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Director outlines routing tech, ridership and fleet updates for district transportation
Summary
The district's transportation director reported on ridership, routing software, new buses and parent communications: 659 students were listed as transported, 1,247 signed up for service, GPS/tablets were installed, and the MyRide K12 parent app has roughly 360 users. The presentation was informational; no board action was taken.
Robin Lott, the district's director of transportation, presented the department's annual update to the Mt. Pleasant City School District Board of Education, describing recent operational changes, technology rollouts and fleet activity.
Lott told the board the department transported 659 students this year and currently has 1,247 students signed up for district transportation. She said the district finished installing new routing software and navigation tablets on buses, and Geotab GPS devices are now reporting bus location data to help schools and parents track buses and receive notifications.
Lott said the MyRide K12 parent app launched in August and currently has about 360 registered users; staff tested two-way messaging and reported ongoing follow-up with the vendor to ensure notifications appear as expected on users' phones. She also reported two new buses recently arrived (one in service and one pending final mechanical preparation), and that the district plans to list several older vehicles for public auction.
On fuel and energy, Lott described operational changes intended to reduce electric and fuel use — including a timed overnight plug-in schedule for buses — and estimated that the timer had been expected to yield about $3,000 in savings but noted that precise savings could not yet be confirmed because the bus parking circuit is on the middle school meter. She also reported overall changes in fuel costs and mileage for the year but characterized those figures as part of ongoing monitoring rather than final reconciled savings.
Lott highlighted workforce and training items: one staff member recently completed CDL training; two employees returned to transportation in new roles; and the department continues to recruit drivers, with an open recruitment event planned in December in partnership with Michigan Works.
The update was presented as information only; board members thanked the transportation team for outreach events (including “donuts with drivers”) and encouraged continued promotion of the parent app and recruitment activities. No formal action or vote was associated with the update.
The board’s next steps are informational review and follow-up with staff; any material procurement or policy items would return in a future meeting for formal action.
