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Guilderland transportation director outlines safety upgrades, routing changes and electric-bus plans
Summary
Craig Lipps, the district's transportation director, told the board on Oct. 22 that Guilderland operates 68 routes serving about 4,800 riders and is upgrading GPS, routing and camera systems, citing roughly 17 daily stop-arm violations and plans to introduce Bluebird electric buses.
Craig Lipps, Guilderland Central School District’s transportation director, detailed bus-safety measures and fleet upgrades during the board meeting on Oct. 22. He said the district runs 68 bus routes transporting about 4,800 students and drives more than 1,000,000 miles annually across its service area.
Lipps highlighted recent technology improvements intended to improve safety and communications. "We upgraded our GPS units this year. We have Geotab...the devices themselves didn't cost the district anything," he said, adding that the system helps track driver behavior and vehicle health and has helped the district prevent several breakdowns.
He also described adoption of a modern routing and management platform (Transfinder) to replace an aging routing system. Lipps said the new system lets staff verify route safety and bus-stop locations, account for student ridership, and give better communications to parents, with phased rollout of real-time arrival notifications.
Addressing stop-arm enforcement, Lipps noted that Albany County’s bus-patrol camera program, installed on Guilderland buses in February 2023, issued over 3,000 violations last year — about 17 per day — and remains a major source of stop-arm enforcement. "The recording clearly shows the vehicle running the reds while students are getting on or off the bus, and that is the most dangerous time," he said.
On fleet choices, Lipps said the district is returning to Bluebird buses, which include standard safety features such as backup cameras and electronic stability control. He said Guilderland is preparing to receive its first electric Bluebird buses, noting that other jurisdictions have begun transitions to electric school fleets and that electric vehicles reduce student exposure to diesel fumes.
Lipps closed by urging the community to obey stop arms and watch for children at bus stops. "The safest way back and forth to school for these kids is on the school bus," he said. He also reminded the audience that the district is hiring bus drivers and emphasized professional-development and onboarding improvements for transportation staff.
The presentation included historical context, daily operational statistics, safety-enforcement data and near-term technical rollouts; there was no formal board action tied to the presentation.
