Lewisville ISD hears bus contractor’s plan to improve on‑time service amid driver shortage

Trustees on Feb. 3 heard a detailed update from Texas Central School Bus about steps the contractor is taking to reduce late and combined school bus runs across Lewisville Independent School District.

Jason Walker, president and CEO of Texas Central School Bus, said elementary routes are arriving on time more than 90% of mornings and afternoons but the high‑school tier is strained by a 35‑minute bell‑time gap and long travel distances. Walker and operations staff pointed to staffing and route geometry as primary causes and outlined immediate actions including consolidating roughly 20 routes (about 10 already completed), reallocating 10 domicile drivers to cover gaps, adding two van routes for lengthy special‑education trips, and accelerating driver recruiting and training.

The vendor proposed a communication plan of daily reports to district staff and principals: a 7:30 a.m. update on routes that started more than 10 minutes late, a 9:30 a.m. post‑AM summary, and a 6 p.m. end‑of‑day per‑school performance report. The vendor also said it is increasing recruiting throughput and expects roughly four weeks from hire to a fully trained driver (40 hours of classroom instruction plus about three weeks of behind‑the‑wheel training).

Trustees pressed the contractor on details. Trustee Lassonde asked whether the vendor uses GIS routing tools (the vendor said it uses a routing partner and is updating routes mid‑year as ridership patterns change). Board members asked about driver accountability; Walker said GPS and dash‑cam data are used to investigate late runs and adverse driving behaviors and to apply corrective actions where warranted. The presentation noted collective‑bargaining terms limit some incentive programs for drivers and that safety concerns have made the vendor cautious about pay‑for‑performance schemes.

The company said its ridership studies show about 54% of eligible students ride district buses, and that consolidations aim to align routes with actual ridership, reduce variance from day to day and improve reliability. The contractor also outlined plans to reassign drivers to prioritize special‑education routes that have shown the worst on‑time performance and to consider stipends for overnight trip coverage that otherwise pull drivers from daily routes.

Trustees and staff asked the vendor to provide more granular feeder‑pattern and school‑level reports and to confirm the mix of CDL and non‑CDL drivers assigned to van versus bus routes. The district said it will partner with the vendor on communications with parents and on any short‑term reconfigurations, and that some changes will be timed to be least disruptive to families.

The update did not include any formal board action; trustees expressed appreciation for the vendor’s plan and requested follow‑up data and more specific timelines for driver hires and route changes.