Transportation director reports fleet, routing and driver recruitment progress; district to shift back to clean diesel buses

North Kansas City Schools transportation leaders told the school board on March 4 that the district has improved operations since the pandemic, is shifting the fleet strategy from compressed natural gas to clean diesel, and is investing in driver recruitment and routing technology.

Director Michael McClellan (transcript identifies him as Director McClellan/McClellan) said the district drove roughly 2.8 million miles last year and completed about 4,500 trips and activities, numbers he described as a return to pre-pandemic levels. He said the district's mechanics earned a Missouri Highway Patrol inspection score of 98.2% compared with a state average of 86%.

McClellan described a years-long experience with compressed natural gas buses that initially allowed the district to replace an aging fleet but now presents operational and cost challenges. He said CNG buses required expensive, specialty parts and compressors, and that the industry largely stopped producing CNG buses in February 2022. "Currently, this past year, we paid 27 a mile for diesel, and we're paying 29 a mile for CNG," McClellan said, explaining some of the comparative costs.

Because diesel technology has become more efficient and parts for diesel buses are widely available, McClellan said the district is transitioning back to clean diesel for new purchases. He also noted the board had approved acquiring additional diesel buses (presentation referenced a 35-bus purchase), and said the move will reduce maintenance part costs over time and allow the district to secure a full fleet with more standardized parts.

McClellan described other investments: the district now has 22 air-conditioned buses and plans to expand that number; it also is deploying routing tablets (40 devices reported) that provide turn-by-turn directions and passenger lists to assist newer drivers and improve after-school activity routing. He said these tablets will sync with the MyStop system to improve efficiency and reduce on-the-road confusion.

On staffing, McClellan said turnover has been steady and that a $20-per-hour target for driver pay improved recruiting; he described hiring fairs, a social-media recruiting push, and local outreach. He credited several long-tenured employees for volunteer snow-day support and recognized staff with employee-of-the-month and culture awards.

Board members praised the department's performance and the decision to keep the operation in-house rather than privatize routes. No formal procurement vote was recorded in the public presentation portion of the transcript; however, presenters said the board has agreed to additional diesel-bus purchases during budget and procurement discussions.

The transportation presentation closed after a question-and-answer period in which board members complimented the team's responsiveness and safety record.

McClellan said the shift to clean diesel and investments in technology aim to lower per-mile maintenance costs, improve driver support and scheduling, and make after-school routes more reliable.