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Forest Hills still short on bus drivers; TransFinder stop app rollout incomplete
Summary
District transportation staff told the board they are still beginning many days short of five drivers, have three candidates in the hiring pipeline and that the TransFinder stop‑finder app’s stop list and notifications function but GeoZone parent‑proximity features are not yet being pushed district‑wide.
Forest Hills Public Schools transportation staff told the board the district continues to face driver shortages and is using multiple recruitment and technology fixes while seeking long‑term relief.
Staff reported the district “is still starting five drivers down every morning,” and said three potential hires are in the pipeline — one pending final state approval and two nearing the end of training. The district also held a recent bus‑driver rally that brought more applicants than expected and a Turpin High School teacher expressed willingness to obtain a commercial license to help with after‑school runs.
Why it matters: continuing driver shortages can disrupt daily operations, after‑school activities and special‑event transportation. The board discussed both near‑term staffing and technical measures to reduce parent calls and confusion.
On technology, staff said TransFinder’s stop‑finder feature now lists bus stops correctly and the notification module has “dramatically decreased” parent phone calls. A third TransFinder capability, the GeoZone feature that notifies parents when a child is approaching home, has not been fully rolled out. Staff cautioned GeoZone relies on accurate on‑bus hardware and the district is completing a staged rollout to avoid premature or incorrect notifications.
Transportation staff warned of a technical problem during ongoing route edits: when a route edit is saved it can push new times to parents immediately and produce confusing or incorrect notifications; staff said they are working with TransFinder to suppress interim edits until routes are finalized.
Board members and staff discussed creative local solutions for coverage, such as recruiting secondary teachers (particularly at Anderson and Turpin) for some driving duties, and acknowledged state requirements that limit staff from driving district buses without proper credentials.
The district also noted a resolution to purchase buses through the EPC consortium was on the consent agenda, and staff recommended the board approve the transportation items as presented. There was no recorded formal vote in the transcript of this session.
