CINCINNATI, Ohio — More families in Illinois will be relying on First Student to provide the best start and finish to the school day. Granite City Community Unit School District (USD) #9 has selected First Student to manage and operate all school transportation services beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.
“The school bus is an extension of the classroom, and we want to provide our students with the best possible experience as they travel to and from school,” said Granite City Community USD #9 Superintendent Stephanie M. Cann. “First Student is known for providing high-quality transportation services with its top safety standards and innovative technology. We believe the company will be able to deliver solutions that really make a difference for our families.”
New state-of-the-art school buses with air conditioning will provide thousands of students with a more comfortable and secure ride to and from school. First Student is replacing all 68 buses in the district’s fleet. The buses will be equipped with the latest technology, including DriverHub. The onboard tablet technology provides bus drivers with advanced views of bus routes, turn-by-turn directions and real-time traffic updates.
“At First Student, we recognize a student’s journey to achieving their full potential starts on our school bus,” said First Student District Manager Aimee Sides. “By combining unmatched care with industry-leading technology and world class safety processes, we demonstrate our commitment to deliver exceptional service to our school district partners. We look forward to working with Granite City Community USD #9 to implement a modern approach to student transportation that will improve the ride to school.”
Over the course of the contract, Granite City Community USD #9 will leverage First Student’s full exclusive technology suite to enhance the bus-riding experience. With the FirstView District Dashboard and Parent App, school administrators can streamline daily decision-making through centralized, real-time fleet reporting and efficiently alert parents about school delays or issues through the secure bus-tracking app.
The district will also utilize two innovative web-based communications tools, FirstACTS and First Feedback. FirstACTS helps manage the process of tracking student conduct on the bus. First Feedback collects, addresses and tracks various comments from parents, school district officials and the community.
Bus routes for Granite City Community USD #9 will be developed by First Planning Solutions. The company’s dedicated routing division specializes in route optimization and analysis to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. First Student has more than 100 years of experience partnering with school districts to deliver forward-thinking student transportation solutions. The company has a strong presence and commitment to serve communities in Illinois with more than 40 locations across the state.
About First Student:
As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services, including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization, and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 40,000 buses. For more information, visit firststudentinc.com.
