Complexity is the name of the game for any school transportation operation, and challenges are compounded for districts with student ridership in the thousands.

At West Ada School District in Idaho, Transportation Liaison RD Huntley supports the transportation of 12,500 students every school day. When asked to pinpoint the difference between the challenges faced by small and large districts, Huntley said: “The simple answer is volume. More students require greater coordination between management, drivers, administration, and technology.”

Serving a larger number of students well requires more resources, including people, vehicles, and technology. Tyler Technologies’ all-in-one student transportation solutions help large districts, including West Ada SD, to connect their transportation resources and processes.

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To learn more about Tyler Technologies’ Student Transportation software and tools that help streamline the complexities of large transportation operations, watch their Student Transportation for Large Districts webinar.

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To meet the challenges large school districts face — and empower the people who make those bus trips run smoothly — there are 5 key roles technology can play in supporting transportation operations.

1. Ensuring Every Student’s Needs Are Met, Every Day

Picture a typical day in a large transportation operation: routers constantly creating routes, dispatchers making real-time adjustments, and drivers navigating their assigned runs. With so many moving parts, how do you ensure every student’s unique needs are communicated and met seamlessly? In this dynamic environment, ensuring no detail is overlooked is crucial to delivering safe and reliable service for every child.

Huntley and the West Ada transportation department use Tyler Technologies’ Student Transportation software and Tyler Drive onboard tablets to help them stay on top of every detail.

“I cannot over-emphasize the value of the software and tablet integration,” Huntley said. “The software allows unlimited users, putting a wealth of information in the hands of district personnel and school administration, including bus stop information, vehicle tracking, and student ridership.”

The system acts as a safety net, providing real-time alerts and safeguards throughout the operational workflow.

For instance, consider the critical need for a wheelchair lift on a specific bus. If a new route is created without ensuring the assigned vehicle has the proper equipment, a student relying on that lift could face significant disruption in their day, potentially missing class or essential services. By integrating safeguards, like the instant alerts in Student Transportation routing software, these crucial details are flagged before they become issues.

A missed accommodation like this doesn’t just inconvenience a student—it can negatively impact their entire educational experience. By proactively addressing such needs, we can help ensure no student is left behind due to logistical oversight. The seamless flow of critical student information, from the router at the software level to Tyler Drive for the driver, is invaluable in making sure every need is met and every student receives the service they are entitled to.

These proactive safeguards are built to ensure that no matter who is making a change, every staff member is aware and responsive to the unique needs of the students. This comprehensive approach gives large operations the tools to help them provide the highest level of service and safety every day.

2. Streamlining Communication with Families and Staff

In large transportation operations, changes are inevitable — from driver switches to bus reroutes. Keeping everyone informed, especially parents and guardians, can be a challenge. Tyler Technologies makes communication seamless, eliminating the extra steps typically involved in updating families.

Huntley said, “The use of My Ride K-12 at West Ada School District has made communication with parents simple and effective. Parents can observe the expected arrival of their bus, be notified when their student gets on or off, and receive messages from dispatch for any changes that may occur.”

When working with a large staff and complex operation, having a solution that streamlines processes without adding extra work is crucial. Tyler Technologies’ platform not only simplifies internal communication, but also provides transparency and peace of mind for families, ensuring everyone is quickly and accurately informed. “Communicating with families through My Ride K-12 has dramatically reduced incoming phone communications and given parents stronger confidence in our transportation services,” Huntley said.

3. Informing Decisions and Achieving Compliance With Robust Reporting

For transportation directors managing large operations, it’s crucial to simultaneously evaluate daily performance, ensure compliance, and maximize funding opportunities. Tyler Technologies’ software provides robust and accurate reporting tools that cover all aspects of transportation management.

“The reporting capabilities of Tyler’s software are instrumental in evaluating on-time performance, RFID usage, and required information for state reports. If you need information, the system can provide it,” Huntley said. Directors can also evaluate bus stops, route efficiency, driver performance, and student safety, gaining detailed insights to make informed decisions quickly.

Additionally, the software offers specialized reports to simplify the process of meeting state annual reporting requirements and filing for Medicaid reimbursements. Tyler’s system ensures that all necessary data is accurately tracked, recorded, and formatted for easy submission, reducing administrative burden and improving the chances of reimbursement. With precise, real-time data at their fingertips, transportation leaders can confidently manage compliance, secure funding, and continually enhance their operations.

4. Integrating Alternative Transportation Solutions

Often, transporting more students also means offering more transportation options. Large districts might transport students to special programs and magnet schools, coordinate their routes with public transportation, and serve more students with special needs or those who are protected under the McKinney-Vento Act. To provide these options and serve all their students’ needs, large districts often work with transportation contractors or third-party vendors for services including alternative transportation, RFID cards, and dispatch.

For example, districts serving a large number of students with special needs or Individualized Education Program (IEPs) might leverage a ride-share style alternative transportation vendor to provide a safe and comfortable experience for students that struggle in a typical school bus environment. But it’s important for the transportation department to keep track of students using those alternative transportation methods just as they do for students riding their own buses. Data integration between a district’s student transportation software and other transportation technology partners is critical to ensuring student safety, clear communication, and operational efficiency.

Tyler connects these solutions through Onboard Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), a one-stop data exchange that uses Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to bridge the silos of information between transportation technology providers to empower transportation leaders with more customization and flexibility to support their students. With a growing network of integrators, Onboard iPaaS securely joins transportation applications together to maximize the value of the data already being generated by the tools large districts use every day.

5. Supporting Transportation Staff

In 2021, West Ada School District saw a sharp decline in student ridership — dropping from 13,000 to 8,500. Contributing factors ranged from the impact of COVID-19 and driver shortages to inefficient routing and low parent confidence.

“The district’s decision to bring in Tyler’s Student Transportation software, Tyler Drive tablets, RFID readers, and student cards, along with returning customer service and routing to the district, has resulted in an upward trend with ridership,” said Huntley.

By providing their transportation staff with powerful and connected tools, West Ada SD rebuilt their operation. At 12,500 today, ridership has nearly returned to pre-pandemic numbers.

“The difference is the efficiency of the routes, driver confidence, and parents being supplied critical information to satisfy their previous concerns. This all could not be possible without our Tyler Student Transportation software,” said Huntley.

The driver shortage has impacted districts of all sizes, but every driver counts even more so when there are more students to transport. With chronic absenteeism on the rise, increasing ridership is not just a logistical challenge but a critical solution to getting students back to school consistently.

Reliable transportation can play a pivotal role in reducing absenteeism, ensuring students have access to the education they need. As we work to optimize routes and address the shortage, we must also focus on maximizing ridership, making every bus and every driver even more essential to the success of the entire system.

Tyler Drive tablets can help districts recruit and retain drivers by helping them feel supported. For example, drivers at West Ada SD feel confident taking on any route when their bus is equipped with Tyler Drive.

“The tablets with real-time navigation have revolutionized the insecurities usually affiliated with driving in unknown areas and the distraction of paper route sheets,” said Huntley. For new drivers, substitutes, and even seasoned drivers on an unfamiliar route, Tyler Drive empowers driver confidence and supports more efficient routing.

Bus drivers at West Ada SD are also supported with Tyler’s advanced solutions, which are designed to meet the complex needs of large districts. For example, the district uses Advanced Activity Trips to plan, execute, and invoice a trip from start to finish. And the user interface is easy for their drivers to pick up.

“Since it mirrors the routing software, drivers do not need to learn a separate system to successfully operate a trip,” said Huntley. These solutions help set drivers up for success, giving them tools to complete their routes safely and efficiently.

Tyler’s Suite of Integrated Student Transportation Tools

The data that supports school transportation operations is complex, and connecting all the technology districts use can be cumbersome. To help transportation departments put the pieces together, Tyler Technologies’ Student Transportation solutions offer a one-stop shop for everything from routing, fleet maintenance, and activity trips to parent communication, GPS, and telematics.

And when your students require more specific or custom solutions to meet their needs, Tyler is committed to supporting integrations with your other transportation technology vendors through the Onboard iPaaS network.

To learn more about how Tyler’s integrated software and seamless connections can support your large transportation operations, register for their upcoming webinar.

The post 5 Ways Large Districts Can Improve Transportation Operations with Technology appeared first on School Transportation News.

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.

The post Tips & Tricks: Drive Adoption & Use of Parent Communication Apps appeared first on School Transportation News.

When integrating new technology into one’s fleet of school transportation vehicles, it’s important to get the thoughts and perspective of the district’s information technology department, as transportation directors recently shared.

For instance, Ron Johnson said the transportation department for Indian Prairie School District #204 in Illinois engages IT when resources or software need to be installed in a computer. But Johnson, the district’s director of support operations, noted that transportation doesn’t necessarily involve IT heavily in the vendor selection process, though it does seek input.

When Indian Prairie was implementing Tyler Drive tablets, he said transportation involved IT because there were resources that transportation needed on the server regarding data.

“We wanted to make sure that our current setup was supportive of the new data coming in,” Johnson said, adding that prior to the tablets transportation staff were only getting about 78 percent of GPS data and wanted to make sure the server could handle the additional 30 percent. “They assist us in implementation pitfalls.”

Because its camera system is not cloud-based, he said the district’s tech team will be involved in installing the software for the live viewing and remote downloading. “They’ll be involved with that piece, and they know what’s coming but they’re not a decision maker,” Johnson explained.

He added that it’s important, however, to work with one’s technology department because they’re supporting and tracking a lot of the data processing.

However, he noted that the need to implement new resources, like a new server or additional bandwidth training, is coordinated directly with the vendors.

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Related: Read more about school transportation technology “superusers” in the September edition of School Transportation News magazine.

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Meanwhile, Trace Johnson, unrelated to Ron, is the director of student routing and technologies for Palmer Bus Services. He noted that when looking into implementing GPS and routing software, the company sought systems that had an existing partnership, like Zonar and Transfinder. This, he said, eliminated having to rope in the IT department to integrate the two systems.

“Since those two companies already do that for us, that was just a huge selling point in partnering with both,” he said, adding that he reaches out to the vendor support teams to assist with any issues that arise.

Palmer’s Johnson noted that IT gets involved when there’s an issue with the computers or servers and they need to pull the Transfinder or Zonar data. He added the tech department is also works the bus camera systems, if they’re not recording properly, for example.

He noted that technology adoption conversations take place between Johnson, the company’s CEO Jenna Fromm, CFO Chris Champlin and COO Shane Johnson (Trace’s father), as well as the head fleet mechanic, when the system deals with the maintenance of vehicles.

For Fort Mills School District in South Carolina, Transportation Specialist Matthew Purvis said building a coalition by partnering with the school board, district representatives, safety departments, and IT department enhances safety in transportation.

“Our IT department is critical to meeting our network security requirements to keep our students and drivers safe and to ensure that our systems are compatible, reliable, and work when we need them,” Purvis said.

School bus contractor Krapf Bus and its operations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey handle things differently. Vendor partner Eagle Wireless, a regional distributor of Geotab solutions, acts as the company’s on-board technology consulting and management service.

“It’s a nice value-added, it’s actually fantastic,” said Dan Jauch, VP of operations for Krapf Bus. “If I need a timecard report generated to verify payroll, I don’t need an in-house person to do it. All I do is call up Eagle Wireless, tell them what I need, they create the report for us and provide it. They are not only a dealer, but they’re like a sales and support service. It eliminates the need for us to have like a true full-time dedicated resource to manage all the on-board technology. When I say onboard technology, I mean, all the IT equipment that’s on the actual vehicles.”

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Jauch added that Krapf Bus has a personal relationship with Eagle Wireless, and it’s not just a “transactional experience.” “If we need something, they act as an advisor in terms of all of our onboard technology,” he continued.

He noted that it eliminates him having to search the Geotab Marketplace for solutions. Instead, he can explain the situation to Eagle Wireless, and its representatives can provide solutions that would fit the ask.

“They essentially went and found that solution for us and did all the integration and set it up,” Jauch explained. “So, from our standpoint, it works great for us because we would need a full-time resource to do all that, where now we get all that benefit by using them as our dealer. They’re giving us full not only sales, but full service.”

Jauch said full support from Eagle Wireless includes installations, repairs, guidance, trouble shooting, service, reporting, finding different solutions, and partnering with new solutions. He added that Krapf does have its own installation crew.

Josh Blackmun, president of Eagle Wireless, added that each support approach includes a dedicated care rep that provides one-on-one access to training, rules/report customization, accident reconstruction, device troubleshooting and more. He added that the same Eagle Wireless reps for both sales and support have worked with Krapf since 2011, when the companies’ partnership began.

The post Transportation Technology Super Users Share Benefits of Working with IT Departments appeared first on School Transportation News.