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BPS credits Zoom bus‑tracking for routing savings; district readies RFP on stop‑arm cameras
Summary
Transportation officials told the council the Zoom tracking app produced more accurate ridership data and enabled route efficiencies that should save at least $1 million next year; BPS and city partners said they are preparing an RFP for stop‑arm cameras after a state law change.
BPS transportation staff told the City Council on April 15 that real‑time bus tracking introduced last fall has given the district reliable ridership data and supported route changes expected to yield at least $1.0 million in savings for FY27.
Transportation director Dan Rosencada said the Zoom app allowed BPS to identify roughly 2,000 students who were consistently not riding their assigned buses. About 1,000 of those students proactively opted out this year after school and family outreach; another 1,000 retain seats but do not consistently ride. Rosencada said routing changes driven by that data have already reduced the system’s number of bus stops by about 4% and improved on‑time performance.
Rosencada also told the committee that the district’s transportation advisory council recommended a procedure to pause bus assignments for students who do not ride; the district expects to implement a pausing procedure in the spring to make next year’s routing more efficient.
Why it matters: BPS said the change both improves service reliability and reduces costs. The district reported FY25 transportation spending at about $180 million and projected the FY26 transportation allocation at about $188 million; officials said the year‑to‑year increase reflects union wage changes and other contractual commitments.
Costs and ROI: BPS said the Zoom contract was a three‑year procurement: about $1.3 million in year one (implementation and hardware) and roughly $548,000 annually thereafter. Transportation officials said the non‑ridership opt‑out and routing efficiencies are expected to produce at least $1.0 million in savings next year, and possibly more as routing continues to change.
Stop‑arm cameras: Rosencada said BPS is working with Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Police Department on how to implement stop‑arm cameras after a recent state law change and hopes to release a request for proposals soon. The district emphasized work with city partners to design an approach that fits Boston’s needs.
Athletics and coverage: Rosencada said scheduling and operational changes have resulted in “100% athletics coverage” since February; the district is maintaining contingency vendors and backup transportation options to avoid uncovered trips.
The committee asked how much of the transportation budget is supported by grants for bus purchases; BPS said recent electric bus purchases were funded primarily with federal grant awards (roughly $60 million in grants to date) and that bus capital purchases did not increase materially in city operating allocations. Rosencada said the district continues to work on contract language to provide more predictable driver hours for athletics and extracurricular coverage.
No votes were taken by the council during this presentation.
