District reports 8,100 daily riders; new tech and vehicle types added to fleet

Missy Brock, the district’s transportation lead, told the School District 49-5 Board of Education that the transportation system carries just over 8,100 students daily and operates roughly 345 routes.

“Each day the transportation department and School Bus Inc transports just over 8,100 students to and from school on approximately 345 routes,” Brock said, and added the department employs about 90 drivers, 40 bus aides and seven office staff to support operations.

Brock described a range of services and changes implemented since 2021, including adding minivans and minibuses after a previous contractor closed, introducing real-time bus tracking in 2022 and rolling out new camera systems to buses. Brock said more than 42% of families eligible for bus service use the district’s stop-finder app and that School Bus Inc has added a communication tool called Bus Bulletin and an administrative product called Bus Hive for field-trip requests.

Brock gave a breakdown of specialized routes and fee-based busing: roughly 200 elementary students and 175 middle school students ride fee-based routes for specialized programs at sites that include Sonia Sotomayor, Robert Frost, Eugene Field, Rosa Parks, Hayward, Edison and Patrick Henry. She also listed tripper-route signups at the four high schools: 132 at Washington, 127 at Lincoln, 247 at Roosevelt and 296 at Jefferson.

Brock described safety and equipment upgrades: the district has added a camera system called Armor on about 40 buses and plans capital outlay funding over five years to equip all buses with that software. Fleet counts Brock provided included six minibuses, 42 traditional-style buses, 59 transit-style buses and 13 minivans, with two additional multifunction activity buses and three Type C buses ordered.

Board members asked questions about future service areas and vehicle features. Brock said new elementary school service is assigned within an existing bus area and that the district does not expect system expansion beyond current service areas tied to new buildings. On multifunction activity buses, Brock said they are used primarily for in-state band and athletics trips and described their features—individual seat climate controls, reading lights and charging ports—with plans to add Wi-Fi. “It gives you a little bit more affordable option,” a School Bus Inc representative said.

Brock reported that a nationwide driver shortage affected the district but that School Bus Inc was fully staffed by January after combining and later splitting routes; the general education transportation budget is “just under $5,100,000” and special education transportation is “just under $3,600,000,” Brock said.

The board moved to acknowledge the transportation report during the meeting.