Two major health systems in Wisconsin have either just launched or are set to launch the first two proton therapy cancer treatment programs in the state.
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In February 2026, Zonar and School Transportation News surveyed transportation professionals across the United States to document the pressures shaping fleets today and where leaders are investing next. The result is the most comprehensive look at student transportation challenges, safety priorities and 2026 technology plans available today.
Inside the report:
Download the complimentary report to see how your fleet compares.
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Conversations on a fatal Tennessee school bus crash that killed two girls last month, a new funding strategies playbook that includes transportation opportunities, and the National School Bus Inspection Training Program offered at STN EXPO East and STN EXPO West.
Keith Corso identified operational challenges while riding his high school bus, then went on to co-found technology provider BusRight. Now as CEO, he discusses tools to support student transporters and recent success at Poughkeepsie City School District in New York.
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The post (STN Podcast E302) Technology Tools for Bus Drivers: No More Struggling with Paper Route Sheets appeared first on School Transportation News.
To retrofit means to add a component or accessory to something that was not there when originally manufactured. Sounds simple enough, at least according to new or proposed state laws. However, when retrofitting safety technology such as seatbelts or crossing arms, there are many considerations that school district leaders need to consider.
The Lone Star State
Texas Senate Bill 546 requires all school buses transporting students to be equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts by 2029. It expands upon a 2017 law that only applied to buses manufactured after 2018. SB546, which took effect on Sept. 1, tasks school districts with reporting seatbelt status and retrofit costs to the Texas Education Agency.
SB546 does not provide state funding but allows a temporary exemption if retrofit costs are too high, or retrofitting would void the bus manufacturer’s warranty. Districts are required to publicly report the reason for not ordering lap/shoulder seatbelts and estimated retrofit costs. Teri Mapengo, director of transportation for Prosper Independent School District near Dallas, noted that while all 230 school buses in her fleet have lap/shoulder seatbelts, she cautioned other districts to do their homework. At a previous district, she recalled the challenges of retrofitting seatbelts.
The process is harder than specifying a new purchase order. Instead, legacy buses must be taken out of service while retrofit work is conducted. Plus, she said it takes people power and resources to deliver each bus to the facility, transport that driver back to the facility, then arrange for the bus to be picked up once the installations are completed.
“The hard piece is, that you’re going to have to have some of your buses go out of commission,” she said. “So, if you don’t have spare buses to be able to use for operation, then it’s tough.”
She noted that her previous district also encountered seat structure malfunctions when retrofitting. She recalled taping off seat rows to prohibit students from sitting in them due to safety concerns. Those buses had to be sent back again to be fixed.
She noted the metal attachment that secures the seats at the wall flange would break. Seats are also secured at the aisle floor pedestal. Every bus that was retrofitted would
then need to be inspected by the mechanics to determine any deficiencies.
“The biggest thing that I took away was, when you’re going to retrofit your buses, you [need to be] talking with that company [doing the retrofit] and saying, ‘If this were
to happen, how would we get this fixed? And is there a warranty on that work that you guys are doing?’”
Because all Texas school buses manufactured and sold after 2018 should have seatbelts installed at this point, older buses may not be compatible with newer seats. Around 2014, school bus manufacturers offered seating options that allowed standard seatbacks to be upgraded to those with lap/shoulder belts, which is still an option today. Most older buses do not have options for retrofits or upgrades.
“We were having a big issue with that in my previous district, and so it was just having that communication with the company that we were working with, and they ended up still fixing all of those and then figuring out why that was happening,” she said.
In conversations with other Texas transportation directors, she said many are hoping that the law will add a funding element, especially since Texas districts have received less funding than previously.
Forty miles down the road, Jennifer Gardella sits in a very different situation. The director of transportation for Rockwall Independent School District near Austin currently has almost 50 school buses in need of retrofitting, at an estimated cost of nearly $1.5 million. She noted that the cost estimate depends on the school bus model and how the seats are attached.
She, however, also shared concerns about the scope of statewide installs. “If everyone is doing the retrofit, then how will the vendors keep up with repairs and/or getting the buses back for the start of the school year?” she asked, adding that Rockwall ISD doesn’t have extra activity buses or special program buses to be used as replacements.
Retrofit Decisions Not to Be Taken Lightly
“School bus and seat manufacturers rely on specific manufacturing and assembly processes to ensure their vehicles, seating and lap/shoulder seatbelts meet all applicable state and federal safety regulations,” explained Albert Burleigh, vice president of North America Bus Sales at Blue Bird. “School bus makers typically do not sanction or certify compliance of any aftermarket installations or modifications made to the bus that changes the original seating configuration. Therefore, retrofitters need to conduct their own evaluations to ensure full compliance with all safety regulations. They bear full
responsibility.”
A spokesperson for Thomas Built Buses shared a similar sentiment, noting that “school bus seating systems are engineered as an integrated structure that must meet specific safety standards for strength, crash performance, and so on.”
They added that in many cases adding lap/shoulder seatbelts requires replacement seats specifically designed and tested to accommodate those restraints, as well as proper attachment to the bus structure.
“Thomas Built Buses certifies that each vehicle meets all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards at the time it is manufactured but cannot attest to the compliance of items installed after that,” the spokesperson continued.
For buses originally built with convertible seating designed to accommodate future restraint upgrades, Thomas can provide technical guidance, the spokesperson said, adding that school districts and operators “should work closely with qualified vendors and ensure that any retrofit work is properly certified and compliant with all applicable regulations.”
A spokesperson for IC Bus said the process of adding lap/shoulder seatbelts to existing seats involves various considerations with federal seatbelt standards and requirements. IC Bus encourages its customers and operators to consult with their local IC Bus dealer to discuss retrofitting options.
Addressing Other Safety Needs
Meanwhile, Maine lawmakers introduced legislation that would require school buses in the state to have crossing arms mounted on the front of the vehicle and anti-pinch door sensors that detect objects caught in the loading doors. The bill aims to address two safety issues, which resulted in state fatalities within a little over a month span. A 12-year-old was killed in Rockland by their own school bus during drop off in November, and a 5-year-old in Standish was dragged and killed by a bus door in December. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the dragging incident.
The bill would apply to all buses regardless of model year, meaning older buses without these systems would need to be retrofitted or replaced. Additionally, school bus drivers who do not activate the crossing arm when students load or unload could lose their school-bus endorsement for up to two years.
Different from Texas, Maine state leaders proposed funding to support the upgrades, about $4.3 million. A school bus mechanic in Maine who requested to remain anonymous shared their district hasn’t started the retrofitting process as it waits to see if there will be funding. The mechanic said the district currently has 50 to 55 school buses in its fleet and all but seven have crossing arms. Those are more straightforward retrofits due to the fact they have already been on buses for many years.
Retrofitting anti-pinch systems onto older buses, the mechanic said, will be harder and more expensive. “Not only do you have to fit a new door mechanism but you have to run a new electrical system and reprogram if not swap out modules to be able to properly operate the system,” he said.
They added a preference that retrofitting be performed in-house to save on labor and overall costs to the district. “If the legislation passes, we are prepared to do what is
needed to meet it,” the mechanic noted. “I haven’t heard any specifics yet, but I know Blue Bird is taking this issue very seriously and is working on a solution to the retrofitting issues of the anti-pinch. Without funding from the state, I believe that a large portion of the entire bus fleet in Maine will be out of service and off the road.”
Andrew Wiseman, sales engineer at anti-pinch sensors manufacturer Mayser USA, said his company is working with Maine very closely on the potential retrofit.
Based on conversations, he said there are 2,000 to 3,000 school buses statewide that would require anti-pinch doors. “We have our partnership with Blue Bird, so we will be working on an aftermarket kit with them in the near future,” he said, adding there are also ongoing discussions with IC Bus and Thomas dealers in Maine on retrofit solutions.
“One of our big unknowns is some of the older buses do not have the necessary [electronic] logic to process an anti-pinch sensor’s signal, so we are also providing a control unit that can be mounted above the door and wired into the main control system, but we are still determining how many of these vehicles need control units at this time.”
He said it would be ideal for Mayser to work with the dealers on the best or recommended installation, and then the bus dealer can disperse this knowledge to school district mechanics on how to install the technology.
Wiseman noted that Mayser’s solution for the Maine retrofit costs around several hundreds of dollars per door, if a control unit is required, with the price being reduced further if the control unit can be omitted. For serial production on new vehicles, the price is “even more affordable for school districts” to implement.
The exact time it takes to perform an installation is still in question. “Putting the actual rubber profiles on the doors is easy and takes only a few minutes,” he said. “The difficult part of installation will be the wiring, as a wire will need to be routed from the door blades, into the compartment above the door, wired into a control unit, and then wired into the rest of the vehicle. Our current estimates are that this will take one- to- two hours per vehicle, but this is a rough estimate. Hopefully, we will gain this knowledge soon when we are testing our solutions with the manufacturers.”
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the April 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
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The post Safety Upgrade Complexities appeared first on School Transportation News.
Under the Artemis program, Susan Lederer is the lead project scientist for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Lederer shares reaction to the Artemis II mission, while explaining her path to NASA.
The post Fly me to the moon: Wisconsinite rises to NASA’s Artemis program appeared first on WPR.
A more than $200 million federal loan could help complete construction on a medical isotope manufacturing facility in Janesville that will eventually support about 150 full-time jobs.
The post $263M federal loan to help bring medical isotope manufacturing to Janesville appeared first on WPR.
Students nationwide are scanning their way on and off school buses at an increasing pace, as school districts realize student identification cards improve transparency for parents on the whereabouts of their children.
But ID cards once used solely for transportation, or more accurately in a silo apart from other school district and community uses, are going the way of the Dodo.
Miles Cole, chief strategy officer for RFID card provider CI Solutions, noted universal ID cards and developing community partners is a “big-league move for metro districts,” which “turns the student ID into a mobility plus access credential, not just a school badge.
“When a student ID works for school and for city services, you remove friction from the two biggest ‘non-classroom’ barriers to learning—getting places and accessing resources,” he continued.
In Columbus, Ohio, high school students can use the district-issued Student Success Card to ride the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) through its Educational Pass Program and also access Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Machelle Kline, the chief student services officer for Columbus City Schools department of student services, noted the district issues each ninth through 12th grade student a free COTA pass each school year, good 24/7 without weekend restrictions. The district pays COTA $13.50 per student per semester.
“Our Student Success Card also allows them to check out books at the Columbus Metropolitan Library and is in pilot mode to scan on our school buses,” Kline said. “The card also allows our youngest learners and those with disabilities to scan onto a computer. It acts as a student ID.”
Kline said the district is conducting an indepth analysis with COTA to see if it can eliminate ninth through 12th grade transportation as it is not required in Ohio.
In the Salt Lake City School District, district employees, students, and a parent or guardian from each student household can receive a free Utah Transit Authority (UTA) pass for unlimited access to buses, TRAX, UTA On Demand and S-Line.
Such passes are a “direct lever on attendance and student engagement,” Cole said. “Transportation access is one of the most practical, immediate levers districts can pull to improve attendance, tutoring participation, internships, after-school programs, and family engagement.”
Cole noted a universal ID improves equity “without making parents jump through hoops. A universal ID that works for lunch, library, login, transit can be a major equity upgrade because it reduces requirements like separate transit applications, separate library card sign-ups, multiple credentials/password resets, and reliance on a parent’s phone, credit card, and time to set things up.”
Related: April 2026
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Ken Martinez, Salt Lake City’s transportation director, explained the school district implemented Zum technologies and student ID cards into the school bus fleet. “We are in the process of getting this one card to be used for tapping on and off the school bus,” he shared. “[The] same function on UTA utilizing their bus, TRAX [electric train] and on-demand services. The same card will be used for accessing the school library and student lunches.”
He added that this streamlined approach will help students keep track of their student ID card.
“When it is just their bus pass, they did not seem to care if they got damaged or lost and did not mind waiting to order a replacement,” he continued. “When the same card determines all the activities, including the ones they truly want to use, their level of concern will highly increase.”
Martinez said the goal is to fully implement the ID cards for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year.
The post Student ID Cards Present a Host of Transportation, Educational Opportunities appeared first on School Transportation News.
Findlay City Schools (OH) has faced its share of challenges in the past couple of years, from funding cuts to the tune of $6 million, key personnel departures in transportation and the ongoing driver shortage.
Superintendent Andy Hatton knew transportation would be one of the hardest areas to touch—and one of the most visible.
“We had to announce $6 million in cuts,” Dr. Hatton said. “Out of a budget of about $60 million to $65 million.”
Those reductions included roughly $820,000 from transportation alone, which led to significant alterations and hard choices.
“We eliminated high school busing,” he explained. “We went to a two-mile walk radius for all students, which is the state’s minimum requirement.”
For many superintendents, this would have been a crisis to survive. For Hatton, superintendent at the district for just under three years, it became a leadership test: How to protect families, support drivers, and still keep the system functional with fewer resources.
Findlay is a community of about 40,000 people located in the northwest of Columbus, about 40 miles south of Toledo. Its claim to fame is Marathon Petroleum, which traces its origins to the late 1880s, resulting in Findlay being a boomtown. Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) is still headquartered in Findlay today.
Findlay City Schools has 5,000 students attending two primary schools, three intermediate schools, two middle schools, and the high school. Also on the central office campus is the Career Center which serves 14 school districts across four counties.
As the district was learning of the funding shortfall it was facing, Hatton was also learning that the transportation department had a solution it wasn’t fully using: Routefinder PLUS.
“What we discovered was we were not leveraging this really powerful, amazing tool to help us route our district efficiently,” he said. “We found out that we had not updated our maps in 10 years.”
Hatton and Kelly Cheney, Findlay’s director of communications, are quoted saying in The Courier story how Transfinder’s solutions would play a role in helping the transportation navigate the challenges and get back on course. Cheney noted, before Transfinder, “our transportation department was hand-routing every single student who rode the bus, manually inputting the information for each student and then tweaking it as the year went on … again manually,” according to coverage in the local newspaper, The Courier. “Adjustments were not able to be made quickly for special circumstances, like construction, for example, so buses were delayed.”
Cheney said Transfinder’s technology was playing a key role in not just modernizing its transportation operation but solving critical issues and supporting drivers.
“This program will allow us to immediately message parents of any and all buses as soon as it is needed,” Cheney told The Courier. “Substitute drivers will have turn-by-turn directions to follow as they drive a new route, and student stop information will be updated daily.”
Hatton, in an interview with Transfinder following that meeting, said there were other challenges the transportation department was facing, such as losing key transportation staff.
“In early June, we realized we lost our router,” Hatton said. “She had been routing our district for like a decade.”
The combination of funding cuts, staff turnover, and a driver shortage could have pushed the department into chaos. But Hatton reframed the challenge as an opportunity to update the operation and increase efficiency.
“We had literally stacks of 500 pages of paper all over tables all summer long,” he said. “And then ‘sort of’ using Transfinder.” The district rebuilt its routing process inside Transfinder’s award-winning Routefinder PLUS routing software, cleaned up rider data, and upgraded GPS so routes were no longer guesswork.
He also reorganized leadership needs in the transportation department. Rather than refilling a high-cost director role, Hatton created a transportation manager position with deep system expertise.
“We decided not to replace our director of transportation position,” he said. “We went with a transportation manager and she’s been amazing.”
For Hatton, this wasn’t just about efficiency—it was about accountability to the community.
“We feel this responsibility to live up to the expectations that the community has with a high level of service,” he said. “One of the things that the Board of Education then put together for us was a set of goals that they would like to see implemented. I’m calling it our Path to Progress as we rebuild our district.”
How did Transfinder play a key role in meeting those goals? Continue reading the rest of the story below.
Hatton doesn’t want just a “bird’s eye view” of transportation but wants to see how things are really working. Last year, he said, “I jumped on a bus on the second to last day of school. It was Miss Tammy’s bus and she was showing me how she used the tablet.”
Hatton said the driver app installed on the tablet combined with the parent app Stopfinder has done wonders for the transportation operation.
“She’s one of those drivers who has incredible relationships with her kids,” Hatton said. “That was the first time I really got to see it and some of the potential that we have behind it.”
Transfinder technology and the support provided became a way to stabilize operations under pressure.
“When we had a really rough start to the year, we had this amazing client success manager who jumped on calls with us at the ready – like daily,” Hatton said. “He showed us little shortcuts and tweaks… and that will solve this issue.”
He said as the district looked route by route, often challenging a driver’s perspective of the best way to drive a route, efficiencies surfaced immediately.
For example, Hatton said, on Day 1 the driver would travel his or her usual route. “And then Day 2 we’d say, let’s run this route exactly the way Transfinder’s mapped it out.” The result?
“It actually saves three minutes here, two minutes there, a minute there,” Hatton said. “And then they (the drivers) start to believe, ‘Wow! This is actually going to be better!’”
Communication also changed for the better. Instead of broad, districtwide alerts, tools now allow precise updates.
“Almost instant communication is expected,” Hatton said. “If we’re not communicating with our families within five to 10 minutes of something happening on that bus… that’s just not acceptable in this day and age.”
Hatton’s approach resonates with other district leaders because it blends realism with vision. He does not promise quick fixes.
“I anticipate efficiencies in our routing,” he said. “I anticipate efficiencies with not having to hire as many drivers because I think we’re going to have fewer bus stops and we’re going to be much more efficient with our routes. … I think we’re going to see savings in the efficiencies of the routing.”
But he also ties technology to human impact.
“The power of what Transfinder can bring allows that driver to focus on the road,” Hatton said. “Take their anxiety and stress down and build those relationships with kids.”
For superintendents and business managers watching state dollars shrink, Hatton’s lesson is clear: leadership is not just about absorbing cuts—it is about using the right tools and people to keep services intact.
“We’re really proud of that,” he said.
In Findlay, funding cuts forced change. Leadership—and smart use of technology—made stability possible.
Hatton’s goal is to restore the service his community received prior to the funding cuts. He is approaching that goal methodically. Certain checkpoints have to be met before making major changes, such as increasing the number of drivers to cover routes.
“We’re just looking forward to maximizing the technology,” he said. Then, referencing the movie The Matrix, he added: “Never send a human to do a machine’s job. But also, never send a machine to do a human’s job. I firmly believe that even though we need to leverage AI and prepare children for their future, the classroom teacher is never going to be replaced and I think should never be replaced. The same with the bus driver. I think that relationship is so important.”
Transfinder technology is at the intersection.
“I think the power of what Transfinder and the resources it can bring to bear allows the driver to focus on the road, take their anxiety and stress down and build those relationships with kids,” Hatton said. “And then in terms of the parents, they feel safer. They can look at their phones and see exactly where the bus is.”
To learn more, visit transfinder.com/solutions, call 800-373-3609 or email solutions@transfinder.com.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
The post Leadership Under Pressure appeared first on School Transportation News.
According to our recent survey, 75% of student transportation teams cite driver shortages are the top operational bottleneck. Budget constraints and rising operational costs weren’t far behind.
This white paper outlines 12 practical, proven ways to improve efficiency, control expenses, strengthen compliance, and protect student riders.
Learn how to stretch your transportation budget with strategies that could pay for themselves in a year.
Download the complimentary white paper to access all 12 strategies.
Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.
The post (Free White Paper) 12 Ways to Do More Without Blowing Your Fleet’s Budget appeared first on School Transportation News.
Transportation directors are responsible for one of the most complex and important operations in a school district. Every morning, hundreds of vehicles need to be tracked, dozens of alerts need to be reviewed, and any incident that happened the day before needs to be investigated and documented. If your team is doing most of that work manually, you’re not alone. But you may be spending more time managing data than acting on it.
Modern fleet management technology is changing what’s possible for school transportation operations. Especially platforms, like VisionCloud, that combine AI-powered analytics with integrated video and telematics. Here’s a look at three areas where the right tools can give your team meaningful time back, while also raising the safety bar.
When an incident is reported, one of the first things an administrator needs is video. In many operations, that means manually retrieving and searching through separate server and device archives, toggling between different playback modes, and scrolling through hours of footage to find the relevant clip.
Advanced video management systems eliminate that hunt. A unified playback interface combines server-stored and device-stored footage in a single view, with color-coded timelines that immediately show where alarm events, high-definition clips, and standard footage are located. Smart date search calendars and searching by location display video availability at a glance, and screenshot preview navigation lets staff scan footage quickly without downloading full clips. What used to take 30 minutes can now take three.
Most operations generate far more safety data than any director has time to analyze. AI-powered event detection changes that. Rather than waiting for a complaint or a serious incident, systems that automatically detect and upload driver behavior give administrators a real-time picture of risk across the fleet.
Pairing an intelligent video management system with advanced AI hardware helps drivers respond to risks in real time while giving transportation directors the insight needed to improve training and reduce incidents. Solutions like the SafeDrive-AI 2 windshield DVR combine a road-facing ADAS camera with a 1080p driver-facing lens, using AI to detect lane departure, collision risks, fatigue, and distraction while issuing real-time alerts. When integrated with a platform like VisionCloud, these events are automatically uploaded and surfaced for review, providing immediate, actionable visibility without manual effort.
AI safety analysis modules go further by identifying patterns across the fleet: the most frequently triggered alarm types, the highest-risk vehicles, and the drivers who would benefit most from coaching. You’re not just collecting safety data, now you’re acting on it.
Operational reporting is essential, but manually generating reports on driver mileage, vehicle idling, fuel consumption, fleet health, and driver attendance takes time that most transportation offices don’t have to spare.
Platforms with customized scheduled report delivery can push the right data to the right people automatically. Paired with a comprehensive dashboard that surfaces fleet-wide KPIs and rolling trend data at a glance, the result is a department that stays informed without being buried in data pulls.
When a transportation team spends less time on administrative tasks, they spend more time on what matters: making sure students get to school and back home safely. AI-powered fleet management platforms aren’t just productivity tools, they are safety infrastructure.
As fleets grow and staffing pressures continue, the operations best positioned to deliver consistent, safe service will be the ones that have built smarter systems that work as hard as the people running them.
Choosing the right technology can transform how your organization operates. Download Safety Vision’s free VisionCloud platform comparison report for a detailed, feature-by-feature guide built for transportation directors.
The post Using AI to Reclaim Time & Improve Safety appeared first on School Transportation News.
Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), in Missouri, significantly improved their student experience and academic readiness by overhauling its transportation system, focusing on four crucial areas: student achievement, modern technology, driver experience, and stakeholder feedback. This transformation addressed long‑standing reliability issues and introduced technology‑driven, safety‑focused solutions that strengthened daily school operations and supported better student outcomes.
KCPS, which serves more than 15,000 students across a geographically diverse region and a complex service model—including neighborhood schools, magnet schools, overflow schools, and grandfathered ridership guidelines requiring cross-district travel—had faced decades-long challenges with student transportation.
The district struggled with uncovered routes, severe driver shortages, limited data visibility, rising operational costs, and growing frustration from families due to unreliable service and outdated routing systems.
By partnering with a technology-driven transportation provider and implementing a modern, data-enabled approach, KCPS achieved significant improvements in reliability, safety, and communication. Within one year, the district deployed modern technology, addressed major driver shortages, improved on-time performance, and strengthened community trust through greater transparency and consistent service.
KCPS’s transportation system was struggling to meet the needs of students and families. Key issues included:
One year prior to a bid process, the district began collecting data and engaging all stakeholders for feedback to identify priorities and areas of concern related to transportation. Input was gathered from parents, teachers, building administrators, support staff, special education, students-in-transition, student support staff, central office administrators, bus drivers, transportation staff, athletics, community partners, and board members.
By November, the district launched a comprehensive bid process focused on solving its greatest operational gaps:
The goal was simple: Identify and implement a technology-led, data-driven solution with measurable outcomes to create a safe, reliable, modern transportation system that bolsters student achievement.
By March, the district had identified a transportation partner and co-created an implementation strategy with clear timelines and key milestones. This was organized in three phases:
Phase 1: Planning & Data Audit
Phase 2: Technology Rollout
Phase 3: Optimization & Continuous Improvement
Stakeholders Feedback
The modernization directly improved student experience:
Transportation became a lever for access, strengthening students’ ability to fully participate in all program activities and significantly improving the overall student experience while meeting and/or exceeding district goals.
“Zum’s proven track record, along with its enhanced communication and equity-focused decision making, has greatly benefited our students, families, and drivers. In Kansas City, we appreciate their commitment to safety, efficiency, transparency, and student-centered, technology-led, and data-driven approach. It has been a game-changer for KCPS and our community.”
Dr. Jennifer Collier
Superintendent
Kansas City Public Schools
Learn more at www.ridezum.com.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
The post Challenging the Status Quo: How Kansas City Public Schools Paved the Way for Modern Student Mobility appeared first on School Transportation News.
CONCORD, N.C. – An STN EXPO East panel of student transporters shared how utilizing Transfinder’s technology suite has made their school bus operations safer and more efficient.
Edgar Franco, assistant transportation director for Modesto City Schools in California, stated that technology has assisted with internal digitization, timeliness and streamlining communication between schools and the transportation department.
Christopher Faust, transportation director for Sangamon Valley Community Unit School District #9 in Illinois, noted that a district does not need to use Transfinder’s entire product suite since the Routefinder Plus routing software alone is powerful and convenient to also rapidly send parents relevant messages, as an example.
Kathleen Guarini, transportation coordinator for Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, and Elizabeth Cannata, supervisor of transportation for Haverhill Public Schools in Massachusetts, both agreed that a tech portal also eases the difficulties of driver shortages and substitutions. Guarini advised rolling out a tech stack slowly, so staff does not get overwhelmed and become averse to future integrations.
“In an emergency situation, you need fast access to the data at your fingertips, and that’s what having an all-in-one platform is going to allow you to do,” stated panel facilitator and Transfinder Sales Engineer Shea Marstaller.
Cannata utilizes student RFID cards, which she said have been able to prevent lost-child debacles involving police and helicopters.
To help parents adopt the Stopfinder parent app, Franco advised “building a community, getting it out there and showing them [its] value.”
Guarini said Stopfinder has “been hugely impactful” especially during the first few weeks of school startup. She noted her eight dispatchers were spared having to field calls from parents of the 60,000-strong student population.
She also shared how the driver app Wayfinder provides directions via tablets which is much safer than drivers “searching for a piece of paper or dropping it, tucking it under [their] thigh while [they’re] trying to make the turns, so [they] can use two hands on the wheel.”
Cannata noted a key performance indicator of the software is that it can show gaps in driver schedules, so one who is free can pick up a student who missed the bus and get them to school.
Guarini said that Transfinder’s team was able to find additional efficiencies when her district went from a three-tiered bell system to a five-tiered bell system. Additionally, she said she uses Formfinder for a special needs application that has saved her staff the workload of transferring 400 columns of data nightly for 3,000 students.
Franco stressed the importance of bringing in clean data to avoid messy problems down the road.
Cannata added that the technology assists with special needs routes.
“We have to separate who requires specialized transportation and what that specialized transportation is — be it a wheelchair, a 1-to-1 monitor, and anything like that,” she explained. “We have to have that inside of our end of year report and I’m able to simply filter, edit and I can get it within minutes. Pull my end of year report. It’s saved me from hours of going through each route individually to check.”
Rick Walterscheid, who spent 25 years as a transportation director and is now a sales executive with Transfinder, said using ServiceFinder in his district operations gave him actionable data for bus repairs and replacement cycles.
“What this enabled me to do was to put evidence into what I already knew because I kept the records,” he stated.
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Since school bus drivers on the roads everyday may have suggestions on route improvements, Franco said he layers planned routes and bus GPS data to compare them and determine if there is a way to optimize that route. Digitization has helped simplify things when drivers bring in notes on how their routes could be better, Guarini concurred.
With older drivers who may be hesitant to adopt new tech, Cannata advised providing copious training and having tech-savvy drivers assist if possible.
Franco agreed that identifying and empowering tech-forward leaders among drivers and technicians is crucial. He also confirmed that Transfinder’s tablet system is easy and intuitive for those less tech-friendly drivers.
While Transfinder offers multiple products, Faust advised student transporters to “take what works for you.”
“I love all of the features that Transfinder offers, but I feel like you need to identify which are the most important, which are the immediate needs for your division and start chipping away as you can manage,” agreed Guarini.
Faust said he looks forward to AI integrations which can save time by answering conversationally spoken questions rather than requiring staff to manually seek out information.
Franco praised Servicefinder’s assistance in keeping track of white fleet vehicles that need repairs and getting that information to technicians in a timely manner.
“We’re all being asked to do more with less, right?” Marstaller commented.
“Being in a small district, we have to be as efficient as possible,” Faust agreed.
“Everybody’s afraid to change from what you know,” Guarini said. “The benefit of doing that, though, gives you a fresh mindset.”
Cannata and Franco praised the clear and streamlined customer service Transfinder provides.
“Instantly, like within like an hour – not even, sometimes – it’s instantly quick, but we have an answer. We got it fixed,” Cannata declared.
“We all feel supported by Transfinder with anything we need help with,” Guarini confirmed.
Faust noted that having one vendor for the whole tech stack makes troubleshooting much easier.
All four panelists said they used the Transfinder Community feature through which their peers and fellow users help them better utilize the technology.
The post How Technology Powers Daily Student Transportation Operations appeared first on School Transportation News.
AI technology is developing so fast, experts say advances are becoming hard to measure. Recognizing this, the Universities of Wisconsin has launched a free series of videos for people who need a starting point.
The post AI is growing. Universities of Wisconsin wants to help you understand it. appeared first on WPR.
A webinar sponsored by Zonar saw Katrina Falk, director of transportation routing and training compliance at Madison Consolidated Schools in Indiana, share tools and tips that help her maximize student safety and school bus routing efficiency.
Falk, also a certified pupil transportation specialist through the National Association for Pupil Transportation and frequent speaker at events organized by School Transportation News, Transfinder and Zonar, said Thursday technology provides accountability and efficiency opportunities for managers dealing with ever-rising fuel costs, which have increased to over $5 per gallon for diesel in her area.
When it comes to evaluating planned versus actual routes, she said she uses Zonar maps and reports to carry out route reviews or high-level audits in mid-August and during spring break.
“We do a quick shakedown to make sure everything is going to work properly when school is in session again,” she commented.
She explained that she works with route sheets turned in by drivers, updated student housing or eligibility information, and special education or related accommodations. Her audit keeps safety as the bottom line by confirming safe and appropriate bus stop locations, verifying that students end up where they need to be, and ensuring drivers comply with state and local laws.
She shared the benefits of updated, accurate route sheets, including reduced operational costs, fuel savings, route consolidations or reduction, accurate information on parent apps and therefore happier parents, and improved driver adherence.
Quality data received means quality decisions made, not “garbage in, garbage out,” Falk quipped. She explained that decisions the transportation department makes rely heavily on information flowed in by parents and schools, such as enrollment information and authorized bus stop locations.
She noted that small data entry errors can create large operational and money-wasting problems, such as a bus repeatedly going miles out of the way on a country road to pick up a student who is not there because they moved. Accurate, timely updates about new enrollments, withdrawals, or schedule changes are essential, she said.
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Falk reviewed two scenarios of school bus drivers deciding to deviate from planned routes for seemingly innocuous reasons that created major safety concerns. In one case, a time-saving change canceled planned right-hand curbside stops which forced students to cross an unsafe curved road with a history of speeding and stop-arm violations.
The other scenario was a driver adding an unauthorized shortcut, which backed the bus down obstructed roads and an uncontrolled intersection. A bigger issue was the driver habitually running late on her morning run and attempting to make up time by making these on-the-spot decisions.
“This is an accident waiting to happen,” Falk pointed out.
A third situation involved incorrect geocoded locations keeping students from showing up on the routing software, preventing almost 1,000 students from being routed correctly. Suitably utilizing technology and manually reviewing it to catch glitches prevents issues from snowballing, Falk stated.
Bryant Maxey, product marketing manager for Zonar, reviewed triggers such as opened doors or stop-arm deployments that capture data points managers can later review, comparing where the bus really went to where it was supposed to go.
Alerts can also be captured for illegal passing incidents, but Falk added that proving stop-arm violations requires data showing bus performed the stop procedures correctly.
Falk advised transportation supervisors to regularly check their incoming data and request updated information or suggestions from drivers.
“Your local knowledge cannot be replaced with technology,” she declared.
Leave the office, take the wheel of a bus, or watch your routes in real-time, she encouraged.
“Make deliberate, decisive changes backed by data and your local knowledge,” Falk said. “All of these pieces have to be there for the puzzle to work.”
Concluded Maxey: “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to be the most efficient and optimized we can be.”
The post “An Accident Waiting to Happen”: Transportation Director Gives Routing Advice appeared first on School Transportation News.
Port Washington officials are limiting construction hours at the massive data center campus being built in the city following complaints from residents who live near the site.
The post Port Washington limits construction hours for data center project after complaints appeared first on WPR.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., -Zūm, a leader in student mobility, today announced unaudited 2025 financial highlights, reflecting sustained growth at scale as the company expands in the $50 billion student mobility market, the largest segment of the mass mobility industry, and one of the last segments still underserved by AI and cloud technology. While the industry has historically been defined by fragmented, analog transportation services, Zum is pioneering a mobility experience that is replacing traditional approaches to operating yellow buses with a modern, fully integrated mass mobility ecosystem.
2025 Financial Highlights:
Revenue of $333 million, up 35% year-over-year.
Four-year revenue CAGR of greater than 40%.
Over $2 billion in Total Contract Value (TCV).
Adjusted EBITDA1 breakeven and steadily improving contribution margin.
“Every weekday, 26 million American students ride the school bus — three times more passengers than U.S. airlines carry — making it the largest mass transportation system in the country and one of the last to undergo technological transformation,” said Ritu Narayan, Zum Founder and CEO. “For too long, families have faced morning anxiety, wondering if the bus will arrive, if it is safe, and when their kids will get home. We are redefining mobility by moving far beyond legacy models to create a connected, intelligent system for the communities we serve. In student transportation, that means replacing legacy infrastructure with a dynamic, technology-enabled platform — transforming what was once a standalone service into a responsive ecosystem that anticipates and adapts to the needs of districts and families.”
Durable Business Model Driving Scalable Growth
Across the United States, forward-thinking school districts have moved away from the status quo and adopted Zum as their transportation provider. In these districts, Zum has transformed their transportation systems into state-of-the-art operations characterized by enhanced visibility, improved safety standards, real-time data that provides full transparency, and measurable performance outcomes.
Today Zum serves more than 4,000 schools across 15 states, including major districts such as Branford (CT), Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles (CA), Oakland (CA), Omaha (NE), Roanoke City (VA), San Francisco (CA), and Seattle (WA). Zum’s business model is built on structural advantages to drive predictable, profitable growth:
Long-term contracted revenue: 5-10 year agreements with school districts, delivering predictable cash flow, with an established track record of improving profitability.
Exceptional retention: Strong customer loyalty, with growing revenue as existing customers expand their utilization of Zum services.
“Our strong unit economics and long-term contracted revenue demonstrate the scalability of our platform,” said Daniel Berenbaum, Zum’s Chief Financial Officer. “We achieved Adjusted EBITDA breakeven while growing revenue 35% year-over-year, validating our disciplined approach to expansion. Student mobility is one of the last major undigitized sectors, representing a $50 billion segment of the mass mobility industry. While legacy competitors manage physical assets, Zum is deploying a modern, scalable system driven by technology, operational excellence, and safety – using real-time data to connect people, vehicles, and the energy grid, delivering better outcomes for all.”
AI-Powered Technology Driving Reliability and Safety
Zum uses AI and advanced technologies to ensure drivers take the most efficient, logical routes, a significant departure from traditional routing methods that have been used for decades. The system is designed specifically for the unique requirements of student mobility, from complex routing algorithms that account for tiered bell schedules and custom needs, to safety protocols that meet and exceed both bus company and ride-share standards. Zum’s platform also includes mobile apps and web dashboards for students, parents, drivers, dispatchers, and school administrators, enabling enhanced visibility, greater trust, streamlined communication, and incident-tracking capabilities, all powered by real-time data in a single integrated platform.
Modernizing Infrastructure and Powering the Grid
Zum’s electrification strategy represents yet another step in modernization, turning an underutilized asset into an energy resource to power the grid. Zum’s groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology transforms school bus parking yards into virtual power plants, storing and distributing energy to support grid resilience. Zum made history in the 2024–25 school year by deploying the nation’s first fully electric school bus fleet in the Oakland Unified School District in California, and recently announced plans to launch a fully electric fleet with V2G capabilities for Branford Public Schools in Connecticut beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
Delivering Measurable Impact at Scale
Zum’s impact is measurable and significant:
Reliability: On average, 98% on-time performance.
Cost Savings: San Francisco Unified has cut annual transportation costs by up to 10% using Zum’s technology-driven platform to optimize routes, fleet utilization, and daily operations. That budget flexibility can enable districts to reinvest directly in classroom priorities such as instructional resources, staffing, and student support, strengthening both academic outcomes and long-term sustainability.
Transformational Customer Impact: With Zum, school districts use up to 25% fewer assets by utilizing a multi-size vehicle fleet, spend up to 20% less time through optimized routes, and report 30% higher asset utilization throughout each day.
Efficiency: Through intelligent routing, Oakland Unified has cut one‑hour or longer commutes from 70% to under 10%, and San Francisco Unified has reduced average bus stop time from 3 minutes to just 8 seconds.
Student Experience: Parents have rated Zum with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating in student experience across 1.5 million reviews.
Attendance: After partnering with Zum, Kansas City Public Schools saw an 89% increase in ridership driven by improved reliability and reduced transportation-related absences in secondary schools from 25% to 5.6% during the 2024–25 school year.
Growth: Safely completed 68.5 million student rides in 2025, up 120% over 2024.
About Zum:
Zum is revolutionizing mass mobility with a fully integrated platform that connects and coordinates people, vehicles, and operations in real time. In the $50 billion student mobility market – the largest segment of the mass mobility industry – Zum is designed to deliver a predictable, safe, and seamless experience for students and families. Today, more than 4,000 schools across 15 states rely on Zum’s advanced platform, with customers now deploying its groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to modernize vehicles and strengthen grid resilience. Recognized globally for its innovative approach and operational execution, Zum has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50 and Changemakers, the World Economic Forum, and the Financial Times Fastest Growing Companies lists. Zum is backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, GIC, and SoftBank. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.
The post Zum Achieves Record Revenue in 2025, Scaling Rapidly in the Largest Mass Mobility Market appeared first on School Transportation News.
NEW YORK — BusRight, the leading all-in-one student transportation technology platform, today announced it has raised more than $30 million in the company’s latest funding round led by Volition Capital.
Founded by CEO Keith Corso and Chief Product Officer (CPO) Phillip Dunn, former CIO of the sixth-largest school district in the country, BusRight ensures every student can safely and reliably access their education. The company’s technology solves transportation leaders’ most critical challenges: a crippling school bus driver shortage, overwhelming parent demands, and increasing route complexity. The platform brings driver navigation, routing, student ridership visibility, parent communication, and live GPS tracking into one unified platform. As a result, transportation leaders can build routes in 60 seconds, track buses in real-time, and communicate with parents in a single click.
The $900 billion K-12 education system is enabled by 13,000 transportation leaders who transport more than 20 million students to and from school every day. Many school bus fleets start each morning short 15-30% of drivers, forcing last-minute route cancellations, triggering a flood of parent phone calls, missed pickups, and even more pressure on an already stretched driver workforce. In an industry underserved by technology, most bus drivers are still handed paper route sheets, transportation leaders spend their days behind the wheel instead of leading, and office teams work 12 plus hour days to keep buses moving.
BusRight is uniquely positioned to address these challenges and usher our nation’s largest mass transit system into the modern era. Now nearly 1 million parents, drivers, dispatchers, business managers, and superintendents across 36 states rely on BusRight to help rebuild trust in one of the most foundational sectors of our society: public education.
“BusRight has saved us $989,000 in the first year,” said Gregory Mott, superintendent of schools for the Poughkeepsie City School District. “I can’t think of another tool in the district that has had such a profound impact on student safety, while also strengthening the financial position of the school.”
“Student transportation teams have been underrecognized and underinvested for far too long,” said Keith Corso, co-founder & CEO of BusRight. “We’re proud to partner with Volition Capital, a team that shares the belief that transportation directors, routers, dispatchers, and drivers are the backbone of public education, and they deserve the recognition, investment, and support to match the significance of the work they do every single day.”
Funding from the latest round will enable BusRight to continue to invest in its state-of-the-art platform, launching new products and services to meet the unique needs of the nation’s student transportation operators. Platform enhancements include the first 24/7 AI-powered student transportation agent, precision hyper-local mapping intelligence, and NFC-based child safety features.
“My experience in school systems showed me how rapidly education was changing and how urgently it needed better tools,” said Phillip Dunn, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “BusRight exists to unlock public infrastructure with the same ease and impact we expect from modern consumer technology.”
In connection with this financing, Tomy Han, partner at Volition Capital, will join BusRight’s Board of Directors.
“BusRight is building a category-defining platform in a market that is both massive and mission-critical,” said Tomy Han, partner at Volition Capital. “The team has demonstrated exceptional execution, strong customer adoption, and a product that is deeply embedded in daily transportation operations. We’re excited to partner with BusRight as they scale a durable, market-leading business.”
BusRight’s momentum comes amid rapid change in student transportation, driven by evolving regulations, new funding for technology adoption, and increasing demand for K-12 safety, real-time visibility, and operational excellence.
About BusRight
BusRight, the leading all-in-one student transportation technology platform, solves the most mission-critical challenges in K–12 education: transporting students to and from school safely, reliably, and efficiently. Headquartered in New York, NY, BusRight partners with communities across the US to bring innovative solutions to the nation’s public education system. Learn more at https://busright.com.
About Volition Capital
Volition Capital is a Boston-based growth equity firm that principally invests in high-growth, founder-owned companies across the software, Internet, and consumer sectors. Founded in 2010, Volition has over $1.7 billion in assets under management and has invested in and/or provided sub-advisory advice to more than 60 companies in the United States and Canada. The firm selectively partners with founders to help them achieve their fullest aspirations for their businesses. For more information, visit http://www.volitioncapital.com.
The post BusRight Raises $30M to Power the Largest Mass Transit System appeared first on School Transportation News.
School transportation departments navigate constrained budgets, staffing challenges and rapidly evolving technology that rely on procurement tools: Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Bids (RFB) and pilot programs.
Using those tools properly yields optimal results. RFIs help districts—particularly large ones—understand market capabilities before committing to specifications.
RFPs allow districts to evaluate solutions based on expertise, implementation plans and long-term value utilizing a scale or scoring system for multiple companies offering similar products or services. Factors include sustainability, customer support and training. RFBs are critical for standardized purchases, ensuring transparency, fairness and fiscal accountability through objective competition. Bid specs yielding the most results consider the operational needs and what problem needs resolution.
Industry consultant Alexandra Robinson noted an RFI is a fact-finding process to ask questions, research the product and conduct demonstrations. These findings result in writing the RFP or RFB. The proof is in the real-world pilot test of the solution.
A School Transportation News reader survey last year indicated 32 percent of transportation directors and supervisors engage in pilot programs. Thirty-five percent said they submit an RFI prior to submitting an RFP. Software provider Transfinder noted it participated in 217 percent more RFPs in 2025 than in 2024.
Ashley Jones, assistant director of special projects for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) transportation department in North Carolina, noted challenges faced in preparing for an RFP process include the hurdle of balancing the wish list of operations and maintenance with budget restraints.
“We also struggle with ensuring what we buy today won’t be obsolete in two to three years,” she added. CMS released an RFP in December for transportation telematics service and hardware, to improve upon GPS tracking, driver behavior metrics and on-time arrival rates. The district formed an RFP team including transportation operations, IT team members and finance. “This prevents us from buying a software solution we can’t support or maintain,” Jones said.
CMS utilizes a weighted scoring rubric that considers pricing, experience, specific vendor offerings, and references. It holds a pre-bid meeting internally but not publicly for potential companies placing a bid, Jones noted.
“This is included in the bid and part of our scope of work,” she added. “Vendors can ask additional questions during the process if needed.”
The decision to bid is based on several review meetings involving the CMS internal transportation team to determine basic needs and potential operational gaps.
“Before drafting the scope of work, the team collaborated to categorize requirements into fundamental needs versus additional capabilities,” said Jones. “Key drivers identified for this included the benefit of an accurate telematics platform including the essential need for accurate reports for bus arrivals, the desire to improve transparency between parents and school transportation, and the requirement for advanced diagnostic tools to streamline workflow for the maintenance team.”
When developing specifications, it is crucial to ensure a district is requesting technology that is current and open to competition, Jones noted.
“Specifications must be developed from market research, pilot program opportunities and the internal transportation team,” she added.
A standardized amount of bonding and insurance is required of all vendors. Onsite maintenance is handled through an internal team for oversite. The bid winner produces a maintenance and return merchandise authorization plan.
Jones noted each vendor has different parameters regarding their product warranties. This information is included in the grading rubric and considered during bid awards. To ensure system effectiveness, the RFP includes a mandatory continuation plan.
“We require the selected vendor to assign a dedicated, full-time employee to oversee the entire initial rollout,” Jones said. “The dedicated support must continue for an additional six months to facilitate continuous training for staff and immediately address software or hardware issues that may occur in the rollout period.”
Daniel Kang, Los Angeles Unified School District transportation director, noted a source selection committee was established in the district’s most recent RFP for upgraded GPS, tablets and camera systems.
The committee of subject matter experts from dispatch, technology, fleet, and the deputy director interviewed those who already utilize the top three scoring systems.
“Having direct conversations with fellow school districts allowed for honest feedback,” noted Kang. Key questions addressed the system’s highlights, outstanding concerns, whether the district would purchase the product again, and lessons learned.
When Austin (Texas) ISD put out an RFP in 2017 for stop-arm camera technology, it included a request for a six-month pilot program “to see how they would perform—the technology, reporting system, our interaction with our police department,” said Kris Hafezizadeh, Austin ISD executive director of transportation and vehicle services.
Austin ISD used the previous solution until last April, at which point district officials released another RFP to review other existing technologies, vendors and opportunities, using similar specs from the first RFP.
Hafezizadeh assembled a panel including transportation, law enforcement and legal representation to observe a presentation by top vendors, awarding the contract after school board approval to BusPatrol effective last May 1.
Hafezizadeh noted the district’s procurement office handles much of the RFP details: Writing the correct specs, considering the technology involved, and others involved in the process.
The district’s panel viewed proposals using Bonfire procurement technology, a cloud-based platform offering online solicitation, submission contract evaluation and management, and vendor performance. Hafezizadeh said RFP priorities were customer service, quality and responsiveness followed by financial and technical aspects.
“If you’re dealing with a district [of] our size, we are not awarding something to a company that may not know anything about [the issue] and are still trying to get the experience,” he said.
The contract stipulates Austin ISD gets 65 percent of each $300 citation, and BusPatrol gets 35 percent. “With the stop-arm cameras, we want the highest revenue shared with us, and the best technology and process as possible,” Hafezizadeh said.
Equipment, installation implementation and maintenance is no cost to the district, said Hafezizadeh, adding funds from the citations are used to pay police officers for time they invest in approving or disqualifying violations as well as the appeal judge the district hires to hear monthly appeals.
Hafezizadeh noted support requires attending community and PTA meetings and discussions with local and state legislators. The Austin ISD web page outlines the stop-arm law and consequences when motorists are cited.
In creating specs, Hafezizadeh said he wants a turnkey operation, including maintenance. Also, key are the implementation timeline and training bus drivers on the technology.
The RFP also addresses district and vendor responsibilities regarding financial matters, bonding and insurance. The process includes what kind of insurance the company needs to have to be qualified to send its proposal. When a video camera is not working properly, BusPatrol is tasked with sending a maintenance team to check on its status and make repairs. Hafezizadeh serves as project manager. A district police chief serves as a direct contact for violations, hearings or legal issues.
In its contract, BusPatrol indicated what it will take care of in the case of a collision, such as if a camera is hit and damaged.
“They replace it,” Hefezizadeh said. “The equipment belongs to them.”
As part of a continuation plan, he meets with BusPatrol bi-weekly to review previous months’ reports and discuss topics such as providing more community educational opportunities.
Ohio Pilot Programs Target Improved Reliability, Efficiency
As student transportation professionals across the country grapple a host of challenges, two pilot programs in Ohio seek insights into how to improve access, reliability and cost-effectiveness in pupil transportation.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) said the pilot programs aim to inform future strategies and guide the development of comprehensive solutions to address ongoing absenteeism, high transportation costs, outdated student rosters, noncompliance with individualized education programs (IEP), and reliability and efficiency.
Established under the 135th General Assembly’s House bills 33 and 250, the programs are designed to explore alternative transportation methods and address inefficiencies in the current system. ODE established the pilots for the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESCCO) and the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (MCESC). They launched the pilots for the 2024-2025 school year. In a program summary, ODEW said both organizations are tasked with identifying students facing transportation difficulties, arranging approved vehicles for eligible students, and ensuring compliance with transportation requirements for students with disabilities as outlined in their IEPs.
ODEW funds the programs by deducting the statewide average cost per student—$1,214.29 for fiscal year 2025—from participating districts’ state transportation payments. Additionally, the educational service centers received federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grant funds to support transportation expenditures.
The MCESC pilot program, branded as Ride Smart Ohio, focuses on using alternative vehicles with a capacity of nine passengers or fewer, according to ODEW.
The program not only provides transportation for students but also creates flexible income opportunities for teachers, staff and community members. Ride Smart Ohio utilizes advanced software from Trust-Ed to ensure a secure and user-friendly system, empowering school staff to play an active role in transportation efforts.
In fiscal year 2025, MCESC received over $493,000 in funding for the pilot program. For fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the program will receive $250,000 annually to continue its operations.
As of November, Ride Smart Ohio entered service contracts with six districts, including West Carrollton, Mad River, Valley View, Northmont, Oakwood Schools, and Dayton Public Schools. Seven active drivers currently provide daily transportation for 13 students, including seven who attend Ohio Deaf and Blind Education Services.
The program has prioritized safety and compliance, completing 100 percent of vehicle inspections and driver physicals before the school year began. Updated driver training modules have been implemented to align with state rules. Looking ahead, Ride Smart Ohio plans to recruit and onboard new drivers, enhance data reporting, schedule refresher training, and review fleet management before winter maintenance.
The ESCCO pilot program, which concluded last June, focused on providing transportation for Columbus City Schools. During its operation, 23 drivers transported 60 to 65 students to three community schools. The program received over $5 million in funding for fiscal year 2025.
ODEW highlighted key findings in September. It found that participating students saw improved attendance, averaging 13 more days in school compared to the previous year. Non-school bus transportation using smaller vehicles proved effective and reliable, but the cost of third-party contractors was significantly higher—more than five times the amount received through state transportation funding.
Additionally, outdated and inaccurate student roster information from schools created delays and extra work. Despite these challenges, families and community school participants expressed high satisfaction with the program state funding model.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the March 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
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Related: (Recorded Webinar) Evaluating School Bus Technology RFPs and Suppliers
The post More Than a Letter Game appeared first on School Transportation News.
Does your team know exactly where each school bus goes every day? The gap between planned routes and real-world activity often reveals inefficiencies, detours, unapproved stop changes, and safety risks that quietly add up over time. Before you know it, operational efficiency and reliability aren’t what they were.
In this webinar, Katrina Falk, who oversees Transportation Routing and Training Compliance at Madison Consolidated Schools, shares how her district used their fleet data and routing software to conduct route audits, comparing planned versus actual performance. Through real-world examples, hear how they turned those insights into measurable improvements to optimize operations, reduce risk, and improve routing accuracy without adding to their workload.
Katrina will also share the route audit process she refined as a director and router, using real scenarios that illustrate how actual versus planned insights helped them address challenges nearly every operation faces: ongoing driver shortages, budget constraints, administrative demands to streamline, and the need for greater fleet visibility. You’ll walk away with a practical framework for conducting route audits, as well as insights into how real-world fleet visibility supports accurate routing, reduced risk, and operational accountability.
Learn how fleet data can reveal efficiencies, improve safety, and support more effective decision-making. Bring your questions and share your experiences during an interactive conversation about improving routing processes districtwide.
Brought to you by Zonar
REGISTER BELOW:
Presenters:
Katrina Falk
Transportation Routing and Training Compliance
Madison Consolidated Schools
Katrina has worked within the Pupil Transportation Industry for 25 years, having started as a School Bus Driver at 18-years-old. As a previous Zonar Gold All Star Award Winner, she has a keen interest in Routing, Fleet Management, Fleet Optimization, and Telematics.
She was previously Director of Transportation for Fayette County Schools (IN) and Shelby Eastern Schools (IN) and is now fulfilling a newly-created role at Madison Consolidated Schools (IN) that concentrates solely on Routing and Training Compliance.
She has professional certifications as a Certified Pupil Transportation Specialist, Certified Supervisor of Pupil Transportation, and Transfinder Routefinder Pro and PLUS Certification.
Bryant Maxey
Product Marketing Manager
Zonar
Bryant Maxey has been with the Zonar team for over 9 years and currently serves as the Product Marketing Manager, where he currently leads various go-to-market strategies and product launches at Zonar. Bryant started his career in the customer support department, where he was the Tier III escalation for Zonar’s tablet solutions. He has also performed many onsite and virtual training courses to Zonar’s customer base.
The post (Free Webinar) Route Reality Check: Turning Planned into Actual Efficiencies appeared first on School Transportation News.
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