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Transportation leaders detail heavy mileage, long routes and Transfinder issues; board urged to support vehicles and staffing
Summary
Transportation staff reported very long daily routes (up to 385 miles), high annual fleet mileage (about 622,800 miles), improved fleet age but continuing staffing and tablet/Transfinder issues; the department proposed three additional yellow buses and ongoing Transfinder optimization.
The district's transportation presentations laid out operational pressures and a three‑year plan to improve route efficiency, vehicle reliability and staffing.
A transportation presenter reported the district ran roughly 19 daily yellow routes and produced about 622,800 route miles last year, which averages roughly 32,000 miles per bus (noting large variation by route). He said the longest mainstream daily route can be about 352 miles and the longest special needs route 385 miles per day.
The director said fleet age has improved with a projected 59% of the fleet in the zero‑to‑five‑year range by 2026–27 and a reduced share of buses more than 10 years old, but high mileage and long rural routes continue to strain equipment. The department currently operates approximately 22 district‑owned yellow buses and 14 white fleet units; leased buses remain available for surge needs.
Assistant Director Timothy Ford presented a three‑year vision to reduce student ride time, improve route efficiency using Transfinder data, enhance preventive maintenance and add vehicle replacement planning and staffing. Ford said the department plans to procure three additional yellow fleet units next year and to incorporate white‑fleet maintenance under centralized oversight.
Board members pressed the team for an update on Transfinder reliability: staff explained they are working with the vendor to decide whether crashes are tablet memory/buffering issues or connection problems and expected a software update before the school year. For very poor village roads, staff said they currently use smaller 'mini' vehicles and rely on on‑site mechanics to keep service running.
The board also discussed driver recruitment and training; staff reported improvements in morale and some internal upskilling of bus aids into certified drivers. No formal procurement votes were held at the retreat; the department's vehicle requests and Transfinder follow‑up were entered for future board action.
