A webinar showed how two school districts went beyond the yellow bus and utilized alternative transportation to serve vulnerable student populations.
Adam Gleicher, director of marketing for webinar sponsor HopSkipDrive and former public schools teacher, opened Thursday’s meeting by saying that the yellow bus is a starting point for most school districts but may not be the complete solution.
“This job is harder today than when I started,” declared Greg Dutton, senior transportation analyst for HopSkipDrive and former director of transportation for Renton School District in Washington.
He referenced HopSkipDrive’s State of School Transportation survey, which found current pressures include school bus driver shortages, tighter budgets, chronic student absenteeism, and growing student populations with specialized needs. Three in five bus routes have less than 50 percent ridership, he explained.
Dutton next reviewed the five main student transportation models and the strengths and weaknesses of each one:
Dutton said that, as a transportation director, he would start by trying to put a student on the yellow bus, then moving to alternative transportation if that didn’t work.
School buses do many things well, but they can’t go everywhere or serve all student needs, he underscored. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, he advised a “right vehicle for the right student” mindset, where buses and small vehicles each play a role so no students fall through the gaps and school bus drivers are better utilized.
Safety is the goal, but essential equipment such as booster seats are not guaranteed with transportation brokers or taxis, he noted. He encouraged leveraging multi-modal transportation to match each student with the best-fit vehicle considering turnaround time, in-ride experience and driver qualifications.
“HopSkipDrive was purpose-built for student transportation,” he emphasized.
One area where the company helps close gaps is for students covered under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Gleicher said.
The population of students experiencing homeless doubled in Sun Prairie Area School District in Wisconsin doubled since COVID-19, explained Claire Bergman, the district’s McKinney-Vento coordinator. She added that the taxis the district was using before its HopSkipDrive partnership often led safety concerns, ever-changing drivers, strained service and a stigma for the students who rode them.
As McKinney-Vento transportation is a federal law, budget can’t be an excuse, she said. She said she was able to assign certain students to separate vehicles to avoid interpersonal conflicts. Parents also have peace of mind, she said, since they know the drivers and can track their child’s ride to and from school.
Gleicher noted that HopSkipDrive’s six-hour turnaround time means rides are secured quickly with same-day or next-day fulfillment. Additionally, vetted CareDrivers are directly onboarded. They have trauma-informed care training and 15 years of caregiving experience on average.
5 Questions to Ask Student Transportation Partners
- When a student moves tonight, can you get them to school tomorrow?
- Who is actually behind the wheel? What are their qualifications — and how do you know?
- Once a ride starts, who is watching to make sure it goes as planned?
- Can my team manage and update rides without having to call someone?
- Are you licensed in the states where you operate, and are you the provider of record?
Mish-a-lay’ Johnson used HopSkipDrive to transport three students at Falls Church City Public Schools in Virginia and now uses it for 100 students in her current role as director of the office of pupil transportation and fleet management for nearby Alexandria City Public Schools
Like Bergman, Johnson also primarily uses the service to transport an ever-increasing McKinney-Vento student population. She praised the ability to build routes other than home-to-school, such as when a student attends therapy offsite. She can use it on her phone or share access with staff to make faster changes. When a fire temporarily displaced several families, she connected them with HopSkipDrive.
“It’s definitely been helpful for us,” she stated.
Related: (STN Podcast E299) Meeting Needs: Answering Questions on Alternative Student Transportation
Related: As School Bus Production Spikes, So Do Alternative Vehicles?
Related: Alternative School Transportation: Roadmap for Decision-Making For Children with Disabilities and Special Needs
Related: Multi-Modal Transportation Gains Momentum as Districts Seek Flexible, Cost-Effective Solutions
Gleicher reviewed HopSkipDrive’s alternative transportation offerings, which are designed to serve students with IEPs or experiencing homelessness, plus those going to career schools or after-school programs.
Dutton discussed the RouteWise AI routing intelligence and optimization technology, which can be used in addition to a district’s current routing software and lets staff model different cost-cutting solutions to avoid knee-jerk reactions to tightening budgets.
They shared that, with the help of RouteWise AI, Denver Public Schools increased small vehicle efficiency, saving over $500,000 in the 2023–2024 school year.
Dutton confirmed that HopSkipDrive can be a short- or long-term solution, and Gleicher specified that “you only pay for the rides you use.”
When it comes to funding, Bergman advised looking into Title 1 monies, as well as getting creative with state or local grants.
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