As federal immigration agents step up enforcement operations across Chicago, a growing network of volunteers in Albany Park has formed an unexpected lifeline for local immigrant families: a walking school bus that escorts children to and from school each day, reported WTTW News.

The effort emerged shortly after residents noticed a stark shift in neighborhood life. As explained by volunteer Alyssa May, the impact of the increased raids was immediate. “The moment that the raids started happening and people started getting pulled off the street, you could just see it,” May said via the article. “You could see less students, less families, less vendors. And it really did change. It just became a really quiet place.”

Fearing arrest, many parents have been hesitant to leave their homes, even to bring their children to school. In response, a group of mothers, teachers and community members reportedly came together to ensure students could still make it to class safely and consistently.

May now leads one of the daily walking routes for an elementary school in the neighborhood, guiding children whose parents are too afraid to accompany them. She estimates that between 80 and 100 students are picked up each morning. Out of precaution, volunteers asked that the school remain unnamed due to ongoing immigration enforcement in the area.

For many children, the walking school bus has become more than just a mode of transportation. Teacher Dulce Jimenez said the routine helps restore a sense of stability. “The kids have gotten to know the volunteers and like walking to school with their friends,” Jimenez said via the news report. “They’re kind of not even realizing the distraction that was created and what we’re trying to close off for them.”

For volunteers like Maggie Cullerton Hooper, the community’s response has been both inspiring and necessary. “It is really very heartening to see just how much we will all show up to be a part of making sure that all of our kids are safe, that all of our people are safe,” Hooper told local news reporters.

For May, who is also a mother, the work feels deeply personal. She recalled seeing fear on the children’s faces during the afternoon pick-up. “You could kind of sense at pick-up the fear of some of the kids of, like, will I come home to an empty house?” she said. “We still have to sit with that and know that that is a reality, but at least they are getting one bright simple spot every day.”

Related: Florida School Districts on Edge About Possible School Bus Immigration Raids 
Related: School Districts Seek Student Protections from Immigration Enforcement
Related: Florida Fathers and Father Figures Join Students for Walking School Bus
Related: No Attempt to Illegally Board School Buses Near Mexico Border, Sheriff Says

The post Volunteers Help Immigrant Parents in Chicago Participate in Walking School Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

A school bus fire in Bethel, Minnesota, turned into a dramatic rescue earlier this month when a mother helped evacuate 22 elementary students just moments before flames engulfed the vehicle, reported CBS News.

According to the news report, Kari Thorp was waiting for her daughter’s school bus when she noticed smoke and flames coming from underneath the vehicle as it stopped in front of her home. She quickly alerted the driver, Rick Gratton, and the two acted fast to get the children off the bus safely.

“It was crazy. I’m just thankful that he was very calm,” Thorp said via the article.

Thorp’s Ring doorbell camera captured the scene as students from East Bethel Elementary gathered on her lawn, visibly shaken while flames spread rapidly through the front of the bus.

“Kids were crying. Kids were scared and freaking out,” Thorp told local news reporters. “It was quite emotional and kind of frantic.”

The fire escalated quickly. Within 15 minutes, the front of the bus was fully engulfed, and the intense heat even melted part of the road in front of Thorp’s house.

Though some backpacks, lunch boxes and the bus itself were lost in the fire, no injuries were reported. The students’ safe evacuation is being credited to the swift response of Thorp and Gratton as well as the children’s recent school bus safety training.

Both Thorp and Gratton were recognized for their “heroic efforts” in getting all students to safety by St. Francis Area Schools. Thorp reflected on how different things might have turned out if she hadn’t been outside at the time.

“I don’t think he would have gotten very far. And I don’t think we would have been able to get those kids off the bus as fast,” she said via the report. “A lot of little ones sit up front, and that’s where it all started.”

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

Related: California Student Honored for Quick Thinking During School Bus Fire
Related: Missouri Students Learn School Bus, Fire Safety During Back-to-School Bash
Related: WATCH: Fire Expert to Lead School Bus Evacuation Training at STN EXPO West
Related: Electric School Bus Catches Fire in Montreal, No Injuries Reported

The post Minnesota Mom Helps Evacuate 22 Students from Burning School Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

A typical school day took an unexpected turn for 5-year-old Hendrix Camden, a kindergartner with special needs, when he was mistakenly dropped off several miles from home by a school bus driver, reported First Alert 4.

The incident reportedly occurred the afternoon of Oct. 9, when Camden boarded a school bus after class at an Amador County Unified School District elementary school east of Sacramento, California, just as he had every other day. But his usual driver noticed something was wrong.

“Yesterday, his normal bus driver showed up, and we made eye contact, and he goes, ‘Hendrix isn’t on my bus today,’” said Twilight Camden, Camden’s mother via the article.

Unbeknownst to her, Camden had been loaded onto a different bus, one that would drop him more than three miles from his home, on the side of a remote, winding road. “I was sad,” Camden recalled.

Panic set in when Twilight arrived at the bus stop, only to find her son missing. Then came a phone call from an unknown number. “I get back to my car, and I’m getting a phone call from a random number, and they’re saying, ‘Hey, we have Hendrix,’” she said. “And I assumed it was a van driver, or he was just put on a different route or something.”

Instead, the call was from an employee of Kamps Tree Services, a local tree-trimming company, who had found the young boy walking alone along the two-lane road.

“The kid, he came walking from around the corner over there and came up to this first house here, and since there was nobody there, he came around this way,” said one worker via the news report. “He just wasn’t sure where he was at, and I tried to make him comfortable, gave him a water bottle and a cookie.”

Twilight Camden said her son had walked roughly a quarter mile on his own before encountering the workers.

“There’s nowhere for him to be that could have been safe, and I was hoping, praying that he didn’t get kidnapped,” she said.

The district protocol requires kindergarten students to be released only to an adult or parent. “If there’s not anybody there, you don’t have signal, you keep driving to the next stop and you call,” she emphasized.

Twilight Camden is now demanding accountability from the school district and its transportation department, urging them to review their procedures to ensure this never happens again.

Related: Tennessee Kindergartner Found Safe After School Bus Mix-Up
Related: 7-Year-Old Student Missing for Hours After Being Placed on Wrong School Bus
Related: 6-Year-Old Left on School Bus for Hours
Related: Colorado School Bus Driver Dismissed After Leaving Students at Wrong Bus Stop

The post California Family Demands Answer After 5-Year-Old Was Dropped Miles from Home appeared first on School Transportation News.

A young child was hailed as a hero for taking quick, life-saving action after passing a handwritten note asking their school bus driver to call 911, reported WLBT News.

According to the news report, the bus driver immediately followed the instructions and contacted emergency services Sept. 24 just before 7:30 a.m. Deputies were sent to a rural home, where they discovered the child’s mother had been the victim of a violent assault that lasted through the night.

Investigators said article the woman had been seriously injured by the suspect, 29-year-old Glenroy Miller of the Bahamas, who allegedly held a knife to her throat and wrists while threatening to kill her. At one point, Miller reportedly began to take the victim to a hospital but turned around after realizing he could be arrested, forcing her to remain at home without access to help.

When deputies reportedly arrived at the residence, Miller answered the door. The woman, visibly upset and bruised, emerged from a bedroom shortly after. She was taken to the hospital, where an exam revealed she had suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung, from being kicked.

Authorities said the mother had written the note herself and asked her child to deliver it in hopes of getting help. Because she was being held against her will and prevented from calling for assistance, she relied on her child to act.

Miller was reportedly taken into custody and now faces multiple charges. Officials are praising the young student’s courage and the bus driver’s swift response, crediting both with playing a crucial role in rescuing the woman from a dangerous situation.

Related: Iowa Students Help School Bus Driver During Medical Episode
Related: Milwaukee School Bus Driver Saves Students from Burning Bus
Related: Florida School Bus Driver Saves Student from Choking on Candy
Related: Georgia School Bus Driver Named “Hidden Hero” After Saving Student’s Life

The post Iowa Student Saves Mom with Handwritten Note to School Bus Driver appeared first on School Transportation News.

Now that you’ve made it through the beginning of the new school year, this is the optimal time to tune your transportation operations.  Learn how to leverage your live ridership, routing, and call volume data to reduce missed stops, decrease parent inquiries, and enhance on-time performance.

Join Pathwise and School Transportation News on Thursday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET for a live 60-minute session to discover how to convert your early-semester data into concrete mid-year gains without replacing your current routing platform.

In this session, you’ll get practical tips on how to:

• Reassess your routes using current ridership signals (scan data, driver logs, parent app activity, no-show patterns)
• Improve routing reliability with targeted fixes for tier balancing, stop consolidation, bell-time alignment, and more, instead of major re-routes
• Track ridership more accurately using count audits, exception workflows, and reconciliations, and turn these insights into schedule improvements
• Operationalize KPIs that matter—on-time percentage, call-center volume, and parent notification latency—so you know where adjustments may need to be made.

Bottom line: This isn’t starting over; it’s making smarter use of tools, data, and processes you already have—to ensure smoother operations throughout the rest of the year.

Who should attend: Transportation directors, routing/dispatch leads, and operations managers.

Brought to you by Pathwise

REGISTER BELOW:

Presenters:

Michael Roche
VP of Customer Engagement and Business Development
EZRouting

With over 13 years of experience as a Director of Transportation for a school district, Roche possesses extensive expertise in overseeing logistical operations and ensuring the safety and efficiency of transportation systems. Transitioning into consulting, he has utilized his knowledge to aid school districts in optimizing transportation operations and implementing software solutions. Currently, Roche is committed to collaborating with school districts across the country, assisting them in maximizing the benefits of the software and providing comprehensive consulting services tailored to their transportation requirements.

Carl Allen
Chief Executive Officer
4MATIV

Carl Allen is an experienced leader in education, transportation, and public policy, currently serving as CEO and founder of 4MATIV Technologies, which he launched in 2018. He previously served as Director of Transportation for Boston Public Schools, Regional Vice President for Transdev in Colorado, and COO/CFO of a charter school network in Minneapolis. Drawing on his training in urban planning and public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School, and his early experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching high school math in Ghana, Allen supports school districts in tackling complex transportation challenges. He holds degrees in industrial and manufacturing design engineering from Northwestern University and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife and three children.

The post (Free Webinar) From First Day to Fine-Tuning: Optimizing Your Transportation Operations Following the Return to School appeared first on School Transportation News.

A school bus driver in Miami County, Ohio, is on administrative leave following a “reckless driving” incident Tuesday afternoon, which prompted several 911 calls and an investigation into a possible charge of operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI), reported WHIO TV 7.

According to the article, the Bethel Local Schools bus driver was transporting five students’ home when concerned witnesses observed what they reported as the driver’s erratic behavior.

The situation reportedly began around 4:30 p.m., when local resident Ricki Crist was encountered a Bethel Local Schools bus, which had stopped in the middle of State Route 571 and South Palmer Road, about two and a half miles from the district’s campus. Initially, Crist said she thought the bus was letting students off, but after seeing cars pass the bus without stopping, she became suspicious.

As she followed the bus, Crist said she observed increasingly erratic driving. “She started swerving between lanes,” Crist told local news reporters of the driver. “That’s when I decided to call 911 and report a reckless driver.”

According to the news report, deputies from the Miami County Sheriff’s Office were on their way, but Crist took further action. She followed the bus to a stop sign where the driver paused for nearly five minutes, inching forward slowly. Crist pulled over, ran to the bus, and knocked on the window to ask if the driver was okay.

“She didn’t seem under the influence, but she seemed a little off,” Crist said via the article.

Not long after, the situation escalated. A father, whose child was on the bus, arrived at the scene and reportedly tried to stop the driver. However, the driver allegedly refused to open the bus doors, locking them out as tensions increased. A 911 caller reported a crowd gathering at the intersection and possible road rage, further raising the urgency of the situation.

Witnesses say via the article that the father’s actions helped prevent further escalation.

“I’m just thankful that we were able to get her to stop, and that the police were there in a timely manner,” said Crist. “I don’t know what would have happened.”

According to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, the driver showed signs of impairment, including unsteadiness and constricted pupils. The bus was carrying five students at the time of the incident. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the children were safely transferred to another bus.

According to the news report, Bethel Local Schools Superintendent Michael Nutter sent a message to parents on Wednesday in response to the incident, confirming that the driver had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. “We are deeply sorry for the worry this has caused, the inconvenience, and the late arrival home. The one thing that I am thankful for is that all children were returned home safely,” Nutter wrote.

The Miami County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly continuing its investigation. The driver voluntarily provided a blood sample, and authorities are awaiting the results to determine if charges related to OVI or child endangering will be filed.

Although the driver’s name has not been released, the situation has sparked concerns about student safety, with many parents’ expressing relief that the intervention happened before something more serious occurred. Deputies have emphasized that charges could be forthcoming, depending on the results of the blood test. For now, the investigation remains ongoing.

Related: West Virginia School Bus Driver Faces Sentence After DUI Crash
Related: Missouri School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Related: Massachusetts School Van Driver Faces DUI, Child Endangerment Charges
Related: Alaska School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI, Firearm Possession

The post Ohio School Bus Driver on Administrative Leave After ‘Reckless Driving’ appeared first on School Transportation News.

A central Pennsylvania school district is considering a transportation stipend for families as it continues to grapple with a shortage of school bus drivers, reported WGAL News.

According to the news report, the Susquehanna Township School District may offer up to $1,000 per year to parents who transport their children to and from school. Under the proposed plan, families would receive $50 per student per month, with a cap of $100 per household.

The move reportedly mirrors similar efforts in districts like Philadelphia, where parental stipends have been used to ease transportation challenges.

The district stated the goal is to reduce the number of students requiring school bus service, thereby decreasing the number of buses needed each day. The proposal reportedly comes as the district canceled classes Monday for two elementary schools due to a lack of available drivers. District officials emphasized that participation in the stipend program would be voluntary. No final decision has been made.

Related: Arizona School District Increases Bus Driver Pay to Help with Shortage
Related: School District Pays Parents to Drive Their Children to School
Related: Rural Virginia Counties Move Needle on School Bus Driver Shortage
Related: Kentucky Students Release Rap Video in Response to School Bus Driver Shortage

The post Dauphin County School District Considers Paying Parents Amid Bus Driver Shortage appeared first on School Transportation News.

A routine school bus ride turned into a frightening ordeal for students and staff after a Spring Hill parent boarded the vehicle threatening the driver, reported Fox 13.

Authorities say via the article that 40-year-old Alvon Corley unlawfully boarded a Hernando County school bus at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Aug. 22 near the intersection of Anderson Snow Road and Edward R. Noll Drive. The bus was on route to JD Floyd Elementary School, with students on board, when the incident occurred.

According to the article, Corley, who has a child that rides the bus, allegedly stepped onto the vehicle without permission, used profane language toward both the driver and the bus attendant and refused to leave. Deputies reported that he stood in the bus doorway, blocking the vehicle from continuing its route and delaying the transport of students.

When warned that law enforcement would be contacted, Corley reportedly responded with a threatening remark. “I’ll go back and get my [expletive] gun,” he said, then exited the bus.

The incident was reportedly captured on the bus’s surveillance camera. After a review of the footage, conducted in coordination with the Hernando County School District Office of Safe Schools, Corley was arrested. He now faces charges of trespassing on school grounds, a serious offense especially given the threat of involving a firearm.

No weapons were found at the scene, and no injuries were reported. However, the sheriff’s office and school district officials are taking the threat seriously. It is unclear what led to the incident.

“This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable,” a spokesperson for HCSO said via the article. “We will continue to work with school officials to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

The Hernando County School District has not commented on whether additional security measures will be implemented following the incident. Corley remains in custody as of Tuesday. His bond and court appearance details have not yet been released.

Related: South Carolina Man Arrested for Allegedly Pointing Gun at School Bus
Related: New York School Bus Hit by Gunfire
Related: Iowa Student Found with BB Gun on School Bus
Related: North Carolina Student in Custody for Bringing Gun on School Bus

The post Florida Man Arrested After Boarding School Bus, Threatening Driver appeared first on School Transportation News.

A disturbing incident on an Orleans Parish school bus in Louisiana has left a longtime school bus monitor hospitalized with multiple injuries after she was allegedly attacked by a high school student and the student’s mother, reported News Channel 10.

The incident reportedly occurred Aug. 21 and was caught on video, involving a McDonogh 35 High School student and her mother physically assaulting school bus monitor Tamika Jackson. The footage aired by News Channel 10 indicates the mother striking Jackson and then her daughter joining the violent altercation.

Jackson’s husband, Johnny Jackson told reporters his wife was transported to the emergency room with severe injuries, including bite marks on her face and thumbs, scratches and a deep gash across her face.

“They pulled her hair out. They bit her in her face, on her lips, on her thumbs,” he said.

Images shown by News Channel 10 support his descriptions of the injuries.

According to the article, Johnny Jackson said the confrontation began after his wife instructed the student not to sit in the last two rows of the bus, an area she suspected students had been using inappropriately, potentially to perform lewd acts. The student, who was not identified in this writing, allegedly called her mother, who then boarded the bus at confronted Jackson, resulting in the violent assault.

Despite her injuries and being on duty at the time, Jackson was reportedly issued a Municipal Court summons by the New Orleans Police Department for disturbing the peace.

Her husband expressed outrage, saying, “It’s insane knowing my wife was at work when this happened, and yet she’s being treated like she was part of a fight.”

NOPD has not filed a police report at this time, citing a lack of video evidence. Officers reportedly told the family they are treating the matter as a “routine fight” until the footage is reviewed.

In response to the incident, InspireNOLA Charter Schools, which oversees McDonogh 35, stated it is conducting an active investigation and emphasized that the safety of students and staff is a top priority. Community members and staff have called for a thorough investigation and accountability following the attack.

Related: South Carolina Parent Runs School Bus Off Road After Alleged Child Assault
Related: Virginia School Bus Aide Arrested for Alleged Assault
Related: Arizona School Bus Driver Assaulted, Student’s Mother Charged
Related: Texas Student Accused of Assaulting Officers and Attemping to Start School Bus

The post School Bus Monitor Hospitalized After Violent Attack by Student, Parent appeared first on School Transportation News.

RICHMOND, Va. – According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), 87 percent of parents and K-12 educators say it’s important that their children get to and from school in low-emissions school buses. The survey asked respondents about their awareness and attitudes toward school bus emissions and alternative fuels like propane, and the results illustrate the overwhelming demand for cleaner school buses.

However, that desire doesn’t match reality as most students still ride to school on diesel buses despite nationwide programs to fund cleaner transportation options. A June 2025 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that, while billions in federal funding have been committed to electric and other alternative-fuel buses, many of those buses remain delayed in deployment — often due to charging infrastructure and delivery challenges  keeping older, higher-polluting diesel buses on the road longer.

Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen that causes lung cancer and increases the risk of bladder cancer. With propane school buses, that risk is eliminated. In fact, propane school buses reduce harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 96 percent compared with diesel and emit near-zero particulate matter (PM) emissions. Both NOx and PM emissions are known triggers for issues like asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Every child deserves a safe, clean, healthy ride to school,” said Joel Stutheit, senior manager of autogas business development at PERC. “The way children ride to school today is like how I rode to school – in an aging, dirty diesel bus. Parents will remember that cloud of black smoke from the exhaust pipe, the smell of the diesel, the headaches, and the noise. With propane, all of that is gone, so children arrive safely and ready to learn.”

While 76 percent of parents agreed that the biggest benefit of low emissions buses is cleaner air for children, the survey results indicated that parents didn’t want to use funding from other academic areas to pay for cleaner transportation. Propane school buses address this issue as an affordable option that costs marginally more than a diesel bus but can reduce operating costs by half. Compared with electric school buses, propane buses cost one-third the price, allowing districts to replace their aging diesel fleet three times faster.

“I am often asked, ‘what about electric buses?’”, Stutheit said. “While electric buses may not have tailpipe emissions, we need to remember that 65 percent of the grid is still powered by coal and other fossil fuels emissions are generated when those buses charge. There is no such thing as a zero-emissions vehicle. And when you compare the full lifecycle emissions, propane buses hold their own as a clean energy and at an affordable cost to replace diesel buses and reduce emissions more quickly.”

Currently, 1.1 million children across the country ride to school every day in 22,000 propane autogas school buses. Those buses operate in more than 1,000 school districts in 48 states.

Once presented with the facts that propane school buses reduce emissions while saving school districts money, 90 percent of parents surveyed said they would be at least somewhat likely to support their use. Parents and educators who are interested in learning more on how to talk to their school district about adopting clean propane school buses can visit BetterOurBuses.com.

About PERC: The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit Propane.com.

The post Survey Shows 87% of Parents Support Low-Emissions School Buses, Yet Diesel Dominates appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Nashville family is raising serious concerns after a 5-year-old kindergartner with autism was mistakenly placed on a school bus and then left wandering alone for nearly an hour on Monday afternoon, reported WSMV 4.

Zontrail Brinson, a nonverbal student at Ida B. Wells Elementary School, was supposed to be picked up by a parent at school dismissal. However, school officials said there was a “tagging error,” and Brinson was placed on a school bus then dropped off several blocks away, alone and unsupervised.

“It’s scary. I wouldn’t want to be alone by myself, especially being nonverbal,” said Rosalind Derrick, Brinson’s grandmother.

She explained that the family only learned of the incident when Brinson’s mother arrived at the school to pick him up and was told he wasn’t there.

Derrick told local news reporters that Brinson was dropped off at the intersection of 7th Street and Howerton, near Meigs Middle School, and began walking down the sidewalk. She said the school bus driver briefly spoke to the child but received no response and allowed him to exit the bus.

“When you didn’t see an adult, you should have just called the school or taken him back to the school,” she advised.

Brinson was eventually located by a police officer at a nearby playground and safely reunited with his family. While thankful unharmed, Derrick said the ordeal is every parent and guardian’s nightmare.

“I’m a praying grandmother. I was just praying and trusting that he would be found and everything would be okay,” she said.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) acknowledged the incident and apologized.

“We deeply regret the distress this caused the family and are grateful the student was found safe,” said Sean Braisted, a district spokesperson. “As soon as the school was notified, staff and a school resource officer responded quickly and located the student at a park near his home. The school and transportation teams are reviewing the incident and reinforcing dismissal protocols to help ensure this does not happen again.”

Braisted clarified that as part of MNPS’s onboarding process, all kindergarten students zoned for school bus service receive a transportation tag. In this case, a teacher mistakenly attached a bus tag to Brinson’s backpack, which led to him being placed on a school bus despite the family’s plan for him to be picked up.

Related: California Student Left Alone in Hot School Bus
Related: Georgia Woman Outraged After Daughter Kicked Off School Bus During Rainstorm
Related: Ohio Parents Sue School District After 6-Year-Old Left on Bus for Hours
Related: 6-Year-Old Left on School Bus for Hours

The post Tennessee Kindergartner Found Safe After School Bus Mix-Up appeared first on School Transportation News.

As one of the largest school transportation operations in Illinois, Indian Prairie School District 204 runs a fleet of nearly 300 vehicles and more than 1,200 routes. When the impact of the bus driver shortage grew in 2019, maintaining this operation required a greater number of substitute drivers. Ron Johnson, the district’s director of support operations, looked to assist their sub drivers — as well as address a need for improved parent communication — with technology.

Indian Prairie has a longstanding partnership with Tyler Technologies, having been a user of Tyler’s routing software since 2008. Johnson turned to Tyler for solutions that would integrate with their existing software, ultimately becoming an early adopter of Tyler Drive tablets in the 2018-2019 school year. With Tyler Drive tablets installed on the district’s vehicles, paper route sheets were eliminated. Regular and substitute drivers gained turn-by-turn voice navigation through the tablets, reducing driver distraction — and, thereby, increasing student safety.

To learn more about Tyler Technologies’ student transportation solutions that connect drivers, routers, and parents, watch their Tyler Drive webinar.

Driving Efficiency

Tyler Drive tablets have also helped increase route efficiency and on-time performance at Indian Prairie.

“Before implementing Tyler Drive, our on-time network was 80.02%,” said Johnson. “Pre-pandemic, Tyler Drive helped us increase our on-time network to more than 97.50%. In 2024, with a shortage of 15 drivers, we were at 95.33%.”

Johnson attributes these improvements to drivers sticking to the approved routes that Tyler Drive guides them through. Substitute drivers are less likely to get lost, and visibility into driver activity and real-time GPS tracking helps identify inefficiencies.

Keeping Parents in the Know

In addition to using Tyler’s student transportation software and Tyler Drive tablets, Indian Prairie keeps parents informed with Tyler’s parent communication mobile app.

“Our parents were asking for a way to be alerted when a bus would arrive late and to receive timely communication from schools about bus incidents,” said Johnson. The parent app integrates with the district’s other Tyler solutions, leveraging data and dynamic communication that delivers an improved experience and real-time information for parents.

Johnson said, “Parents have access to route information and ETA, and we can notify parents of a delay on their specific route.”

Tyler’s parent app is flexible, allowing both manual and automated information and communication. While districts can manually send targeted messages to parents, approved updates in Tyler Drive automatically sync with the parent app. This gives parents instant notifications about changes to the driver, bus, or ETA for their children’s routes, without adding to the transportation team’s workload. Tyler Drive’s turn-by-turn directions also support parent peace of mind — substitute drivers can follow routes exactly as the regular drivers do, so parents know what to expect.

Leaders in Driver Support

Beyond improving their own operations with Tyler’s solutions, Indian Prairie has helped pave the way for other Illinois districts looking to implement in-vehicle driver tablets like Tyler Drive.

“We worked with the State Police, Local Police, and Department of Transportation to ensure we were incorporating safe and sound practices in the use of a Mobile Data Terminal (Tyler Drive), including the installation location and driver best practices,” said Johnson. “We wanted to ensure we were not adding a device that would create a driver distraction, as some agencies were concerned about.”

Citing increased safety for students, the district also coordinated with its State Board of Education on legislation that could make the purchase of driver tablets a reimbursable transportation expense.

Indian Prairie’s efforts — from driving legislation to establishing best practices — can help other districts reap some of the same benefits Johnson’s district has.

“We wanted a full-scale solution to solve on-time network problems, driver route reliability, parent communication, and real-time route information that was accurate,” said Johnson. “Tyler Drive does that for us!”

Tablets Support Efficiency and Drivers

Tyler Drive in-vehicle tablets support full-time and substitute drivers with optimized routes that boost on-time performance. Tyler Drive provides:

• Connected routing — Tyler Drive integrates with Tyler’s routing software, ensuring each vehicle’s route is accurate and updated to help drivers stay on track.
• Up-to-date communication — Route changes in Tyler Drive are automatically reflected in Tyler’s parent app, instantly notifying parents or guardians of a new driver, bus, or ETA.
• Turn-by-turn directions — Drivers get intuitive navigation without the distraction of paper maps and student lists.
• Maintained guidelines — Routes are calculated based on predetermined rules and riders’ needs to provide safe pickup and drop-off locations.
• Integrated messages — Drivers can receive messages from dispatchers with information about stops to skip, construction to avoid, or any other critical information.

Learn more about Tyler Drive in this webinar: Connecting Drivers, Routers, and Parents with Student Transportation.

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

The post How One District is Shaping Driver Support in Illinois appeared first on School Transportation News.

Just in time for the back-to-school season, Connecticut-based school bus company, DATTCO, launched a bilingual children’s book designed to help young students overcome the fear of riding the school bus for the first time.

The company, which transports over 130,000 students daily across Connecticut and Rhode Island, created “The Big Yellow Adventure” in response to a concern staff hear regularly from families. Many parents have shared that their children are nervous or afraid of taking the school bus, especially for the very first time.

“As a school transportation provider, we understand that our role goes beyond simply getting students from point A to point B,” Reya Samuel, the marketing specialist at DATTCO, told STN. “We’re a part of the daily lives of thousands of families, and we want to help make that first day and every day after feel safe and welcoming.”

To help ease that anxiety, DATTCO partnered with local behavioral health provider Optimus Healthcare to create a storybook that serves as a comforting and educational resource. The book is designed to be read aloud by parents or caregivers and encourages conversations about what children can expect during their first ride. By helping kids prepare emotionally, the book supports smoother transitions into the school year.

The free resource will be distributed to every elementary school DATTCO serves, and families will also have access to PDF copies and coloring book versions on the company’s website. The book is available in both English and Spanish.

Paul Mayer, vice president of marketing and communications at DATTCO as well author of  “The Big Yellow Adventure” emphasized the motivation behind the project.

“When we started hearing the same concerns from parents year after year, we realized we had an opportunity to do more than just transport students safely, we could help them feel confident and excited about their journey to school,” he said.“ This book represents our belief that a transportation company’s responsibility extends far beyond the bus ride itself. We’re part of each child’s educational story, and we want that story to start with confidence, not anxiety.”

Emotional wellness was at the forefront of the project. Brianna Whitlock, licensed clinical social worker from Optimus Healthcare, who helped develop the book, shared her perspective on the broader impact.

“When transportation companies take this kind of proactive approach to child welfare, it demonstrates a commitment that goes far beyond their core service,” she said. “This book fills a genuine gap in preparing children for school transportation.”

From DATTCO’s leadership, the initiative is viewed as a natural extension of the company’s mission. “We know that a child’s first school bus ride is an important step not just in their education, but in their emotional growth,” said Kyle DeVivo, chief operating officer. “This book is our way of saying, We’re here to help. Partnering with Optimus Healthcare has been invaluable in making sure this resource truly serves the children and families we care so deeply about.”

Company President and CEO Don DeVivo echoed this sentiment, framing the book as part of a broader philosophy.

“At DATTCO, we’ve always believed that our responsibility extends beyond transportation, we’re part of each child’s educational journey,” he said, adding that book represents the company’s commitment to innovation and dedication to making every aspect of that journey as positive as possible for the students and families served.

As schools prepare to reopen, DATTCO is organizing events including book reading demonstrations and school bus tours to give families a chance to meet drivers and ask questions ahead of the first day.

Related: Guiding Hands: New York School Bus Driver Supports Young Rider Through Her Anxiety
Related: School Bus Driver Creates Children’s Book to Promote School Bus Safety
Related: (STN Podcast E254) Gus, the Talking Safety Bus: Supporting Educational Access & Student Safety
Related: NC Transportation Manager Channels Passion for Education, Safety into Children’s Books

The post Connecticut School Bus Company Publishes Bilingual Book to Ease First-Day Bus Anxiety appeared first on School Transportation News.

Rock Hill School District in South Carolina has added 41 new school buses and has a fully staffed transportation department for the first time in years, a move district officials say is improving readiness and morale as the new school year begins, reported WCNC News.

A total of 111 school buses will now cover 719 routes daily, with drivers logging approximately 12,000 miles each day. Officials say increased staffing and expanded fleet capacity are expected to ease delays and improve transportation reliability.

“We had to start early, and we had to ask our district to make sure pay was involved,” said Transportation Director Sherrie Owens via the article. “We had to increase the initial entry rate and then put out on social media, all the internet we can use, to make sure everyone [would] come and show up.”

Rock Hill Schools reportedly held its first-ever Transportation Open House last month, where families met drivers and received route information. A district-wide pep rally followed on Friday.

District leaders’ credit targeted recruitment efforts, including a pay raise, with helping to resolve long-standing staffing challenges ahead of the 2025–2026 academic year.

Related: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Staff
Related: Superintendent Snapshot: Fully Staffed Arkansas District Focus’ on Employees
Related: Arizona School District Increases Bus Driver Pay to Help with Shortage
Related: Hawaii Restores Nearly All School Bus Routes Cut By Driver Shortage

The post Rock Hill Schools Roll into New School Year Fully Staffed appeared first on School Transportation News.

The School District of Philadelphia is gearing up for its annual “Ring the Bell” bus tour ahead of the upcoming academic year.

The “Ring the Bell” bus tour consists of a colorful school bus that visits multiple locations across Philadelphia during the summer, typically late July through mid‑August.

During each stop, families can pick up free backpacks and school supplies while supplies last, access on‑site registration for PreK–12th grade, sign up for the Parent Portal to access student information online, participate in interactive educational activities, games, and raffles, enjoy snacks and frozen treats, and receive immunizations and school physicals (at select sites).

According to the district’s website, all bus tours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting July 28 through Aug. 15. Locations can be found here.

The aim of the tour, which is built around a “festival-like” community experience, is to eliminate barriers for busy families by bringing services directly to neighborhoods, so parents don’t have to hunt for information.

The festive atmosphere often includes raffles, prizes, and fun for kids and families.

Related: Salvation Army Hosts Stuff the Bus Donation Drive in Indiana
Related: Kentucky School District Seeking Bus Drivers, Monitors Ahead of School Year
Related: Arizona Annual Stuff the Bus Back to School Drive Returns
Related: (Free White Paper) Prep Your Bus Fleet for Rolling Back to School

The post Philadelphia School District Gears Up for Annual Event Ahead of School Year appeared first on School Transportation News.

As part of the Salvation Army’s annual Stuff the Bus fundraiser, school supplies are being collected to help students in Fort Wayne, Indiana stock up ahead of the new school year, reported 21alive News.

According to the article, the school supply drive will kick off at at local Walmart. A full list of needed school supplies can be found here.

Organizers will at the Walmart until 6 p.m. local time, collecting donations. However, donations will be accepted through Tuesday.

Families in need can sign to receive supplies. The donation distribution is planned for July 30 from 4-7 p.m., at the local Salvation Army.

Related: Arizona Annual Stuff the Bus Back to School Drive Returns
Related: Arkansas School Bus Driver Donates Shoes to Local Organizations
Related: Massachusetts School District to Host “Stuff-A-Bus” Event for Holiday Toy Drive
Related: Kentucky School Bus Driver Keeps Students Fed During Summer

The post Salvation Army Hosts Stuff the Bus Donation Drive in Indiana appeared first on School Transportation News.