David Weber, business development manager for School Radio, explains how school districts can leverage the safety and efficiency benefits of cost-effective bus radio technology when transporting students with special needs.

As student transporters struggle with rising diesel fuel costs, Blue Bird’s Alternative Fuels Manager Stephen Whaley shares how propane school buses provide a reliable, environmental and budget-friendly option.

Steven Wenger, OEM business development manager for Brigade Electronics, spotlights AI-powered pedestrian recognition technology tailored for student safety around the school bus.

Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation for Rockwall Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, discusses leveraging the Transfinder technology stack and optimizing operations to increase safety and efficiency amid budgetary challenges.

Read more TSD Conference coverage.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder. 

Message from EverDriven. 

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The post (STN Podcast E331) Onsite at TSD Conference: Safety-Conscious, Budget-Friendly Transportation Tech appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas – From rising special education demands to shrinking budgets to driver retention issues, school transportation experts at the TSD Conference discussed how stronger partnerships, better data and flexible transportation options can help districts safely serve students with disabilities.

“As many of you know, special needs transportation seems to ask more of districts than any other operation, from IEP coordination, to safety, training, recruiting and policy,” began Alex Muirbrook, regional and strategic sales director for session sponsor EverDriven.

Data Drives Transportation Funding

Allen Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, faces declining overall enrollment but increasing numbers of students with transportation as a related service called for on their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), explained Transportation Director Karol Day. She reported transporting approximately 450 students with transportation IEPs daily and said comparing several years of student data helped her avoid budget cuts despite growing service demands.

“We’re all constantly asked to cut budgets, but still keep doing what we’re doing successfully,” she said.

“Accurate data drives decisions that lead to solutions, right?” Muirbrook agreed, explaining that declining enrollment doesn’t necessarily mean declining transportation demand.

Glenna Wright-Gallo, vice president of policy for Everway and former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, highlighted three federal policy developments: The upcoming Education Freedom Tax Credit, reduced federal monitoring that places greater responsibility on states and districts and opportunities to access additional funding.

Wright-Gallo encouraged transportation directors to engage special education administrators, federal programs directors and district financial leaders about Title II-A, Title IV-A, Medicaid reimbursement and travel training funding.

“We tend to highlight problems or problems are highlighted for us,” said the former associate superintendent for special education for Washington state and a former state director of special education for Utah. “But we forget to talk about where we’re seeing success, what’s going well.”

Consultant Launi Harden, retired director of transportation for Washington County School District in Utah and current executive director of the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation as well as TSD Conference faculty member, agreed. With alternative transportation becoming increasingly widespread, she urged districts to measure success by students transported safely and on time, rather than simply yellow buses arriving on schedule.

IEP Collaboration and Student Safety

Day underscored the importance of building relationships with special education teams before IEP decisions create transportation challenges. Attending every meeting is impractical, she explained, but transportation leaders must communicate route limitations, travel times and operational capabilities beforehand.

“You have to get there before it happens,” Day advised.

Harden concurred that IEP teams make the final determination, but transportation professionals must contribute their safety expertise. She recommended bringing crash-test evidence, evacuation procedures and best practices into discussions, especially when students use alternative vehicles.

“We need to process differently than just our way we’ve always thought about things because our world is changing in front of us and it’s changing quickly,” she declared.

Wright-Gallo cautioned that IEPs simply assigning special transportation lack actionable information. She advised teams to specify behavioral considerations, communication needs, assistive technology, supervision and safety protocols so drivers and aides understand how to support each student.

She also encouraged periodic reviews of specialized transportation decisions to determine whether students could transition to conventional school buses when appropriate.

Training and Alternative Transportation Partnerships

To retain drivers and monitors amid staffing shortages, Day said she prioritizes providing appropriate equipment, training and ongoing support.

“When they feel supported, when they feel like I’m their champion and I’m getting them what they need, they tend to be able to go farther, do more,” she explained.

Day shared that her district’s special education staff, behavior specialists and case managers develop student-specific training. She preserves presentations and reference materials so existing employees can refresh their knowledge and new hires can access the same instruction.

For districts using third-party transportation providers, Harden emphasized that outsourcing doesn’t eliminate district responsibility for safety and compliance. She recommended involving partners in training, maintaining district standards and ensuring providers understand emergency evacuation techniques.

“You don’t lower your standards when you bring a partner in,” she stressed. “And the safety is priority.”

School districts should complete background checks, fingerprinting and other qualifications proactively, Day added, before they urgently need alternative transportation services. A suitable “essential partner” will identify gaps transportation managers might miss and help fill them, Wright-Gallo said.

Related: (STN Podcast E322) Building Trust: Alternative Transportation Supports Consistent Education Access
Related: Alternative Transportation Operations Also Rely on Efficiency, Communication and Collaboration
Related: From Taxis to Trusted Rides: Alternative Transportation Benefits Illinois Students
Related: Districts Use Alternative Transportation to Support Mckinney-Vento Students
Related: (STN Podcast E299) Meeting Needs: Answering Questions on Alternative Student Transportation

Technology and Parent Communication

Parents increasingly expect cameras, GPS tracking and transportation visibility, Harden noted. Day cautioned that technology only helps when information is accurate and actionable.

“If you’re not utilizing it, it’s just noise,” she said.

Day explained that parents primarily want accurate vehicle identification, arrival information and someone to contact when problems arise. Harden also emphasized timely communication about nonverbal students’ needs, especially when transportation arrangements change.

Wright-Gallo encouraged leaders to understand what special education law permits rather than assuming every requirement is inflexible.

“A lot of times we think about the law and absolutes, and there’s really a lot of flexibility and allowability in there,” she explained.

Harden reminded attendees that disciplinary challenges don’t automatically eliminate a student’s federal entitlement to educational services or the need to arrange appropriate transportation.

Day closed by encouraging transportation directors to audit their tools and staff resources, as well as form relationships with special education teams, alternative providers and neighboring districts.

“Relationships, relationships, relationships,” she emphasized, adding that finding an appropriate transportation solution outside the traditional yellow bus doesn’t represent failure when it better meets a student’s needs.

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post Meeting Special Needs Transportation Challenges Beyond the Yellow Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas – During a Saturday lunchtime session at the TSD Conference, three pupil transportation leaders discussed the benefits of technology for transporting students with special needs as well as lessons learned during implementation.

Technology Assists with Daily Transportation Changes

“There’s things changing every day with special needs routes,” noted Zachery Moren, sales engineering lead for session sponsor Transfinder.

Sierra Elliot, route supervisor for Garland Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, transports 1,100 students with special needs students using 77 routes. She utilizes strategies like a team Google Sheet and a dedicated email address for staff, so nothing is missed.

Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation for neighboring Rockwall Independent School District, transports 8,000 students overall and has 28 special education routes. She confirmed that corralling changes across schools, staff and drivers is tedious. She said it’s important to have a seat at the table so transportation can proactively weigh in on the availability of monitors or safety equipment assigned in Individualized Education Programs.

Virginia’s Loudoun County Public Schools, located about half an hour outside Washington D.C., uses 170 routes to transport 3,000 students with special needs. Making changes using seven routers and sending updated PDFs to drivers is “very complicated, very cumbersome,” Transportation Coordinator Kathleen Guarini said.

A 72-hour notice period and thorough information sharing processes has helped streamline aspects like wheelchair lift bus requests and joint custody households, she shared. She also urges campus administrators to log into the school bus driver app Wayfinder to verify the accuracy of information there.

Garland ISD and Rockwall ISD heavily promote the parent app Stopfinder using billboards and even QR code-bearing T-shirts so families can stay updated.

Overcoming Challenges When Implementing School Bus Technology

Loudoun County required its technology-hesitant drivers to use onboard navigation after discontinuing paper route sheets, which Guarini said streamlined both parent communications and employee timesheet processes. Transfinder customer care further makes drivers feel supported, she added.

Gardella at Rockwall ISD stressed that driver training was imperative for all the technology pieces to fit together. “Not only did I add the technology in for them, I worked with them and I didn’t leave them behind. I kept working with them until they got it,” she said.

Additionally, she said, onboard technology catches issues like drivers dropping students at unofficial stops, thus leading to training opportunities.

Elliot, who is also Garland ISD’s hiring manager, makes it part of her onboarding process to tell drivers that they will be using onboard technology and said it improved buy-in. She acknowledged that too much information can be a problem as parents watching Stopfinder sometimes call in with nitpicky questions on bus timing or location.

Guarini and Elliot gave advice gleaned from their experiences in rolling out various Transfinder components.

“Your staff, your drivers, everyone needs to know that they are supported,” Elliot emphasized.

“Roll it out at a pace that makes sense to be really successful,” Moren agreed.

Elliot pointed out emergencies or even broken school HVAC necessitate buses moving students en masse, which highlights how important it is for drivers to use assigned onboard navigation technology and students to use RFID scanning cards. Partnering with local businesses and restaurants to give discounts to students who bring in their badges boosts adoption, she shared.

Related: Technology Webinar Tackles the School Bus Driver Shortage
Related: How Technology Can Assist the 2026 State of Student Transportation
Related: (STN Podcast E302) Technology Tools for Bus Drivers: No More Struggling with Paper Route Sheets
Related: How Technology Powers Daily Student Transportation Operations

Moving Forward with Transportation Technology to Success

While initial technology implementation at Loudoun County was rocky, Guarini confirmed that lessons were learned. Now, she specified, keeping pertinent student information viewable for relevant admin and staff improves service.

“So, if I need to know what your medical conditions are, or if a parent has to meet you at the bus stop or not, or if you have a seizure problem, all of that is shared electronically through the tablet at the driver’s fingertips,” she said. “And we’re not running around like chickens with our heads cut off anymore.”

She said she first learned to become more technology proficient herself and agreed with Gardella that making sure the technology is tailored to the district’s unique needs has refined operations.

Guarini underscored that technology is beneficial, but relationships are more important since roadblocked knowledge sets up transportation teams for failure.

“We’re going to continue to see escalations and people getting hurt that we could prevent in simple sharing of information,” she explained.

During the Q&A, panelists shared how the technology smoothly handles issues like one driver substituting for another in an emergency, students getting dropped at a friend’s house instead of their normal home stop, merging bus routes when drivers call out and automatically sending parents notifications on changes.

The post Transportation Leader Advice on School Bus Technology at TSD Conference appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas – A panel discussion at the TSD Conference revealed the benefits of propane school buses for school districts concerned about rising operational costs, including diesel fuel.

School Districts in Virginia, Connecticut Choose Propane

Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, near Washington, D.C., maintains a mixed fleet of 513 route buses, including 31 electric and 30 propane buses. When nine of the district’s electric school buses went down in January, propane offered greater reliability, explained Assistant Director of Transportation Tisha Austin.

The district’s first 15 propane buses achieved a satisfactory 100 percent uptime, she reported. The transportation department initially used wet fueling before installing temporary 1,000-gallon tanks, allowing propane deployment while permanent infrastructure remained pending.

Austin reportedly pays $1.93 per gallon for propane compared to over $5 a gallon for diesel.

“We see propane as our future,” she confirmed.

An environmental focus in Norwalk, Connecticut, precipitated a change for the local school district and its transportation contractor. COVID-19, a new superintendent, changed bell times and driver shortages complicated matters. But a Norwalk Public Schools switch to propane school buses was ultimately a win, shared Transportation Director Johanna Zanvettor.

The district saved $90,000 in fuel costs during the first year, not including maintenance savings. Federal reimbursements added approximately $250,000. The buses travel roughly 60 miles daily, and the fleet manager reports easier maintenance and “top notch” technical support from Blue Bird manufacturing partner ROUSH CleanTech.

“Blue Bird is like the Cadillac of school buses,” Zanvettor commented.

Both transportation leaders reported that drivers were excited about the new propane buses but wary of the unfamiliar fuel. Hands-on training, opportunities to ask questions and firsthand experience helped overcome concerns, they shared. Loudoun County also certified drivers to fuel their own propane buses.

Zanvettor discussed fueling infrastructure and permitting challenges. Norwalk replaced aging underground diesel tanks with two 1,800-gallon, above-ground propane tanks, eliminating concerns about underground diesel leaks and messy fueling residue. Its local propane provider handled infrastructure installation and helped train 12 certified fuelers.

The panelists agreed that although electric school buses offer environmental benefits, propane better meets their current operational needs.

“We don’t want to get stuck where we have a driver out there because the vehicle didn’t charge or the driver’s concerned because they’re watching it and they’ve got kids on board,” Zanvettor declared.

Zanvettor also noted that the superior maintenance performance of propane buses helped Norwalk negotiate a three-year transportation contract extension with an 8-percent increase, compared with the 18- to 24-percent increases cited nationally. Because the contractor did not need to replace buses, the district benefited from lower renewal costs.

Related: Oregon School Districts Make Case for Propane at STN EXPO West
Related: Propane Grabs Spotlight as Fleets Seek Less Expensive, Cleaner Fuel
Related: Update: Report Highlights Propane and Electric TCO for School Bus
Related: (STN Podcast E306) Sci-Fi School Bus? ACT EXPO Takeaways on Tech, Robots, Propane & More
Related: Transportation Director Shares How Propane Buses Benefit Special Needs Routes

Operational Reasons to Choose Propane School Buses

“One of things I’m most proud of is we have a buffet of school buses,” quipped Stephen Whaley, alternative fuels manager for Blue Bird.

While diesel remains king of school bus fuels, Whaley posited that propane is a viable, if lesser-known option. He predicted that mixed fleets will prevail, with districts selecting fuels based on routes, climate and geography. Already, 60 percent of Blue Bird production output is non-diesel, he said.

Propane engines have fewer components and are easier to work on than diesel engines, Whaley noted, since they lack diesel particulate filters, selective catalytic reduction or diesel exhaust fluid systems. Propane also performs well in cold starts, eliminating the need for lengthy winter warmups.

Amid concerning diesel price spikes, Whaley pointed to cost-per-mile savings reported by Anthony Jackson, director of transportation for Bibb County Schools in Georgia. The district spent 39 cents per mile on propane versus 66 cents on diesel, saving approximately $540,000 annually across 2 million miles. Whaley said maintenance savings added another 23 cents per mile.

Propane fuel tanks come in various sizes and infrastructure is scalable, Whaley noted. Contrasted with EV range concerns, he cited Transportation Director Kay Cornelius’ use of propane buses for St. Louis County Schools in Minnesota on long-distance field trips, including a 1,200-mile round trip to a robotics championship in Illinois.

Whaley also reviewed federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grants, saying eligible propane buses could receive funding covering 45 percent of acquisition costs when replacing older diesel buses.

He highlighted propane’s lower projected lifetime ownership costs and noted that AmeriGas recently announced a one-year free-fuel promotion for qualifying new propane buses. Providers can also offer multiyear fuel pricing to help districts forecast operating costs.

“Find a propane provider who has experience with fleets,” he advised. “Somebody who knows how to get the permitting, who knows the ins and outs of fuel management.”

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post Why Propane is School Bus Fuel of Choice for Two School Districts appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas – Using examples from sports and business, Ross Bernstein schooled student transportation leaders on the Champion’s Code. 

Author of over 50 books and a speaker on every continent – even Antarctica – Bernstein drew from his experience in locker rooms, press boxes, dugouts and sidelines to demonstrate that “being a champion is about doing the little things the right way.”  

Amid meetings with vendor partners brainstorming solutions to everyday operational challenges, tables of student transporters discussed Bernstein’s takeaways during Day 2 of the Transportation Director Summit on Thursday, an STN EXPO staple new this year at the Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show.

Four Essential Soft Skills  

“People choose to do business with, to buy from, to be led by” people who are passionate, kind, generous and consistent, Bernstein declared.  

“You can’t fake passion,” he said, as exhibited by Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins and his unbounded fervor for baseball. “If you’re not really, truly, authentically passionate about what you do, then you might need to think about what you do.”  

Bernstein illustrated the critical principle of compassion through two college softball team captains who assisted a rival player to finish rounding the bases after she became injured. Compassion, empathy and kind-heartedness are also crucial in attracting new school bus drivers from Generations Z and Alpha, he noted. 

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was the National Hockey League’s all-time leader in goals, but he had twice as many assists in which he helped another player score a goal, Bernstein revealed. Gretzky’s humble leadership and dedicated mentorship further shaped an effective team.  

Love him or hate him, Bernstein stated, “there was no off season” for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose consistency, enthusiasm and meticulousness helped him overcome failures and net him seven National Football League Super Bowl championship rings. 

Business and transportation could take a page from sports, Bernstein emphasized, utilize a focused game plan, a data-based playbook and accountability for underperforming players.

“If you’re not there consistently showing up with passion and compassion, you don’t have successful teams that are serving our kids,” concurred STN Transportation Director of the Year Laura Hill, the general manager of transportation for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida, who was in attendance.  

Five Leadership Principles from Sports  

Bernstein advised the transportation directors, managers and supervisors to incorporate focus, trust, respect, goal setting and humility.  

Like American football players performing in cold climates they’re not accustomed to or student transporters dealing with everything from pandemics to rising fuel prices to government shifts to AI, mental toughness and focusing on only what you can control are crucial, Bernstein shared.  

One of the “winningest” coaches in college basketball history, Pat Summitt, won eight national championships with the University of Tennessee by recruiting the right players, not the best players, Bernstein noted. He said she also demonstrated how important it is to shift leadership techniques from old-school aggression and yelling to modernized culture-based strategies of connection, respect and praise.  

Baseball “clubhouse guys” like Harmon Killebrew of Bernstein’s hometown Minnesota Twins hold teams together by urging team members toward excellence in things as small as signing baseballs legibly, “making sure little problems don’t turn into big problems.” Pupil transportation teams similarly need someone reminding colleagues to follow safety guidelines and treat each other with respect, he added.  

Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Vonn exemplifies purpose and goal setting, Bernstein shared, by constantly shattering skiing records at every turn and moving into a new phase post-knee injury during which she mentored the proficient Mikaela Shiffrin, who has the most FIS Alpine Ski World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history.  

“Nobody wants to work with or be led by an arrogant, narcissistic jerk,” Bernstein quipped. He termed track and field champion Emma McGowan, who is also a special needs school bus driver, a “true professional” who refrains from antics and credits training for her wins. 

Related: (STN Podcast E330) Always Serving: Coast Guard Leadership in Student Transportation
Related: STN EXPO East Offers Sports Lessons for Transportation Leadership
Related: (STN Podcast E242) On the Court, Field, Ice, or Bus: Sports Principles for Outperforming the Norm
Related: Leadership Strategies Shared at STN EXPO West

Modernizing Business Best Practices  

Bernstein urged student transporters in attendance to be adaptable and get creative to succeed in a modernizing digital age.  

Adapting to change is key, as student transporters quickly learned when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and as they are learning now in the age of AI. “It’s about thinking differently – the old style of business is changing,” he said.

Hotels adapted in eco-friendly and inclusive ways to attract millennials and avoid losing customers to Airbnb. Similarly, Bernstein said, school district bus operations must adapt to the sensibilities of their Gen Z and Gen Alpha customers.  

He said creative strategies that have worked for him include connecting on a personal level with clients and having a social media strategy.  

“Be a cheerleader for your customers and prospects, those families, those communities,” he encouraged.  

The Power of Storytelling  

“Not everybody wins a trophy. Sometimes you’ve got to deal with stuff,” Bernstein said.  

He shared his experiences with U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame coach Herb Brooks of Disney movie “Miracle on Ice” renown, encouraging attendees to find silver linings and tell stories to make connections for better service to students.  

While never achieving his goal of playing on the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers hockey team, Bernstein became the “Goldie the Gopher” mascot and launched his author career with a book about Brooks’ team, which he wrote in college with the coach’s help.  

Following Brooks’s death in in a car crash, proceeds from Bernstein’s biography “America’s Coach” go toward a hockey organization for underprivileged youth. 

Brooks also acknowledged unsung behind the scenes staff, as Bernstein encouraged attendees to do with their school bus drivers, attendants and mechanics. 

“The name of the front of the jersey is always more important than the name on the back of the jersey,” Brooks once told Bernstein. “Always ‘we’ and ‘us,’ never ‘I’ and ‘me.’”  

While considering the legacy left by sports legends, Bernstein shared that a recent cancer diagnosis refocused him on living life to the fullest.  

“Remember, individuals win games, but it takes a whole team to win a championship,” he concluded.  

Photos by Tyler Davis. 

The post Sports Secrets of Success Shared at Transportation Director Summit   appeared first on School Transportation News.

The special needs-focused TSD Conference kicks off this week, federal commercial driver’s license (CDL) restrictions exacerbate school bus driver shortages, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) weighs in on tire safety.

Keith Henry, executive director of the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation, a past president of the National Association of Pupil Transportation and a recent inductee into its Hall of Fame, shares stories from his career which started in the U.S Coast Guard and his collaborative leadership strategies in student transportation.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from EverDriven. 

Message from School Radio.

1 of 9

Photos courtesy of Keith Henry.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E330) Always Serving: Coast Guard Leadership in Student Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.

The official TSD Conference app sponsored by Transfinder gives attendees in Frisco, Texas, all the event information they need as well as aa dedicated space to make connections.

1. Download the EventScribe App

Search for “Eventscribe” on the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Alternatively, scan the QR code, below, with your smart phone and it will automatically direct you to download. 

Once downloaded, find your event icon in the Upcoming Events (bottom row) or search for TSD Conference.

2. Log in to the App

Once the event is selected, follow the prompt to log in. Enter your email address and password, which you will have received in an email.

3. Access the Event Features

After logging in, access event schedules, session details, speaker information, exhibitor lists and more.

Browse the event information and create a personal schedule by tapping on the star next to presentation titles. If you pre-registered for a session, it will show up as a “Favorite.”

Tips: AI Enhances Your Experience

Download the app before you go! Wi-Fi connection onsite can affect app functionality.

We’re excited to feature Snapsight, an AI-powered tool available during select sessions at this year’s STN EXPO West. Snapsight provides live text, transcription and translation during presentations. It also generates AI key takeaways and summaries so attendees can easily review important points after each session. In addition, Snapsight’s Ideal Cloud feature visually maps out key ideas and themes discussed, offering an engaging way to reflect on the content.

The four icons at the top of the home screen allow quick access to information on Schedules, Speakers, Exhibitors and the Activity Feed. The home screen includes shortcuts to the Scavenger Hunt, Trade Show Floor Plan, list of Attendees, and Event Information.

Use the Schedule tab to see all the available sessions and select the star button next to your chosen ones to create personalized schedules for the week.

From the app homepage, access lists of Attendees and Trade Show Exhibitors. Send connection requests to other attendees and mark the star next to vendors you connect with to keep the conversations flowing even after the conference.

Share your thoughts! After each session, complete a three-question survey to provide feedback. Near the end of the conference, an overall evaluation will be available for your general impressions. Your input is greatly appreciated!

The Innovation Passport Challenge Scavenger Hunt starts on Sunday evening’s Technology Demonstrations and Ride & Drive + Reception. Visit Passport Stops, scan QR codes on the app and answer questions to earn raffle tickets. The winner gets $250.

The fun continues with the Wonderland of Ideas Challenge on Monday, July 13, the day of the Trade Show. Visit vendor booths to scan QR codes and unlock questions to answer. The more booths you visit and correct answers you give, the more points you earn toward one of five $100 prizes.

Rules and details for both scavenger hunts are available on the app under the Information button.

Stay tuned at stnonline.com and social media channels for extensive conference and trade show coverage, including articles, photo galleries, videos and more. Plus, visit stnexpo.com/west for more conference information, including the conference overview.

Related: Mr. School Bus Driver to Discuss Mental Fatigue Discussion at STN EXPO West
Related: Scientific Approach to Illegal Passing Issue Coming to STN EXPO West
Related: (STN Podcast E311) Leadership & Lawbreakers: Top STN EXPO West Picks, Illegal Passing Deep Dive
Related: AI in Student Transportation Discussion at STN EXPO West

The post Download the 2026 TSD Conference App appeared first on School Transportation News.

Exciting headlines on School Bus Safety Week, a look at vintage school buses, Blue Bird bus manufacturing investment, more Lion Electric controversy, how politics affect clean bus funding, and a closer look at Thomas Built Buses products.

Brad Hayn, director of transportation for Hoover City Schools in Alabama, discusses his district’s repeat wins of the Top Transportation Teams award presented by Transfinder, deescalating elevated student or parent behavior, and leadership by example for true teamwork.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E329) How We Can Be Better: Alabama Award Winner Gives Leadership & Safety Advice appeared first on School Transportation News.

Technology experts explained how AI can help school bus drivers spot students in blind zones, prevent collisions and improve safety, without replacing driver judgment.

AI could give school bus drivers an extra set of eyes when students are most vulnerable: Boarding, exiting and crossing near the school bus, according to a Thursday webinar sponsored by Brigade Electronics. The company’s representatives discussed how AI-powered cameras can recognize pedestrians, cyclists and other hazards, then alert drivers before an incident occurs.

CEO Corey Heniser said traditional cameras provide visibility, but AI adds the ability to recognize people and issue active warnings.

“It can identify the human form and what we call it as human form recognition,” he explained. “That will identify individuals, pedestrians, as well as small students around a vehicle and allow you to take evasive action where needed.”

Protecting Students in Blind Zones

Steve Wenger, Brigade’s OEM business development manager, said school buses present significant visibility challenges because of their size and the number of students moving around them.

Wenger explained that AI-enabled, 360-degree camera systems can monitor blind spots and identify people approaching or moving alongside a bus. He added that the technology can support driver awareness during loading and unloading.

“Artificial intelligence is a human-taught technology,” Wenger said, explaining that developers train systems to recognize hazards and determine when to alert operators.

Brigade’s presentation highlighted a camera system with full 360-degree visibility and AI-powered pedestrian detection. Another application adapts technology originally developed to protect workers behind waste trucks to help monitor students around school buses, according to the slide deck.

Wenger emphasized that AI should complement established safety practices.

“Artificial intelligence is not necessarily replacing judgment or experience or the many trainings that an operator goes through,” he said, adding that instead, it can provide earlier warnings and better information when drivers need to make critical decisions.

Helping School Bus Drivers Prevent Crashes

Jeff Schweitzer, Brigade’s national sales manager, said AI offers particular value to districts experiencing driver turnover and increasingly complicated traffic conditions.

“Today’s drivers need more support [now] than ever,” he said.

Schweitzer explained that AI cameras can monitor high-risk areas and notify drivers while they still have time to respond. He contrasted that capability with traditional video systems, which primarily document incidents afterward.

“Prevention is more valuable than recording,” he noted.

Wenger also covered AI dashcams that can warn drivers about potential collisions, unsafe following distances and lane departures. Driver-facing cameras can identify fatigue, distraction and handheld-device use, while connected systems allow transportation departments to review events and provide targeted coaching.

Schweitzer said those capabilities can help newer drivers develop situational awareness.

“Experience definitely cannot be built overnight,” he noted.

Turning Safety Data Into Action

Heniser said districts could eventually combine AI camera information with telematics to identify near misses, recognize recurring hazards and tailor driver coaching for school bus drivers with more close calls.

Brigade’s slide deck also presented injury and fatality trends from 2013 through 2022. Heniser pointed to a general decline in injuries over the period, but he said fatalities remained comparatively steady outside the pandemic-related dip in 2020. He cited those trends while explaining the potential benefits of more proactive safety technology.

Heniser said districts can add AI camera systems to existing buses through aftermarket installations, while manufacturers may increasingly offer the technology on new vehicles.

Wenger cautioned that AI recognition remains imperfect and can produce false positives, but said timely warnings still offer safety benefits.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s extremely accurate,” he said.

Wenger also clarified that automated vehicle functions, such as braking, would require integration at the manufacturer level rather than a simple camera retrofit.

Starting With School District Safety Needs

Schweitzer encouraged transportation leaders to frame AI as a tool for protecting students, drivers and communities rather than employee surveillance.

“It’s not the big brother side of it,” he said.

Heniser advised districts to identify their most common safety challenges before selecting technology, whether those involve loading zones, blind spots or driver behavior.

“Really, it’s up to the fleet managers, fleet operators, drivers to identify where their most common problems are,” he concluded.

Heniser also emphasized that AI’s role in student transportation should remain focused on helping drivers create safer conditions, rather than replacing their judgement or student interaction.

“The goal overall is to create a safer environment while operating vehicles,” he summarized.

Watch the webinar on demand.

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post AI Cameras Aim to Make School Bus Operations Safer appeared first on School Transportation News.

School districts feel the pinch at the fuel pump, await news on Clean School Bus Program funding, and deal with extreme weather events threatening operations. Plus, the TSD Conference presents advice on leveraging AI as a tool.

Prosper Independent School District in Texas is hosting the hands-on evacuation training as well as The Roadeo Competition at the TSD Conference in a few weeks. Director of Transportation Teri Mapengo talks operational teamwork to better serve student with special needs, as well as meeting school bus fueling and staffing challenges.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E328) This, That & the Other: Fuel Frustration, AI As a Tool, Texas Training Partnership appeared first on School Transportation News.

Analysis on safety conversations revived by a fatal Florida crash that killed a student and motorist, School Bus Safety Month, and discussion at the recent National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Conference & Trade Show.

Consultant Sue Shutrump is a retired occupational and physical therapy supervisor for Trumbull County ESC in Ohio, co-chair of NAPT’s Special Needs Advisory Committee, and member of the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference Tenured Faculty. She discusses her eventful career including receipt of the NAPT Distinguished Service Award, plus nuances of student safety and the importance of federal guidelines.

Read more about special needs and safety.

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The post (STN Podcast E327) Child-Centered Decision Making: Decades of Special Needs Transportation Focus appeared first on School Transportation News.

Leon County Schools shared how stronger Medicaid reimbursement, better ridership documentation and teamwork across departments can help districts recover the cost of transporting students with disabilities.

Karen Thomas, Medicaid coordinator at Leon County Schools in Florida, shared how her district secured a higher reimbursement rate through collaboration among transportation, finance and Medicaid staff during a Thursday webinar sponsored by Zonar.

Leon County receives about $18 per eligible ride, compared to approximately $2.50 in Florida’s larger Volusia County Schools, Thomas said.

“If you know one Medicaid program, you know one Medicaid program,” she explained, emphasizing that reimbursement rules and rates vary widely.

Thomas said Leon County pursued a district-specific rate rather than relying on the reimbursement amount established when Florida’s program began in the late 1990s. The process took three school years of coordinating information among departments before the superintendent brought everyone together.

“It was not a super simple process, but it paid off tremendously,” she said.

Finding the Funding

Tim Ammon, consultant and owner of Ammon Consulting Group, said transportation directors need to understand their state’s funding formula before identifying additional reimbursement opportunities.

“We’ve got a whole variety of expectations that are different state to state,” he explained.

A September survey conducted by Zonar and School Transportation News found that 72 percent of transportation professionals did not know how much their districts recovered annually through disability transportation funding programs. Zonar Chief Revenue Officer Rob Consoli shared during the webinar that only 47 percent of the survey respondents reported using Medicaid reimbursements, despite 58 percent knowing they are available.

“There are six sources that districts can pull from today. That includes the IDEA funds, state transportation funding, vocational rehabilitation, Medicaid reimbursement, and the McKinney-Vento [Homeless Assistance] Act funds which are not well known but are available – and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Program,” Consoli explained. “Districts rarely tap the full stack, and funding most often goes unclaimed on Medicaid.”

Ammon said the complexity can overwhelm transportation departments already managing staff shortages and daily operations.

“It’s really hard for transportation folks to try to navigate this on their own,” he said.

His recommendation was straightforward: Find a district or state Medicaid specialist who understands the requirements.

“And honestly, my expert opinion would be, find somebody like Karen,” Ammon said.

The Paperwork Problem

Thomas illustrated the documentation burden with her own summer routine, since Leon County still records specialized transportation ridership on paper logs.

“I actually physically get in my car and drive over to the bus barn, and I pick up boxes, legal boxes,” she quipped. “We see a lot of coffee stains and shoe print marks and things like that.”

She then matches those records with students’ individualized education programs, Medicaid eligibility and documented medical aids to determine which rides qualify for reimbursement.

The Zonar-STN survey found that 48 percent of respondents similarly relied on paper ridership logs, while 13 percent did not document daily ridership at all.

Thomas stressed that accurate documentation matters even when states change their reimbursement methods.

“At the end of the day, you’re still going to need that ridership data to back up that claim,” she said.

Ammon noted that electronic ridership tracking can support multiple funding opportunities, particularly in states where transportation aid depends on student ridership.

Related: (STN Podcast E321) The Mission: Supporting Education & Independence for Students with Special Needs
Related: School Bus Driver for Students with Special Needs Convicted of Sex Crimes
Related: Special Needs Roadeo Returns to TSD Conference with Expanded Training, Team Challenges
Related: (STN Podcast E323) Better Outcomes: Expert’s Insider Advice on Transporting Students with Disabilities

Turning Reimbursement Into Services

Thomas said Leon County dedicates its Medicaid reimbursement revenue to student health services, including school nurses. Additional funding could allow the district to hire a licensed practical nurse or vocational nurse instead of a clinic aide. It could also free-up other district funds for transportation needs, such as child safety restraint systems.

The panel also emphasized that reimbursement requires more than recording a school bus ride. Depending on applicable rules, claims must connect Medicaid eligibility, IEP requirements, medical services or equipment, and appropriate vehicle adaptations.

Consoli presented Zonar’s Z Pass digital ridership system as a way for transportation, special education and finance departments to share records.

Ammon encouraged districts to begin by determining whether they qualify for reimbursement and identifying the information needed to support a claim.

“I think the first thing that we would want to try to fix is awareness,” he said.

Watch the webinar on demand.

The TSD Conference and Trade Show brings together transportation professionals from around the country to learn and discuss the latest in transportation for students with special needs. Register online now.

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post Florida District Tackles School Transportation Funding Gaps appeared first on School Transportation News.

We analyze safety and training lessons from the leadership-themed October issue of School Transportation News, the question of seatbelts in two scary school bus rollovers in Texas and Indiana, a child dragged by school bus loading doors in New York, and a driver and aide arrested for spraying disinfectant on a student with special needs.

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The post (STN Podcast E326) Safety Through Training: School Bus Rollovers, Child Dragged, Staff Abuse appeared first on School Transportation News.

DeSoto County Schools transportation staff shared how moving from paper timesheets to digital payroll and dispatch cut processing time, improved accuracy and freed up employees for other work.

For one of Mississippi’s largest school transportation operations, modernizing payroll started with a basic problem: Too much time went into chasing paper.

DeSoto County Schools operates about 500 buses across 476 square miles, managing 1,344 routes each day with 366 drivers and 72 transportation aides. About 20,000 of the district’s approximately 34,000 total students are registered for transportation.

Yet until a few years ago, transportation employees still recorded their time with paper and pencil.

“We’re the largest school district in the state of Mississippi, right? And we had been operating with paper and pencil for the longest,” said Director of Transportation Levi Williams during a Thursday webinar sponsored by Bytecurve. “We’re going to have to come to the 21st century.”

The district eventually implemented Bytecurve by Transit Technologies for payroll, timekeeping and dispatch. Williams said the change “has revolutionized everything that we’ve done with payroll so far.”

From Several Days to One

The district’s payroll specialist, Conerly Burrell, experienced the outdated system firsthand. School bus drivers spread throughout the large district had to physically submit timesheets, leaving Burrell to track down missing paperwork and decipher handwritten entries before payroll could even begin.

“I was having to call them if they forgot or hunt some down to get their paperwork, and then that puts me behind,” she recalled.

Now, Burrell verifies clock-ins and clock-outs digitally and focuses on records that require attention.

“Now it takes me a day, maybe, to do payroll, to get what I need done to send in. It used to take me several days,” she said. “The time has helped so much because I can take care of other duties, also, and it has been a time saver, big time.”

Payroll Meets Daily Operations

Jonathan Agenten, director of sales for Bytecurve, explained that the system uses an exception-based process. Rather than requiring payroll staff to review every entry, it flags records that need closer attention.

“Our system has been designed to again be efficient and only focus on things that require you to dig a little deeper.” Agenten said.

He noted that transportation payroll can become particularly complicated because employees may complete different assignments with different pay rates and rules during the same day, such a regular bus routes compared to field or activity trips. He confirmed that Bytecurve ties timekeeping to the specific work assigned rather than treating every clocked hour the same.“

Bytecurve is a task-based timekeeping system, not a time-based,” he explained. “People are clocking into the work, and the system knows what that means.”

The change extends beyond payroll. Dispatchers can assign substitute drivers digitally, while route and pay information remains attached to the work rather than relying on staff memory.

“It has saved so much time for us,” Williams said. “Remembering the routes, what we pay for that particular route, we don’t have to do that anymore.”

Burrell said task codes also allow the department to account for work outside a regular route, such as midday assignments or extra duties.

“It’s made my life much easier,” she confirmed.

Saving Time & Money

Agenten’s presentation illustrated the potential impact of even small-time savings. A sample calculation based on 100 buses operating 180 school days estimated that saving five minutes per route could equal 1,500 hours annually and about $30,000 at a $20 hourly rate.

DeSoto County’s own experience produced similar efficiencies. Williams estimated the district saves at least $20,000 to $25,000 annually in staff time previously spent collecting, reviewing and processing timesheets.

The efficiencies also allowed the transportation department to reassign one of its two payroll positions rather than eliminate the job.

“We don’t want anyone losing their jobs,” Williams established. “It gave us an opportunity to reallocate that position to somewhere else in our department.”

Drivers Embrace the Change

Getting hundreds of employees to abandon paper didn’t happen overnight. Williams said DeSoto County took a phase approach to implementing the technology, and he acknowledged that he initially approached the transition cautiously.

“We didn’t get 100-percent buy-in from all of our drivers,” he said. “But you know, right now, our drivers don’t want to go back to paper.”

Burrell helped push the department across the finish line. Williams recalled her insisting that if the district went digital, it shouldn’t continue maintaining two systems at once.

Drivers and aides can now clock in and out using bus tablets or the ByteCurve DriveOn mobile app, which also provides messaging and notifications.

“They do love the app,” Burrell said, noting that drivers can check whether they remembered to clock out without returning to their bus.

She added she can also message one driver, selected employees or the entire group through the system.

Watch the webinar on demand.

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post Mississippi District Streamlines School Bus Payroll, Operations appeared first on School Transportation News.

The student transportation industry faces questions after a 7-year-old student rider in a wheelchair died on her bus. Additionally, rising fuel costs alongside declining enrollment complicate matters.

Gabrielle Marie Kelley aka “Gabie the Author,” former school bus dispatcher and current office manager for Irving Independent School District in Texas, takes us behind the scenes of the web series she has been sharing with STN readers titled “Calvin & Christina” following the adventures of Calvin, an anxious but dutiful bus driver, and his sentient and safety-conscious school bus named Christina.

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The post (STN Podcast E325) Calvin & Christina: Safety-Conscious Student Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Thursday webinar sponsored by Scraper Systems examined the safety and operational costs of clearing snow from school bus rooftops and shared tools districts can use to calculate whether automated snow removal makes financial sense.

New York School District Shares Success

For Daniel Boyea, assistant director of transportation at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District near Albany, New York, rooftop snow removal comes down to more than clearing buses after a storm. It affects employee safety, route reliability, overtime and the students waiting for those buses to arrive.

Boyea, a 25-year student transportation veteran, currently helps oversee a 53-bus fleet that transports about 2,200 students a day. At his previous district, a larger 217-bus operation, he saw firsthand how quickly manual snow removal costs could add up.

“Before the purchase of the snowscraper, it would cost us about $10,000 per snowstorm to remove the snow,” Boyea said. “So that’s mechanics coming in on overtime, dispatchers, anybody that can help out.”

With the Albany area averaging about six significant snowfalls of 3 inches or more each year, Boyea noted that those costs could reach roughly $60,000 annually. After the district adopted an automated scraper, “We were able to cut that cost in half,” he shared.

“Just six inches of wet, heavy snow equates to around 3,600 pounds, or close to two tons, of additional weight that you’re going to be carrying with you on the road if you don’t take care of that snow on top of the bus.”

- Michael Shelton, Business Development Manager, Scraper Systems

Boyea said the change also reduced the physical toll on employees. Manual roof rakes required employees to work around snow-covered buses and could lead to shoulder and back injuries or slips and falls.

“We already have a large driver shortage, so we really don’t need any more injuries,” he quipped.

The operational impact can extend to students and families. Boyea recalled that routes commonly ran late when employees had to use roof rakes to clear buses of snow.

“Starting your route on time, picking the students up on time, and getting the kids to the school on time is critical,” he emphasized.

“[The snow scraper] greatly increased our efficiency in our transportation operation, at both districts that I was with,” he confirmed.

Winter Safety Risks

Operationally, Boyea urged transportation departments to consider what happens after a school bus leaves the yard. Snow sliding forward can cover mirrors, while rooftop accumulation can fall onto the roadway.

“You have to plan for the safety of everyone, whether it’s your staff, your students, and you also have to think about the public,” he said.

Jackie Germer, inside sales representative for Scraper Systems, recalled speaking with a transportation director who recalled the danger he encountered when snow and ice flew off another vehicle and into the windshield of the school bus he was driving.

“Fortunately, he and the students [were] all safe,” Germer said. “But he told me that it made him really consider the fact that if it happened to him, it could happen because of him.”

Michael Shelton, business development manager for Scraper Systems, said a poll found 60 percent of webinar registrants were manually removing rooftop snow with ice rakes, while slightly more than 20 percent reported doing nothing.

“Safety is the main focus,” Shelton said. “What’s the most important aspect of all of this? Well, it’s having our kids get to school safely and on time.”

Illustrating how less-obvious expenses can accumulate, he calculated $18,554 in annual labor and waiting-driver costs for a 50-bus fleet experiencing five snow events a year. Additionally, he estimated that a fleet of idling buses can consume 25 gallons of fuel per hour while waiting to be cleared. That’s not to mention worker’s compensation claims or hidden issues like fines, absences and fleet delays.

“Just six inches of wet, heavy snow equates to around 3,600 pounds, or close to two tons, of additional weight that you’re going to be carrying with you on the road if you don’t take care of that snow on top of the bus,” Shelton said.

“We want to quantify it for you because that’s what we’re here to talk about,” he summarized.

Germer also noted that rooftop snow can affect liability, compliance, efficiency and employee morale. The presentation identified several U.S. states and Canadian provinces with specific rooftop snow-removal legislation.

Related: Bitter Winter Weather Halts School Bus Operations in Parts of South, Mid-Atlantic
Related: White-Knuckle Rides: School Bus Drivers Trained to Navigate Severe Winter Weather
Related: (STN Podcast E289) 2026 Kicks Off: Winter Weather, the World Stage & Rock ‘n Roll Leadership
Related: Transportation Teamwork Brings California Students Home After Snowed-in Science Camp

Calculating ROI

Finn Livingston, director of product management for Scraper Systems, said districts should evaluate four factors when comparing snow-removal methods: Safety, cost, efficiency and reliability.

“Whatever method you use for rooftop snow removal, these four key points need to be considered: safety, cost, efficiency, and reliability,” Livingston said.

He said the company’s automated rooftop snow removal system clears a bus roof in about 30 seconds. Its medium-duty model is designed for fleets of up to 80 buses per day, while its heavy-duty model can accommodate up to 400.

Comparing manual and automated snow removal methods, he estimated annual time, labor and idling-fuel savings ranging from $15,040 for 50 vehicles to $46,433 for 150 vehicles. Depending on climate, fleet size and equipment cost, the examples showed potential payback periods of one to two years, though the presentation cautioned that actual results will vary.

“The calculator is a way for you to evaluate the cost of your operation today and make decisions about the value of automation for your operation in the future,” Livingston said. “Operational benefits [include] getting your busses ready faster, fewer delays, and more predictable winter operations.”

Watch the webinar on demand.

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post School Bus Snow Removal System Cuts Costs, Injuries for New York District appeared first on School Transportation News.

We discuss how non-domiciled CDL restrictions exacerbate the school bus driver shortage, new research on school zone and bus stop safety, reframing the student transportation conversation, and conference updates.

Consultant Launi Harden, who served as the former transportation director at Washington County School District in Utah and is the new executive director of the Florida Association of Pupil Transportation, analyzes transportation challenges driven by declining enrollment, funding and staff, the importance of bus attendants and alternative transportation, and essential hands-on emergency training she will help lead at the TSD Conference in November.

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The post (STN Podcast E324) Student Transporter Struggles: Tackling Staffing, Funding & Training appeared first on School Transportation News.

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.

Read more about special needs.

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The post (STN Podcast E323) Better Outcomes: Expert’s Insider Advice on Transporting Students with Disabilities appeared first on School Transportation News.

We examine the potential fallout from proposed changes to the Head Start program, increased danger as students return to school, a tornado that devastated a Wisconsin bus contractor, and updates from NAPT and TSD Conference.

Parker Muirbrook, strategic sales director at EverDriven, discusses new research and real-world examples that show how alternative transportation assists both district financials and student needs by providing safe and consistent school transportation.

Read more about special needs.

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The post (STN Podcast E322) Building Trust: Alternative Transportation Supports Consistent Education Access appeared first on School Transportation News.

A recent webinar explored how transportation can support attendance, enrollment and equity while districts contend with driver shortages, rising costs and growing specialized transportation needs.

For Angelo Grau, transportation supervisor at Mesquite Independent School District in Texas, the student transportation challenge has changed quickly. Paying drivers more has not solved the school bus driver shortage. Meanwhile, special education and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act transportation needs continue to grow.

“No more than 10 years ago, we were paying drivers about $14 an hour in the area. Now that’s increased almost double to close to $30 an hour in some districts in the area,” Grau said during a Thursday webinar sponsored by transportation network company HopSkipDrive.

Mesquite ISD operates about 220 vehicles and transports roughly 100 students receiving McKinney-Vento service across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Grau said declining student enrollment has not necessarily translated into less transportation demand because the district has experienced increases in special education and McKinney-Vento students, who often require lower-capacity vehicles, monitors or longer trips.

“It’s not just drivers, [but] monitors as well,” he said of the staffing challenge.

Matching the Vehicle to the Student

Grau said districts need flexibility rather than expecting the yellow school bus to efficiently handle every trip.

He shared an example of a parent that falls under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, who was concerned about a student riding a Type A yellow bus because of the negative stigma. Cost, fuel economy, comfort and available staff can also influence the best transportation mode for a particular trip, he added.

“These students are customers, and should be treated as such,” Grau noted.

Mesquite ISD utilizes alternative transportation through HopSkipDrive when its own resources cannot efficiently cover a trip, Grau said. He added that approach saves money and can free district buses and staff for routes where they make more operational sense.

When evaluating a trip, he said the district first considers whether it can serve the student without straining existing resources, then looks at budget, opportunities to combine trips and available transportation options.

“We have to take a look at the dynamic of everything that goes on,” Grau said.

The district is also developing employees along a pipeline from monitors to non-CDL drivers and eventually CDL school bus drivers. Grau said employees who demonstrate a commitment to students as monitors can often carry that mindset into the driver’s seat.

Student Transportation Connects to Attendance and Enrollment

Adam Gleicher, director of marketing at HopSkipDrive, said transportation needs a larger role in districtwide planning. The company’s 2026 State of School Transportation Report found 68 percent of parents said transportation factored into their school choice, while over half said a transportation problem caused their child to miss at least one day of school in the past year.

“You can’t show up at school without a way to get there,” Gleicher said.

Yet the report found transportation does not always participate in discussions about the issues it affects. Only 32 percent of districts said transportation is always included in chronic absenteeism discussions, and 27 percent said the same for enrollment and school choice.

“The ones that bring it into those conversations are treating it as what it actually is — a crucial strategic asset for districts and a central part of every student’s educational journey,” Gleicher said.

His recommendation was straightforward: “Match the ride to the need.”

Data Can Help Districts Spend Smarter

Dustin Kress, general manager of RouteWise AI and former chief of staff for operations at Denver Public Schools, focused on understanding the true cost of transportation before districts make cuts.

The report found that 54 percent of districts had been asked to reduce transportation spending during the past two years. But 61 percent said they did not know their annual transportation cost per rider, while 64 percent did not know whether their district had conducted a total cost-of-ownership analysis for vans and other non-bus vehicles.

“If you don’t know your cost per rider and you don’t know your relative costs of operating vehicles in your fleet, you can’t optimally identify where the real savings are,” Kress said.

RouteWise AI data also showed the uneven resources required for specialized transportation. Across sample districts, special education and McKinney-Vento students represented about 5 percent of routed students but used 44 percent of route resources.

“When you work that math out on a per-pupil basis, districts are investing 15 [times more] per person more for SPED or McKinney-Vento students,” Kress explained.

Kress said technology can help transportation teams model options before leaders make decisions about bell times, school closures, specialized program placement or budget reductions.

“It’s often a challenge to get this data for district leadership because kind of evaluating a new scenario will often mean fully rerouting to that scenario, which involves a lot of manual work,” he explained.

The presenters ultimately advocated a multimodal strategy that keeps the school bus at the center of student transportation while using smaller vehicles and transportation service providers like HopSkipDrive where they better match student needs. For Grau, the takeaway came back to a practical reality: Transportation departments can no longer assume one vehicle type, staffing model or solution will cover every student.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

Written with the assistance of AI and a live session transcript.

The post Texas District Uses Multimodal Transportation to Stretch Limited Resources appeared first on School Transportation News.