When East Noble School District’s transportation operation needed to make security updates, the district found itself in urgent need to move to Transfinder’s cloud-based Routefinder PLUS platform.
The move to PLUS was a game-changer for the Kendallville, Ind. District that serves some 4,000 students. Josh Buhro, the Kendallville, Ind district’s transportation director, set out to not only restore the district’s transportation operation but also significantly enhance its efficiency.
He accomplished both by implementing Transfinder’s Routefinder PLUS routing solution.
“We jumped in full steam ahead,” Buhro said.
A History of Transportation Technology at East Noble
Buhro has been in transportation for nearly a decade. When he first joined East Noble, the district was using (another company), a routing software he described as clunky and not user-friendly. Looking for an upgrade, East Noble had switched to Transfinder’s Routefinder Pro solution five years ago, which had been recommended by neighboring districts.
Then in 2024, the district moved to the award-winning Routefinder PLUS.
“There are districts around us who had moved to PLUS and had nothing but good things to say,” Buhro recalled. “They were implementing is and moving forward and I was maybe a little stubborn.”
He added, it was more of an “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it kind of thing. But looking back, I was scared of stuff. I shouldn’t have been scared. Ultimately, I think we’re in a better place now.”
During the move to Routefinder PLUS, Buhro and his team, including a newly hired transportation secretary who attended Transfinder University Livestream. This training proved invaluable, allowing them to quickly adapt to the new platform. The secretary, with no prior experience with Transfinder’s solutions, found PLUS to be highly intuitive, taking to it “like a fish to water,” Buhro said. “They said, ‘Josh, don’t be scared of it!’”
The Advantages of PLUS
One of the biggest surprises for Buhro and his team was how seamlessly PLUS integrated with other Transfinder tools the district uses, such as Tripfinder, the district’s field trip management solution, and Viewfinder, a solution that provides an overview of the district’s operation and student rider data.
“We love Tripfinder,” he said. “It allows us to manage our buses, our resources and our drivers. We’ve got some custom reports set up. Quite frankly, I don’t know how we would manage our extracurricular activity trips without the use of Tripfinder. It cuts out so much of that cumbersome sort of communication piece that used to have to take place by phone or email,” Buhro said.
He noted that one morning he had 36 extracurricular and field trips requests that he was able to quickly assign.
“It does it all for us, other than drive the bus,” Buhro said, “and that’s the part that’s easy for us to manage.”
Regarding the PLUS platform, Buhro described it as more user-friendly, efficient and responsive. He highlighted:
- Ease of Use: Editing routes is easy. PLUS allows for simple, drag-and-drop modifications. “You just right-click and edit,” Buhro noted, highlighting how much more intuitive the system is.
- Streamlined Communication: Tripfinder revolutionized how East Noble manages field trips, athletics and extracurricular activities. Requests are processed digitally, eliminating the cumbersome back-and-forth that used to take place via phone and email.
- Transfinder Community: The online Transfinder Community portal provides a wealth of resources, including video tutorials and guides, which allows Buhro and his team to troubleshoot issues independently. “Anytime we’ve got a question, that’s the first place we go and there are usually videos in the library or trainings that have been done. Rarely, if ever, do we actually reach out to support.”
- Enhanced Support: When direct support is needed, Transfinder’s response times were “obscenely fast,” often returning calls within minutes.
Buhro said the Transfinder team understands the need for speedy response times.
“Even three days before school started they need it was critical for us to have things up and running,” he said. ‘They put in the time to help us make things happen. We’re very grateful for all that support and input.”
A New Era for East Noble’s Transportation
In a district serving multiple schools, including a high school, middle school and five elementary schools, an efficient transportation system is crucial. The ability to quickly assign drivers, manage routes, and coordinate field trips is no small feat.
Thanks to Transfinder’s PLUS platform, East Noble has improved its transportation operation. What began as an urgent need has ultimately led to a stronger, more resilient system that better serves students, staff and the community.
“There are so many pieces of it that are just intuitive,” Buhro said.
As Buhro reflected on the transition, he expressed gratitude for the support and partnership from Transfinder. “We were very fortunate with the trainer we were assigned. They let us work at our own pace and answered every question we had.”
With a solid foundation in place and considering new tools in the future, East Noble School District is well-positioned for what’s around the bend.
Future Plans with Transfinder
With the great results from the move to PLUS, East Noble is now exploring additional Transfinder tools, such as the driver app Wayfinder, which offers turn-by-turn navigation and attendance, and the parent app Stopfinder, which provides information on bus location and two-way communication between parents and the transportation department. These tools could further assist the transportation operation in dealing with issues such as substitute drivers and last-minute route changes.
“Based on the success with that [PLUS] implementation, that’s what’s been the impetus for us to investigate Wayfinder and Stopfinder solutions for turn-by-turn directions and fleet tracking,” Buhro said.
Buhro emphasized the importance of ensuring these tools integrate smoothly with their existing processes.
“I need to make sure it’ll do everything we’re doing now—and do it better,” he said.
Buhro said he knows the Transfinder team will be there to help along the way.
“You guys did a beautiful job of easing concerns and getting us rolling with the new stuff,” he said.
To learn more about Routefinder PLUS or Transfinder’s suite of solutions, visit Transfinder.com, email getplus@transfinder.com or call 800-373-3609.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
The post Support ‘Obscenely Fast’ as Indiana District Enhances Transportation with Transfinder Technology appeared first on School Transportation News.
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