Bus Routing Cheat Sheet: Is Your School Ready for Opening Day?

Summer Vacation is, of course, never a real vacation if you're a school administrator. (Although not having kids constantly underfoot is nice.) Parents and students often don't understand how much work is involved in ensuring a school is ready for the first day of classes in the fall.

School bus routes are a perfect example of this: No one stops to think how much work goes into creating bus routes; parents just send their kids off to the bus stop and assume they'll reach the school safely.

However, in realistic terms, there may not be a bigger or more stressful single job than ensuring your buses are ready for opening day.

So, are your buses ready for the new term?

Questions To Ask Before Implementing Your New Bus Routes

1 - Do I have fully accurate student data?

Bus routes are only as good as the data they're working off of. You should especially be concerned about the possibility of last-minute transfers. Generally speaking, routes made even just a few days before the start of the next term may be outdated by the time your doors open.

Either way, if you have any question whatsoever about your student records, get on the phone and try to confirm them before you put the stamp on your routes.

2 - Are the parents properly notified of route changes?

When compiling your student data, it's vital to keep track of which students will be using different bus stops than they did in the previous term. As you lay out your routes and stops, it's vital to communicate any changes to affected families.

While last-minute transfers may create problems here, generally speaking, you should advise parents as far ahead of time as is feasible, to give them adequate time to plan their own schedules.

3 - Do I have easy to use bus routing software?

Because of how often students move, and how quickly migrations can change your bus route plans, trying to do your routes manually just isn't good enough any more.

An easy to use school bus routing program is virtually a requirement to stay on top of your bus routing needs, as well as potentially saving months of hard work. Route optimization software, designed to lay out multiple routes at once, can do in seconds what it used to take an entire summer to figure out.

Beyond that, bus software can be tied directly to your student records, making updates simple as your school's enrollment changes.

4 - Do I know where my buses are?

Especially if you have a large fleet, there may be no better pre-term preparation than adding GPS tracking units to your buses. This technology - now over two decades old - is affordable, easy to use, and virtually ensures you never lose a bus again.

GPS tracking software can give you a real-time picture of your buses at every point in their routes, accurate within a few feet with live updates.

This also makes life far easier for your drivers, since their in-bus navigation units will have their current routes programmed in. Even if last-minute changes have to be made to your maps, the integrated GPS system will ensure your drivers always know where they need to go.

5 - Are we ready to track bus performance?

Your bus fleet is a huge expenditure, and one which should be carefully monitored to reduce waste. While you almost certainly have measures in place to track the use of your buses, at least up to state reporting requirements, there's far more you can do to evaluate their cost-effectiveness.

Everything from the mileage on their routes, to unexpected speed limit changes (such as around construction zones) and excess idling, to their tire's air pressure can all affect the daily cost of running your fleet.

Having a system in place to track your bus data will make ongoing fleet optimization far easier, as well as giving you early warnings about potential maintenance problems before they become costly breakdowns.

6 - Who gets to handle parent calls?

If your school district doesn't have a designated Transportation Administrator, or similar title, who's directly responsible to parents and administrators, it's probably time to establish one.

A single empowered point of contact reduces administrative burdens, and prevents concerned parents from clogging up the system. If this administrator has a good set of bus tracking software at their disposal, they'll be able to quickly and easily clear up any miscommunications between the school, drivers, students, and/or parents.

Orbit Software Makes Busing Simple

If it's time for a change in how your district handles its bus routing, Orbit Software is here to help! Our award-winning BusBoss suite is the easiest-to-use and most affordable bus routing system on the market. Contact us today for a free demonstration!