In Churchill County School District in Fallon, Nevada, the value of Transfinder’s transportation management system looks different depending on where you sit.

For Transportation Director Austin Metz, it is about managing routes, serving approximately 1,300 students and finding practical ways to make a complex operation easier to manage. For transportation trainer Scotty Grenamyer, it is about something more immediate: being able to learn the system quickly, use it every day and give drivers and parents better information.

From both vantage points, the conclusion is remarkably similar.

“I wouldn’t change it,” Metz said. “I’m happy with what I’ve got and for the value it can’t be beat.”

Churchill County operates 17 routes and uses Transfinder’s transportation technology to help manage its operation. Metz said the district uses the award-winning Routefinder PLUS, parent app Stopfinder and Tripfinder to manage field trips. It also has Viewfinder for a deeper look at the transportation department’s transportation operation.

Each of the solutions help address everything from daily routing to field trips and parent communication.

For Metz, Stopfinder has been particularly valuable from the parent perspective.

“Stopfinder has been a great solution for our parents,” he said. “It’s very user friendly and our parents really enjoy being able to see where buses are in real time, set those GeoAlerts and contact us at the click of a button.”

That visibility can also translate into fewer questions for transportation staff.

Grenamyer, who works directly with drivers and transportation operations, sees the same benefit from a different perspective.

“Stopfinder has been really good,” he said. “I mean, I haven’t had any issue with it.”

More importantly, he said, Stopfinder has changed the parents’ experience.

“Very much so, yes,” Grenamyer said when asked whether Stopfinder had reduced calls from parents and improved communications. “It’s made it much easier.”

He added that parents appreciate knowing what is happening with their children during the school day.

“The parents love to be able to see that we’ve gotten their kids, picked them up and that that we made it to the school and dropped them off.”

Behind that parent-facing experience is the district’s routing operation. Metz said Routefinder PLUS offers the flexibility needed when circumstances change.

“It’s great,” he said, noting that once he learned the system, “there’s a world of possibilities and abilities to add, alter, absorb routes, it’s great.”

That flexibility proved especially useful when Churchill County needed to combine routes.

“We’ve had to combine routes once, and Routefinder made it extremely easy to just create a new trip, move those stops where they need to be, and send that information out to parents at the click of a button,” Metz said.

Grenamyer’s experience illustrates another important piece of the equation: usability.

As a transportation trainer, he works with the people who have to use the system in the real world. He said he was able to get comfortable with it relatively quickly.

“I got it like really quick,” he added. “Took me just a couple weeks to figure it out and I’ve been using it every day for my reports, routing, everything.”

For a transportation department, that ease of use can matter as much as the technology itself. A powerful system has to work for the people sitting behind the transportation desk as well as the people behind the wheel.

Churchill County also uses Tripfinder for field trips and activity trips. Metz said the product helps the district manage drivers, mileage and billing from a centralized dashboard.

“It allows us to track our drivers, track our mileage, and create invoices right from the dashboard,” he said. “And it makes it super simple for anyone that has to step into that role.”

Grenamyer has also found value in Transfinder’s support and learning resources. He said Transfinder Community, Transfinder’s portal featuring guides, videos, webinars, training sessions and more – has helped him continue building his knowledge of the system.

“I love that you guys have got that Community system where you can go and learn and do courses. I’m halfway through with it right now and I’m getting certifications,” he said.

When he hit a roadblock with PLUS, support was readily available.

“They walked me through it and then they actually even designed it where I could use it directly, have my own tabs for certain reports I want to run to automatically give me a 60-day warning.”

For Churchill County, the technology is not simply about routing buses. It is about giving transportation leaders flexibility, giving trainers usable tools, giving parents information and giving the district a system that can adapt as needs change.

Metz’s assessment of Transfinder’s technology is straightforward.

“I wouldn’t change it.”

And from the driver’s training side, Grenamyer offers an equally direct endorsement of support:

“I enjoy it and I love that they are very friendly and helpful.”

For a school transportation operation looking for technology that combines functionality, usability and value, Churchill County’s experience offers a compelling perspective—from the transportation director’s office to the people working with drivers every day.

Five Key Takeaways

• A complete transportation ecosystem: Churchill County School District relies on Routefinder PLUS, Stopfinder, Viewfinder and Tripfinder, creating a connected platform for routing, parent communication, reporting, and trip management. Records dating back to 2007 provide valuable historical data for planning and decision-making.
• Operational efficiency drives cost savings: Routefinder PLUS enables the transportation team to quickly modify, combine, and optimize routes when circumstances change, helping the district maximize resources and reduce administrative workload.
• Parent communication improves while phone calls decrease: Stopfinder gives families real-time bus visibility, geo-alerts, and direct communication tools. Staff spend less time answering routine inquiries.
• Trip management becomes more accountable: Tripfinder helps track drivers, mileage, and invoicing from a single dashboard, streamlining field trip administration and providing better financial oversight for transportation departments and business offices.
• Strong support accelerates staff productivity: Scotty was able to become proficient with the system within weeks, and Transfinder’s support team helped create customized reporting tools that monitor certifications, licenses, CPR renewals, and physicals, reducing compliance risks and saving administrative time.

Discover more on “From Driver-Trainer to Transportation Director” from Austin Metz in his own words.

 

To learn more about the STN Expo 2026 Innovation Choice Awards: award-winning Best Hardware, Best Software, Best Safety Technology, and Best Green Technology leveraged by Churchill County School District, visit www.transfinder.com, email solutions@transfinder.com or call 800-373-3609.

The post From the Director’s Desk to the Driver’s Seat: Transfinder Delivers Results appeared first on School Transportation News.

The Washoe County School District in northwest Nevada is introducing a new system that will allow families to track school buses and receive real-time transportation updates, reported KOLO 8 News.

According to the article, the district is partnering with Zum to provide families with information about the location of their child’s bus and whether it is expected to arrive on schedule. Families and students may download mobile apps to view bus schedules and access the tracking system.

Washoe County School District Chief Operating Officer Adam Searcy said the district transports about 20,000 students to and from school each day. He said the system is designed to improve communication among students, families, and the district during those trips.

“It will also be useful for families whose children are traveling to and from extracurricular activities like games and field trips, helping them keep track of where their children are and when they will be returning to the school,” Searcy said via the report.

Access to Zum notifications and transportation information will reportedly be limited to individuals listed as a student’s guardian in the district’s Infinite Campus system. The district is asking families to review their accounts and ensure their contact information is current so they can access the service and receive updates.

Elementary school students will reportedly receive a physical bus pass during the first week of school. Parents and guardians will be instructed to attach the pass to the student’s backpack. Middle and high school students with smartphones will use the Zum-Riders app as their bus pass. Students who do not have a smartphone will receive a physical pass instead.

If students forget their physical or digital pass or cannot access it when boarding, the bus driver will be able to scan them into the system. The process is intended to ensure students may still board their assigned buses while maintaining an accurate transportation record.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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The post Washoe County School District in Nevada Launches New Bus Tracking System appeared first on School Transportation News.

The Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada is reviewing its school bus routes and preparing to expand its transportation workforce as new school start times take effect for the 2026-2027 academic year, reported 8 News Now.

Students are reportedly scheduled to return to classrooms in two weeks under a revised bell schedule that will allow high school students to begin classes later. The changes are also expected to affect school bus routes and traffic patterns throughout Clark County.

Under the new schedule, middle schools will generally begin at 7:30 a.m., high schools at 8:30 a.m., and elementary schools at 9:15 a.m. District high schools currently begin at 7 a.m., while elementary and middle school starting times vary but are generally 8 or 9 a.m.

Amber Rideout, the district’s assistant superintendent of transportation, said the transportation plan remains under review. CCSD operates what it identifies as the nation’s largest school bus fleet.

“We are still working and reviewing the routes,” Rideout told local news reporters. “What we do see is that there may be a need to increase some additional drivers.”

The CCSD approved the start-time changes in January. The decision reportedly included a one-time cost of $5.6 million to purchase additional school buses and hire 51 more drivers. The changes are also expected to create approximately $5.3 million in annual expenses.

Rideout said the district anticipates adding routes based on projections from a survey conducted before the schedule change. Transportation officials are also examining opportunities to consolidate routes and maintain efficiency.

The district previously said it plans to use bond funding to cover costs associated with expanding the bus fleet.

School bus crash data obtained by local news reporters showed crashes increased during the fall from 2023 through 2025. Rideout said sending buses onto the roads later could improve visibility and potentially reduce crashes. “My hope is that with the increase of visibility by just daylight that would actually prevent some of that because there will be greater awareness and visibility,” Rideout said.

District officials are expected to finalize routes as the first day of school approaches.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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