In the heart of rural Tennessee, Stewart County Schools spans over 400 square miles, with just two traffic lights and a student population of around 1,900.
For decades, the district’s transportation system relied on the experience and memory of longtime Transportation Director Eric Watkins, who knows every road, house, and student by heart. But as Watkins contemplates retirement, he realized the next person in his role wouldn’t have the same institutional knowledge. That’s when Transfinder entered the picture—and changed everything.
“I’ve always said that my routing is in my head, but my head is getting very old,” he joked, “and it’s getting close to the time for me to call it quits here one of these days. I just said, ‘Listen, the next person that does my job is going to have something [Transfinder] because they don’t know where the roads are, they don’t know where the houses are, they don’t know where the kids are.”
Watkins had seen Transfinder at trade shows for years but always assumed it was too expensive for a small district like his. That changed when he met representatives from Transfinder, who walked him through the full package and pricing.
Watkins took the proposal to the school board with a clear message: “You either do it today or you do it when I leave. But at some point, you’re going to have to do it because I’m not going to be here forever.”
He successfully made his case and “they let me have the entire package,” he said.
Watkins was so confident in Transfinder’s award-winning solutions that he told the board that the technology would save enough money to pay for itself.
He was right.
One of the first major wins came from route optimization. Stewart County operates 32 bus routes, transporting about 1,500 students daily. With Transfinder’s GPS and mapping tools, Watkins could see exactly where each student lived, when they were picked up, and how long each route took.
This visibility is helping him consolidate routes without cutting jobs. When a driver announced an upcoming retirement, Watkins uses Routefinder PLUS to see where he can combine routes among existing drivers.
Watkins said he could easily adjust nearby routes and start shifts 15 minutes earlier which will essentially absorb that route. That single change eliminated the need to hire a replacement and saved enough money to cover the entire cost of Transfinder for the year.
But the savings didn’t stop there.
Using Transfinder’s fleet maintenance and inventory management tool Servicefinder, the district’s mechanics gained remote access to bus diagnostics. If a driver reports a warning light, the garage can instantly assess the issue and advise whether the bus can continue on its route or if it needs to be swapped out. This reduces downtime, avoids unnecessary dispatches, and keeps students on schedule.
Transfinder also helped improve fleet management. Watkins now monitors every bus on a 32-inch screen in his office, tracking location, speed, fuel levels, and more. Even buses on field trips 100 miles away are visible. This level of oversight has improved safety, accountability, and efficiency across the board.
The district is also rolling out Viewfinder, which allows school secretaries to instantly access bus assignments for students—no more radio calls or delays. “We’re in a different world now,” Watkins said. Now school officials can assist those elementary students about what bus to get on.
Tripfinder is another tool Watkins is excited about. Previously, the district used a separate system for field trip scheduling, but Tripfinder will allow drivers to log mileage and time directly, automatically generating invoices and sending them to payroll. It’s a seamless process that saves time and reduces paperwork.
Watkins also championed Stopfinder, a parent app that provides real-time bus tracking. “It was all me,” he said. “I want parents to have every bit of knowledge they can have. Plus, they won’t be calling me asking where the bus is.”
It’s a game-changer.
The impact of Transfinder on Stewart County Schools goes beyond savings. It’s about preparing the district for the future, improving safety, and serving the community more effectively. Watkins, who has served the district for 38 years, sees Transfinder as a legacy investment.
Watkins is sold on Transfinder.
“It’s been exactly what they told me it would be,” he said.
In a place where relationships matter and every dollar counts, Transfinder has proven to be more than just software—it’s a partner in progress.
To learn more about Transfinder’s award-winning solutions, call 800-373-3609, email solutions@transfinder.com or visit transfinder.com.
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