LoginUsing School Bus Routing to Improve Workplace Culture, Retain Drivers
Two seasoned student transportation directors shared how utilizing routing technology can help build a positive workplace culture and reduce school bus driver shortages plaguing student transporters today.
Adrian Frierson, director of transportation for Hanover County Public Schools in Virginia, has been in student transportation since 2007, including serving as transportation specialist for the Virginia Department of Education for eight years.
Duane Peterson, transportation director for Jackson County Schools and past president of the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation, started his career driving a school bus in 1986.
Both transportation directors agreed during a Tuesday webinar presented by School Transportation News that efforts like providing healthy wages, social media praise for one bus driver a week, and a Bus Driver of the Year program can boost the team culture.
They both utilize banners, social media, signup referrals, and bonuses to recruit drivers.
“It all comes down to the culture of people saying, “I want to work here,’” Peterson declared.
“Everyone loves encouragement,” agreed Tammy Cook, senior transportation advisor for webinar sponsor and school bus technology provider TransAct Communications.
Frierson noted that it’s important to have adequate staff and equipment to deal with a routine day’s work as well as unexpected events.
Why Route Building is Important
Operationally, Peterson shared that route building was crucial. He said using two- or three-tiered routing and building routes that could easily be taken on by another school bus driver were effective ways to deal with unexpected staff callouts.
“We cut about 30 routes, which gained 30 drivers for other routes,” he related.
Furthermore, he said switching from door-to-door transportation to assigned stops helps improve efficiencies and provide enough drivers for regular and field trip routes. Making sure routes are full but not overloaded helps keep driver stress low and satisfaction up.
“It all comes back to the culture in your department, that you’re supporting your drivers while staying efficient,” he stated.
Frierson agreed that smart and efficient routing helps drivers feel safe and unrushed, contributing to a good workplace culture.
How Technology Can Help
Having tablets loaded with turn-by-turn directions was initially met with apprehension but has become a favorite with his school bus drivers, Peterson said. It helps the drivers confidently take over a route that needs to be covered, since the information is right at their fingertips. It also provides support for his school bus drivers if a parent claims their stop was skipped and proves that administration has the employee’s back.
With students being added to routes throughout the school year, Peterson noted the importance of families notifying the transportation department that their child needs service before sending them to the bus stop on their first day, which contributes to overcrowding and driver stress. Use the technology to everyone’s benefit, he advised.
Reevaluating routes annually can help uncover new efficiencies, Frierson said, a tactic he learned from his previous school district experience.
Cook underscored the importance of taking a step back and being creative to discover new efficiencies. TransAct’s Sandbox feature, for example, allows users to experiment with and preview changes before making them live, which Frierson said he finds helpful.
“You have to figure out a way to utilize your resources within the time you have,” he said.
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Cook also advised using software-created stop consolidation and walk zones along with review and insight from transportation staff to ensure the stops are safe. Peterson confirmed that this technique helped cut down route times and free up a driver for another route.
TransAct has multiple ways to build or upload routes, Cook affirmed, including capturing them while being driven.
Having one integrated technology platform has been helpful, Peterson added. This way, a new student can be added in the morning and show up on the parent app and bus route immediately.
Tips and Techniques
“Seconds add up to minutes, and minutes add up to being on time or being late,” quipped Frierson. He advised opening dialogue with stakeholders, including parents, teachers and coaches, to make sure any routing changes work well for them too.
In answering an attendee question about how to incentivize drivers to accept new routes, Frierson confirmed that he offers them bonuses to do so.
Cook stated that using technology to quickly determine which students are eligible for transportation makes it easier for staff to include them on bus routes.
Monthly headcounts help purge students who are signed up to ride but never do, Peterson said. That process changes to weekly after a sports season ends, as the transportation department works to avoid both bus overcrowding and overlong routes.
To deal with callouts, both transportation directors said they have implemented “floaters” to act as substitute drivers. Peterson shared that monitors are primarily on special needs routes, and several of them have their CDLs as well.
Both directors said sports team coaches are looking to drive school buses while drivers are being recruited to also work kitchen and custodial roles. But getting teachers to drive buses can interfere with their contracts and hours.
The post Using School Bus Routing to Improve Workplace Culture, Retain Drivers appeared first on School Transportation News.
Peterson started driving a school bus in 1986 while he was still in high school, where he drove for several years in the Athens, Georgia, area. After completing secondary school, he did his student teaching at Alps Road Elementary. He entered the private sector for several years before joining Oconee County Schools in 2005. He was Route Coordinator for a year before moving to Director of Transportation. He stayed there before joining Jackson County Schools in March of 2023 as Transportation Director, where he is still employed. Peterson is currently on the Executive Board of GAPT and a member of NASDPTS. He is married with 3 children and one grandchild with one more on the way.
Hanover County Public Schools has approximately 17,000 students and 24 schools operating within 2 tiers. They employ 190 bus drivers and 70 other support staff & administrative staff. Hanover County is located within the Greater Richmond Region.
Before joining the TransACT team, Cook founded the App-Garden and led her team to create the Travel Tracker field trip product. She has worked extensively with K-12 school districts for over 30 years in finance and school transportation.
Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds a MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.
Bartek has more than 20 years’ experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams to success in projects across varied domains such as distributed energy resources (DER), IT, and traditional utility infrastructure including pioneering microgrid and advanced energy storage projects. Prior to ENGIE, he held multiple roles at San Diego Gas & Electric. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Ben Moebes currently leads a sales team that brings 5G connectivity to the Public Sector at Ericsson. He is an award-winning leader with a track record of successes in leading the continued growth of IT sales organizations such as Versa, Aerohive and Ruckus Networks. His background includes breaking new ground in global markets resulting in record breaking revenue metrics and highly profitable new partnerships with major organizations.
Jim Kerr’s technology and marketing experience spans more than 40 years. His skills and capabilities include project management in the area of voice/data communications systems design, selection, and implementation integration, as well as facilities and wiring design, systems integration, and financial analysis. He has placed particular emphasis over the last 25 years on the FCC’s E-rate program and the K-12 education vertical. Since 2009 Kerr has been the Principal Consultant/Owner of KB & Assoc. KB & Assoc. provides E-Rate marketing and consulting services as well as access to its E-Rate SaaS ErateProfitWorks, to Service Providers and Manufacturers. His clients were awarded over $300,000,000 in E-Rate applications in 2023.
In his role, Ballard is responsible for developing and executing Kajeet’s market-based strategies working in conjunction with Kajeet’s sales, technical, finance and leadership teams. Ballard has over 30 years of experience in Technology Leadership and Strategy, including the last 7+ years with Kajeet, at which time he was instrumental in building Kajeet’s SmartBus Solution as well as other key initiatives including Kajeet’s current E-Rate efforts.
Will McDermott started his career as a special education teacher in 2002. In 2006, McDermott wrote the program description for and received approval from the Illinois State Board of Education to start Hopewell Career Academy, a non-public special education school located in New Lenox, IL. At the time, Hopewell Career Academy was an innovative approach to alternative education, it was one of the first private therapeutic schools that integrated academic standards, social-emotional learning, and career development for students with emotional disabilities.
Dr. Susan King is an experienced special educator, researcher, and professor based in the Washington, D.C area. Prior to obtaining her doctoral degree, Dr. King was a special educator in one of the largest school districts in the Washington, D.C. area. Dr. King has been an assistant professor at Juniata College and faculty member at The George Washington University. Her expertise is in assessment, teacher training, behavior management and working with families of students with special needs. She recently completed post-doctoral education at Harvard University in “Making Change.”
Laura Greene-Halley is a critical member of First Student’s safety leadership and FirstServes teams, and in her current role as Senior Director of Safety Performance and Improvement, she develops and implements ground-breaking innovation, safety strategies, and sustainable plans for over 440 locations across the United States and Canada. She has presented internationally to safety leadership coaches on becoming influential advocates for safety.