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Transportation director: ridership down slightly, stop‑arm enforcement yields reports to patrol
Summary
Director Shane Gardner summarized operations: about 110 buses, roughly 3,500 students transported daily, GPS and QR-scanning systems in use, staffing improved after incentives, and stop-arm enforcement produced about 100 observed violations with ~30 pursued to highway patrol so far.
Shane Gardner, director of transportation, reported operational metrics and safety efforts to the board. Gardner said the district operates roughly 110 yellow buses, 33 activity buses, seven service trucks, three fuel trucks and a wrecker, and that "our yellow buses travel around 900,000 miles per year and we serve approximately 3,500 children each day." He said ridership is slightly below last year’s levels (about 3,700–3,800) and that recruitment improved after incentives and raises.
Gardner described technology and safety features in the fleet: a six-camera system on every bus, CalAmp Synovia GPS telematics on all vehicles, and new QR-code scanners that allow staff to scan students when boarding for better tracking. He described coordination with law enforcement and Superintendent staff on stop-arm enforcement and said the system captured about 100 stop-arm incidents; of those, the department has reported roughly 30 cases to state highway patrol that were "actually pursuable." Gardner also described regular 30-day safety inspections for every bus and an annual state inspector review of a random sample.
Board members asked about stop-arm enforcement follow-up and route changes; Gardner said the department reviews camera footage, assesses driver performance and can change routes or stops where safety concerns are identified. He said the district runs 10 contract buses for exceptional children and special needs runs and that the agency schedules quarterly drug testing and post-accident testing through a local partner.
Gardner described equipment challenges and long lead times: the district retains buses up to 20 years or 300,000 miles as required by state rules, he said, and new buses now cost roughly $145,000–$150,000 each. He described cold-weather preparations, crank-starting buses before the first early morning runs, and ongoing maintenance to keep older fleet units operational.
Ending: Gardner said staffing was stronger than earlier in the year and that the department will continue recruitment incentives, safety monitoring and partnership with law enforcement on stop-arm violations.
