Student transportation is entering a new era, when access to real-time data, enhanced visibility for stakeholders, and higher safety standards will become essential pillars of operations.

School districts need to balance these new priorities with unprecedented pressure to meet equity goals and maintain tighter budgets. All these factors are challenging school leaders to reimagine how they transport students in the coming years.

Here are five key predictions shaping the future of student transportation in 2025:

1. Parents and Districts Will Demand More Visibility

The rise of smartphones requires instant access to information in school and beyond. Parents, teachers, and administrators all want real-time tracking updates and videos to ensure accountability and safety on school transportation. This year, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported that at least 50 percent of states have enacted school bus stop-arm camera laws, which ensure cameras are present to document incidents, monitor behavior, and uphold safety standards for everyone.

This demand for visibility extends beyond school buses to alternative transportation. New technology, including in-car cameras, ensures that school districts receive recorded and stored footage that verifies safe rides, monitors drivers, and clarifies any issues. Plus, school districts can close service gaps, dispatch providers, and keep families updated. In today’s environment, an extra level of visibility for all stakeholders is expected and essential.

2. Data and Machine Learning Will Become a Cornerstone of Future Operations

In 2025, route planning, driver assignments, and real-time adjustments will all rely on advanced analytics. Districts that harness data and machine learning through smart tools will see improvements in operational efficiency, increasing attendance rates.

The larger efforts to professionalize school district administrative offices are leading to data-driven decision-making. Many school districts are even hiring transportation directors with backgrounds in logistics and engineering. As school transportation evolves, districts will rely on experts who can understand and interpret complex analytics to streamline operations and improve outcomes.

3. Districts Will Advance Safety Standards

Safety remains a top priority for school districts, and new state legislation continues to raise the bar. California’s SB88, for example, goes into effect in 2025 and strengthens requirements for student transportation providers. At the local level, many districts are also increasing training protocols for drivers and requiring the use of safe technology to protect students and mitigate liability risks.

Next year, school districts will seek out partners that proactively adopt new safety technology and comply with district, state, and federal regulations. When alternative school transportation providers uphold the highest safety standards, they put students first while building necessary trust with administrators and parents.

4. Rising Demand for Equity-Focused Transportation Solutions

In 2025, the number of students experiencing homelessness and eligible for transportation support under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act will continue to rise. A 2023 report on Student Homelessness in America by the National Center for Homeless Education identified more than 1.2 million students experiencing homelessness in the U.S. in the 2021-2022 school year — a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

Without reliable transportation, students experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of chronic absenteeism. In fact, the same study found that more than half of homeless students in the 2021-2022 school year were chronically absent, and the absenteeism rate for students experiencing homelessness is 22 percent higher than the rest of the student population. School district leaders will need to find more ways to drive students experiencing homelessness to school, turning to alternative transportation providers to scale up support.

5. Budget Constraints Will Drive the Need for Operational Efficiency

Superintendents are under enormous pressure to meet new challenges with smaller budgets, given the expiration of pandemic relief funding, including the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program. These stark changes mean that leaders must prioritize cost-efficiency while maintaining access for students who have special needs, are eligible for McKinney-Vento support, or live out of district or in remote areas without making large investments in new vehicles or new hires.

Moving forward, leaders will leverage tech-forward alternative transportation providers to understand and meet their transportation needs with a click. For example, if a district has a rising percentage of students eligible for McKinney-Vento support, they could choose to used small-capacity vehicles that can make last-minute adjustments based on the students’ locations. Flexing your capacity meets new demands while optimizing transportation costs for the short and long term.

Every school year, new challenges and higher expectations require that school district leaders innovate, evolving their approach for better outcomes. 2025 is no different. By integrating smart technology into their operations, they can drive up safety standards, increase capacity in real-time, and prioritize cost-effectiveness while meeting equity goals. Leaders will ensure they’re setting up their schools and students for success in the classroom, one ride at a time.

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Mitch Bowling is the CEO of alternative transportation company EverDriven, which transported about 30,000 unique students last school year in 33 states.

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A family in Memphis, Tennessee, is suing Germantown School District after Dogwood Elementary School allegedly prohibited their son’s service dog from returning to school, reported WREG 3.

Their 9-year-old son is nonverbal, has physical and intellectual disabilities, and suffers from 10 to 15 seizures a day, among other conditions.

The boy, who is not identified in this writing, reportedly received a service dog named Herbie in the spring. The dog is trained to alert others when the boy is about to have a seizure.

According to the lawsuit filed on Nov. 8, the school claims Herbie spent most of his time at school not in the presence of the boy, sniffing others, eating their food, and ignoring commands. The school also claimed that the dog had caused the boy to fall twice.

The article states that the parents, who claim Herbie is well behaved at home, tried to work with the school but the principal told them that the dog was no longer welcome. This would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The district stated via the article that it has allowed service animals in its schools for several years and will continue to do so. Additionally, the district denied any allegation of violating ADA and Section 5

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A mother is demanding action after her daughter was left behind by her school bus during a field trip to a pumpkin patch last month, reported WRTV.

According to the news report, 6-year-old Cianni Allen was found wandering alone in the pumpkin patch at Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield, Indiana, after she was left behind during a school trip for two hours.

Allen’s classmates and teachers reportedly boarded a bus and traveled 26 miles back to school without her.

Allen’s mother, Dearra, was alerted when she received a panicked call from staff at Christel House Academy West regarding the incident. She rushed to the school while a teacher went to pick up Allen at the orchards.

Dearra told local news reporters that despite the school’s apologies and their “attempt to keep her quiet” she is not letting this go and has contacted lawyers. She says the class left the orchard at 2 p.m. and arrived back at the school at 2:45 p.m. Staff did not realize Allen was missing until the patch called the school and notified them.

Allen reportedly returned to school at 4:30 p.m., almost two hours after the rest of her classmates.

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The parents of an 11-year-old boy who was involved in a fatal school bus crash in Springfield, Ohio, in August 2023, are speaking out about their son’s death, reported WLWT 5.

Aidan Clark was killed when he was ejected from his school bus as he and 51 other students were on their way to the first day of school on Aug. 23, 2023. A minivan traveling in the opposite direction crossed over the center line and caused the crash, which broke the school bus rear axle and caused it to overturn. It was the first on-board school bus fatality in Ohio since 2010.

Following the incident, Gov. Mike DeWine called for the Ohio Department of Public Safety to form a school bus safety working group to debate the topic of school bus seatbelts and other safety topics. After meeting several times last fall and hearing from a range of safety experts and school bus operators, the working group issued 17 recommendations on school bus safety, the majority of them focused on school bus drivers and training available to them, maintenance professionals and the community.

The van that crashed into the school bus was driven by Hermanio Joseph, a 36-year-old Haitian immigrant, who was found guilty on counts of felony involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide by a Clark County jury in May. He was sentenced to 9 to 13.5 years in prison with credit for time already served.

Nathan Clark, Aiden’s father, alleges politicians are using his son’s name and death for political gain this election season.

Mr. Clark said Aiden, who was 11 at the time, was not murdered but was accidentally killed. He also emphasized that the last thing his family wants is to continuously relive the worst day of their lives.

Joseph was found by investigators to only have a state ID card and a Mexico driver’s license at the time of the crash. He said that because he lives in the U.S. under temporary protected status for Haitians he did not have the proper documents to get his Ohio driver’s license. He also claimed the sun was in his eyes, causing him to drift into the opposite lane and strike the school bus.

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Parents from Columbus School District in Wisconsin are upset after their children rode a school bus allegedly filled with vomit, blood and empty bottles of liquor after it was used for a weekend event, reported WMTV.

According to the news report, multiple parents took their concerns to school and GoRiteway Transportation Group via social media on Oct. 21, after students sent their parents pictures of the inside of one of the buses.

Nicole Speak, who has two children that take the bus to school, said via the article that this is not their first issue the parents have had with transportation this school year. The company reportedly started driving students this fall and on the first day of school some buses did not show up to stops.

The school district told local news reporters that they were aware of the bus cleanliness conditions and have been communicating with GO Riteway regarding the issue.

Parents that were interviewed by local news reporters stated they want more transparency from the school district and are worried about sending their kids to school on the bus.

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With so much information at our fingertips, it’s frustrating when we can’t quickly find what we’re looking for. On-demand access to information is expected for just about everything — including a student’s school transportation details.

Mobile apps for parent communication, such as Tyler Technologies’ My Ride K-12 app, empower transportation departments to share real-time updates with parents about bus schedules, route changes, and the time and location where their student gets on and off the bus. These apps help parents stay informed, plan their schedules, and eliminate their need to call the transportation department — while simultaneously supporting on-time performance and operational efficiency.

But these tools can only solve communication challenges when parents get on board, so how do you get parents to download and use them regularly? Read on to learn about two districts’ tactics that could work for you, too.

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To learn more about Tyler Technologies’ Student Transportation and parent communication solutions, register for their upcoming My Ride K-12 webinar.

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A Better Way to Keep Parents in the Know

At Sherwood School District 88J in Oregon, the transportation department was bogged down with parent phone calls — and they found themselves repeatedly answering the same questions. “We’re a small district, but we still get a huge amount of phone calls,” said Casey Jebens, transportation director at Sherwood.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BHBL) Central School District in New York was also searching for ways to help parents get the information they needed without calling the transportation department. “Especially during dispatch time, we might not be able to pick up the phone to give the parents an immediate answer,” said Katria Hitrick, administrator for student transportation at BHBL.

To streamline their communication to parents, the districts launched Tyler’s My Ride K-12 mobile app. Today, about 90% of families at Sherwood are using it and BHBL has cut parent phone calls in half — and the benefits go beyond keeping parents up to date on when the bus will arrive. The app has also empowered the transportation departments to provide clear and timely communication about incidents or route changes during inclement weather.

“The parents feel that we’ve done a better job communicating with them. They don’t have to wait for us to be in the office to answer a question. They can look up a lot of that information on their own in the My Ride K-12 app,” Jebens said.

The transportation team at Sherwood won an Excellence Award from Tyler Technologies in 2023 for their work to improve parent communication.

How to Increase App Awareness and Downloads

To achieve their high adoption rates of My Ride K-12, Sherwood and BHBL leveraged multiple communication channels to spread awareness. That strategy helped them meet parents where they were already looking for information.

“It depends on the grade level and the actual families,” said Hitrick. “Some will always go to the website, some will never go to the website. The more ways we can get the information in their hands, the better.”

Both districts shared examples of places they got the word out about My Ride K-12, including transportation arrangement letters or emails, ‘Welcome Back’ letters from the Superintendent, and their transportation departments’ webpages.

Sherwood also helped their drivers field parent questions while on their routes. Jebens explained, “We printed a QR code the drivers had plastered on their route books. For the first six weeks after we rolled out the app, the parents would ask questions of the driver and they could just hold up that book. Parents would scan the QR code and it would send them to our website where all that information is.”

Inevitably, parents will still pick up the phone, but Jebens noted that as another opportunity. “Every time a parent calls the transportation department, we push them toward My Ride K-12,” he said. Those interactions help parents understand that the information they’re looking for is available on demand through the app — no need to call the office.

How to Get Parents to Use the App Regularly

Even after parents download the app, some might forget to use it. Parent phone calls can be a great opportunity to remind them, and both districts noted My Ride K-12’s push notifications are a helpful way to keep the app top of mind.

At BHBL, Hitrick’s team sends a custom push notification at the start of the school year to welcome families back and remind them about the information they can access through My Ride K-12. “It’s easy to forget. I don’t know how many apps I’ve signed up for and don’t even realize I have them,” she said. Many busy parents are likely in the same boat.

Everyday push notifications, such as those for bus ETAs or student ID card scans, can help too. Jebens explained, “Those notifications remind the parents to use the app because, even if they don’t open My Ride K-12, they get that notification from us that their bus is running late.” Since introducing this feature, the district estimates that the time spent communicating with parents about an incident or late bus has been reduced by 90%.

BHBL also encourages parents to use My Ride K-12 by offering extra support. Hitrick said, “We troubleshoot for them before we send them to Tyler support for help. When they know we’re well-versed in the app, that makes them feel more comfortable using it.” Both districts also include resources for parents on their department web pages, such as instructional documents and FAQs.

At Sherwood, Jebens has found that once parents download My Ride K-12 and see the benefits, they make good use of that resource. “The parents really like it because they get the information when they want it. They can look up their kid’s route at 9:00 in the morning or 9:00 at night,” he said. Beyond the convenience of on-demand information, My Ride K-12 can help give parents peace of mind about their student’s safety. For example, when the app is used in conjunction with scan cards and GPS, parents can check the app to see when and where their student scans on and off the bus.

“Just the ease of it puts their mind at ease,” said Hitrick. And when parents feel confident their student is where they should be, that’s one less reason to call the transportation department.

A Connected Parent Communication Solution

Tyler Technologies’ My Ride K-12 web and mobile app can help ensure your students never miss the bus again and support parents’ peace of mind. This portal allows parents and students to access their secure data for bus stop location, route, and pickup time at the touch of a button. When your district’s buses are equipped with hardware such as Tyler Drive or Telematic GPS, My Ride K-12 can use GPS geolocation to let users know when to expect their bus each day.

To learn more about Tyler’s software and parent communication solutions, register for their upcoming webinar.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

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The walking school bus made its way through Southeast Tallahassee as kids had the opportunity to bond with their fathers or father figures on their way to school, reported WTXL News.

Florida State University School, which is affiliated with Florida State University and offers classes for kindergarten through grade, reportedly had dozens of fathers show up to take part in a walking school bus activity where kids walk to school together with their father figures. This tradition has been going on for almost 10 years.

According to local news, this event took place on Sept. 19, where at least 70 students did a 25-minute walk to school, each one holding the hand of their fathers or father figure. This initiative promotes how children benefit from closeness with their dads.

Whitney Ray, a father who participated in the event with his son, told local news reporters how hard it is to have day-to-day school interactions like this with children as working parents. So, he was happy to see friends and other dads engaging in this activity.

FSUS students and their father figures can reportedly participate in this tradition every third Wednesday of the month throughout the school year.

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A mother in Boston, Massachusetts, is demanding answers after her first grader was left alone inside his school bus for several hours, reported CBS News.

According to the news release, 6-year-old Justice was riding the school bus for the first time on his way home. The boy was supposed to arrive at his house at approximately 3:30 p.m., where his mother Ronda Johnson was waiting for him.

Johnson told local news reporters that 30 minutes passed then an hour and her son was still not home. The new district bus location app for parents to track their children was not working at the time.

Johnson reportedly called the school, then the bus dispatch center. She said she spent over an hour getting the runaround with no clear answer. After being placed on hold for a while by dispatch while they searched for her son, a transportation representative told Johnson Justice had been located but would not tell her where he was found.

Johnson told local news reporters that her son was finally dropped off at their house after 7 p.m. She later learned her son had been inside the school bus for approximately four hours.

The school bus driver reportedly apologized but did not provide any answers regarding the incident. The district said it would investigate what happened and take any appropriate action.

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A school bus driver in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania is facing numerous charges including child pornography, reported WPXI News.

The bus driver, identified as Michael Singer, was also a former police chaplain and allegedly sent explicit photos to one of the students he drove to Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School.

The investigation reportedly began when the student’s mother told police that her son was being “groomed” by his school bus driver. Police said the inquiry revealed that Singer allegedly exchanged explicit images with the 17-year-old student via a dating app.

Police added that Singer admitted to texting the teen but denied knowing he was speaking to the same person on the dating app.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police told local news reporters that Singer served nominally as a police chaplain but had not been actively involved in with law enforcement for several years. He is no longer permitted to access any Pittsburgh Bureau of Police facility.

Singer is facing multiple charges, including possession and dissemination of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of minors.

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A 9-year-old boy in Florida was seriously injured after being struck by an SUV while waiting for his school bus, reported News Press.

The crash reportedly happened around 7:15 a.m. on Aug. 23. Troopers stated that the SUV was parked on the southeast corner of an intersection also waiting for a school bus, while the child was sitting on the road edge directly in front of the SUV.

A school bus then arrived at that location and several children boarded the bus. However, the 9-year-old boy did not board the bus, as his designated bus had not arrived yet. The first school bus drove away.

According to the news report, the SUV proceeded to drive forward, the motorist apparently unaware that the child was seated on the ground in front of the vehicle.

Authorities confirmed that the SUV struck the child, then backed up and stopped. The boy was airlifted to a local hospital and then referred to a children’s hospital.

Robert Gannon, the child’s father, told local news reporters that his son had surgery for a fractured femur and is slowly recovering. The child also had numerous road rash scrapes across his body.

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An Anderson County Schools (South Carolina) bus driver was cited after hitting a child and parent with school bus on Aug. 15, reported WSPA 7.

The incident reportedly occurred when the school bus stopped on Amber Driver to pick up students. According to the driver via the article, there were no students at the bus stop, so the bus began to drive away.

A school districts spokesman Kyle Newton told local news reporters that as the bus was driving away a Midway Elementary School student approach the vehicle from the opposite side and was hit by the bus.

The student was reportedly struck by the bus and knocked to the ground but was not run over. Troppers said the parent of the child was also hit, but all injuries are believed to be minor.

According to local news, the South Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed on Monday that the bus driver was cited for improperly starting and stopping.

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