms. Debbie remembers. She remembers the day that I told her Sasha had become a pharmacy tech, and the smile on my face when I said Sasha had landed a job at the pharmacy just down the road from Transportation. Ms. Debbie smiled, too, when she suggested that I take the opportunity to steal lunch breaks with Sasha to keep the romance alive. I am a darn good bus driver, steady with my hands and sharp with my routes, but romance has no clear directions or traffic signs and so I avoid roads leading to affection like a bus driver avoids cul-de-sacs. Now, with the radio humming and fear sitting bitter in my stomach, I realize that Sasha may be in the kind of trouble that makes a man regret every unattempted romantic notion.
Palms sweaty, I clamp the phone tighter to my ear and listen as Ms. Debbie lays out the plan in that calm, steady voice dispatchers use even when panic is crowding the line. Another driver is on the way to Townsend High to take over my route. After that, someone in a district vehicle will bring me back to base, where I can follow the emergency without putting myself, or my students, in danger. I try to argue, but she cuts through my protest with gentle firmness. The police have already blocked the roads around the pharmacy, she tells me. I would not get within ten feet of Sasha if I tried. All I would find is flashing blue lights, hard barricades, and the feeling of helplessness. She added that I could also put Sasha in further danger—that was enough to win over my consent.
“Ok, Ms. Debbie. I’m headed to Townsend High right now.”
“Perfect, Mr. Calvin. I will keep you updated if anything changes.”
Christina gives a low, eager hum as I ease her back onto the road toward Townsend High.
The urge to call Sasha jerks me like a brake check. Maybe she will answer. Maybe I will hear her voice, shaky but safe, on the other end and finally be able to breathe again. I reach for my cellphone on the tray beneath the dash, but the moment my fingers touch it, it refuses to move. The phone sits there, stubborn and still, as if Christina has glued it to the tray herself. Then her odometer pings, bright and sharp against the dashboard, and one word flashes across the display:
FOCUS
Heat crawls up my neck. Sorry, girl. I pull my hand away from the phone and plant both hands on the wheel, left at nine, right at three. My fear for Sasha had shoved everything else out of my head, even the law I know by heart: no mobile device while operating a school bus.
Finally, I turn into the school driveway and ease Christina into place. Beyond the windshield, the students gather in loose, laughing clusters, backpacks slung low, cellphone postures, and faces bright and impatient to climb aboard. They have no idea that danger is unfolding only five miles away, or that my nerves are rattling beneath my skin like loose lug nuts. For their sake, I smooth my face, swallow the fear, and try to keep it that way.
I secure the bus, set my hand on the door switch, and flick it open so the students can climb aboard. Nothing happens. No hiss of air, no folding door, no rush of chatter spilling into the aisle. Frowning, I flip the switch again. The doors stay sealed tight.
What’s the matter now, girl?
A soft mechanical click answers me. I look down just in time to see the gearshift slide into Drive, and my forehead tightens in a roadmap of confusion.
I can’t leave the students standing out there, Christina. Come on, girl.
Christina stays in Drive. No matter how many times I flip the switch, the doors refuse to open. I let out a slow breath and ask her again what is wrong. In answer, the right crossover mirror dips downward, smooth and deliberate, until the front tire comes into view. That is when I see it: Christina has rolled past the yellow brick line. The line is there for a reason. When the bus stops behind it, the walkway stays clear and the students can board from the safety of the marked crosswalk. Past that line, they would have to step out of their protected path and crowd too close to the bus’s nose. Christina is not being stubborn. She is keeping them safe. I need to follow the safety rules of the yellow brick line.
Backing up a bus full of blind spots is never the safe choice, and Christina knows it. She is not asking me to reverse; she is telling me to move forward, circle the drive, and return to the loading zone the right way. This time, I need to stop with her nose behind the yellow line, where the students can step from the marked crosswalk into the open doors.
Got it, girl. I’m sorry, my mind is with Sasha.
I gesture to the students to wait, and they back up with grins and nods. I circle the driveway and come back to the pickup spot, stopping at the yellow line. I flip the switch to open the doors and, this time, they open wide. Just then, Nathan, one of the stand-by drivers, steps in front of the doorway, blocking the students from entering.
“Hey Cal! I heard the bad news, man, I’m so sorry! They sent me to finish your route!” Nathan yells while entering the bus.
Christina’s dash pings:
WHO?
I didn’t think she would be happy about having a sub-driver. I don’t think I am happy about Nathan being her sub-driver. Is it odd that I’m jealous when other men ride her? Wow, that’s weird.
I throw that thought into neutral before it can roll into the gutter. Nathan is an experienced driver; surely, he can safely drive Christina for one route. Sasha is the one in danger.
Just as I jump out of the driver’s seat Ms. Debbie comes on the radio and announces:
Base to all drivers. Base to all drivers. There is no longer a threat at Culter Road and Pits. This area is now clear and safe. Please proceed as normal on your routes.
The news hits me like clean air after inhaling exhaust. I sink back into the driver’s seat, let out a long, shaky breath, and drag my fingers through my hair. My chest still feels tight but loosens each second I realize Sasha is safe. Then my phone buzzes against the tray beneath the dash. I snatch it up, and Sasha’s name and image glow on the screen.
Heard the news, babe? Don’t worry, I’m safe. I’ve been home since noon, wrapped in a blanket and sipping ginger tea. I’ve felt queasy all morning. Everybody is ok. The police stopped the “gunman” outside—some kid with a realistic water gun. I’ll explain everything when you get home. I love you.
Relief washes through me first. Then my brain, apparently done surviving one emergency, highlights two words in Sasha’s message like hazard lights:
Queasy.
Morning.
Now, I am no doctor, I drive a bus for a living. But even I know those two words ride the same route.
Morning sickness?
“Did you hear that Cal! The coast is clear! I guess I don’t have to finish your route, after all!”
“Well, Nathan, I guess you’re off the hook.” I mutter, my voice still rough from the scare. Nathan grins, gives Christina’s handrail a quick slap, I wince, and he hops back down the steps.
Christina’s dash pings before I can settle myself in the driver’s seat:
Whew!
I pause with one hand on the wheel. Whew? Was Christina relieved because the threat was over or because Nathan would not be driving her after all? Sometimes I wonder if student safety is the only thing that truly stirs her metal heart.
I shake my head, let the question roll away like loose gravel under the tires, and turn toward the waiting students with my best bus driver’s smile.
Then two students climb aboard with their heads hanging low, their steps clumsy and uneven. When they pass me, a sour, yeasty stink rolls off them putting the pub in public school.
My smile disappears.
Surely not.
Before I can decide when to question them, Christina’s dash pings again:
UN-HAPPY HOUR?
Ask Your Team:
What can happen when students load outside of the loading area? And what can you do to keep students safely within loading zones?
Next Stop: Episode 3
Sip, Sip, No Way! – Student Monitoring: Prevent alcohol use and recognize impairment
An 11-year-old Connecticut student died Wednesday morning after his bicycle collided with a school bus in North Stonington.
Police identified the student as Torren O’Grady of North Stonington. The Sept. 2 collision occurred near the intersection of Old Colony and Pinecrest roads shortly before the start of the school day. The crash occurred less than a mile from North Stonington Elementary School.
According to a preliminary crash report released by Connecticut State Police, a Blue Bird school bus was traveling east on Old Colony Road at approximately 8:27 a.m. O’Grady was riding a mountain bike east behind the bus as both approached Pinecrest Road.
Old Colony Road traffic entering Pinecrest Road is controlled by a stop sign, the summary states. Police said the school bus made a left turn and entered the northbound lane of Pinecrest Road as O’Grady also entered the intersection.
O’Grady’s bicycle collided with the left front wheel and tire of the school bus, according to investigators. A “run-over event” subsequently occurred, and O’Grady sustained fatal injuries, police stated.
The preliminary summary identifies the bus driver as a 76-year-old Stonington resident. State police had not announced any charges or citations as of Friday.
The investigation remains active. Police asked anyone who witnessed the collision or has information related to it to contact Connecticut State Police Troop E in Montville at 860-848-6500.
O’Grady was a member of the Stonington Bears Youth Lacrosse and wore No. 49. The organization described him as a teammate, friend and member of a family extending far beyond the playing field.
The youth lacrosse organization asked area families, community members and local sports leagues to place lacrosse sticks outside their homes and leave their porch lights on in O’Grady’s memory.
“Let every porch light shine for Torren,” the organization stated. “Let every lacrosse stick remind his family that they are surrounded by a community standing beside them in love and support.”
The organization encouraged neighboring towns to participate in the tribute, writing, “From one field, one team and one collective community, we remember #49.”
Gov. Ned Lamont expressed condolences to O’Grady’s family, friends, classmates, teachers, and the North Stonington community. He said Connecticut State Police and the state Department of Education were prepared to support the schools and students affected by the death.
Lamont also urged drivers throughout Connecticut to exercise additional caution around school buses, school zones, bicyclists and children traveling to and from school.
“Slow down and help keep our students safe as they start this new school year,” Lamont stated.
State Rep. Greg Howard, whose district includes North Stonington, said he had communicated with local emergency services, law enforcement and the Connecticut Department of Education following the collision.
Howard said state resources were being made available to help North Stonington cope with the loss. He also thanked the first responders, firefighters, medical personnel, school and town officials, and law enforcement officers who responded to the scene.
“I know our community is hurting right now; but I also recognize the way in which North Stonington knows how to pull together,” Howard stated. “Please keep this family in your thoughts and let us all hold our loved ones a little closer tonight.”
Families of students attending Unity Classical Charter School were told to make alternative transportation arrangements after the school’s bus provider abruptly ended its services, reported Queen City News.
According to the news report, Infiniti Transportation notified the southwest Charlotte charter school that it would terminate service effective Tuesday, Sept. 1, according to a message Headmaster Sharon Dougherty sent to families Sunday evening. The company’s final day operating morning and afternoon routes was Monday, Aug. 31.
Unity Classical Charter School serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students returned for the new school year, Aug. 26. Before Infiniti Transportation ended the agreement, school officials had reportedly received multiple complaints from parents about significant delays, routing problems, an inoperable bus-tracking system and driver performance, according to the message.
School leaders reportedly said they contacted the company to address the reported problems and requested information regarding its qualifications and certifications. The school also sought documentation related to driver screening and training.
“Unfortunately, rather than work with Unity to address these concerns and provide the requested information, Infiniti informed Unity that it is terminating its transportation services to the school,” Dougherty wrote via the article.
Until the school secures another provider, families whose children normally ride the bus must drive them to campus and use the regular carpool lane. Dougherty acknowledged that the sudden cancellation gave families little time to arrange transportation, particularly those who depend on the bus service.
“We are deeply sorry for the disruption this will cause our families and understand the significant burden that this unexpected change places on you,” she wrote via the news report.
The school reportedly said it would be flexible regarding students who arrive late because of the cancellation. Families were asked to notify the school if their children’s arrival would be delayed while they established new transportation arrangements.
School leaders said they are working to identify another transportation provider. The school did not provide a timeline for when bus service could resume.
Infiniti Transportation had not publicly commented on the cancellation or the concerns cited by the school as of Tuesday.
About two dozen prospective kindergarten students and their families in Alberta learned how to ride the school bus safely during Pembina Hills School Division’s annual Meet the Bus event, reported Town and County Today News.
According to the news report, the orientation was held Aug. 18 in the student parking lot at Barrhead Composite High School. It was designed to familiarize first-time riders with the school bus and ease any nervousness they might experience before the school year begins.
Transportation assistant Cindy Knapp reportedly said the longtime event gives children an opportunity to become comfortable with the bus in a welcoming environment.
During the event, students and their parents reportedly learned how to wait for and board a school bus safely, as well as how students are expected to behave while riding.
Jeanette Williams, who has driven the Fort Assiniboine school bus for more than 30 years, told attendees that children should remain where the driver can see them. She warned students not to stand too close to the bus or enter one of the vehicle’s blind spots.
“When you get onto the bus, you want to use the handrails and sit down in a seat as soon as you can,” Williams said via the article. “Never stand up and walk around. That’s not safe.”
Williams also addressed why the school bus was not equipped with seatbelts. She explained that its closely spaced, high-backed seats are designed to protect riders through compartmentalization. “The seats are designed and constructed in such a way that they are even safer than if they had seat belts, which is why you need to keep your arms and legs inside the seat,” Williams said via the report.
Editor’s Note — While compartmentalization of students using federally regulated high-back and cushioned seats works in front and rear crashes, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigations show a lack of protection in side-impact and roll-over crashes.
Parents were reportedly instructed to ensure their children arrive at their assigned bus stops at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Williams said routes are planned to allow approximately 30 seconds for each student to board, making punctuality important.
The event concluded with students and their families taking a short bus ride around Barrhead. They then returned to the high school, where snacks were provided.
The ride gave future students an opportunity to practice what they had learned while becoming acquainted with an experience that will soon be part of their daily school routine.
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