School districts investing in bus routing software know it is a financially beneficial decision that also increases student safety. These two positive attributes of school transportation software make fleet management simpler and more organized.
GPS tracking, which may be included in your school bus management system, is one of the many features that is difficult to learn without training. However, formal training is advised in order to unlock the full value of your route optimization software.
As industry professionals often say, complete working knowledge of your software allows you to design the most efficient bus routes and accurately track vehicles.
Why Do Some Districts Skip Training For Bus Routing Software?
Many school districts that purchase bus routing software want to save money, and they believe eliminating training costs is a smart way to do so. What these districts don’t understand is that the only way to get the most out of your route optimization software is to understand how to use it.
Believing they can set up, learn and train others on the software by themselves, school districts often realize their mistake after wasting a lot of time on their own. Unfortunately, administrators and those using the software almost never fully understand it without learning how to operate the program through training.
A few reasons it’s difficult to learn school transportation software without training include:
- Not understanding the program from the beginning
- Procrastinating because learning the program is a major endeavor
- Not having enough time to learn the most important features
- Dedicating time to focus on just learning the program
Instead of cutting back on spending for the tools people need to do their jobs most effectively, the best way to save time and money is to buy training along with the software purchase.
Timing your training along with your software purchase usually results in upfront discounts. The ability to train all of your school district’s potential users from the beginning also makes this the most efficient process.
Advanced Training For Route Optimization Software
School districts that complete the recommended training for bus routing software find it so helpful they often return for additional advanced training.
Scheduling more training is also a beneficial decision when your school district hires new administrators and software users.
Because there are so many features included in vehicle tracking software, it often takes one or two rounds of training to understand how to use each feature.
Undergoing training allows users to:
- Upload maps and student data to the system
- Signify where a student boards or gets off the bus
- Map bus routes more efficiently
- Designate dangerous areas such as sex offender residences, drug zones and gang zones
- Configure bus travel restrictions for more accurate routing
Training Options For School Transportation Software
When deciding on the best way to train your school district’s future software users, it’s understandable to want different options.
The most efficient training available is instructor-led onsite training. This normally takes three days totaling 20 to 24 hours and is conducted using your school district’s real data, including student information and routes, preloaded on the system.
While onsite training is by far the most effective, it’s important to find a software provider who conducts this training for a reasonable price, as some providers are not affordable for most school districts.
Another way to receive the instruction you need is to conduct online training. An instructor leads three-hour sessions and connects remotely to your school district’s system. This option also allows for the use of real, pre-loaded data.
There are three other options that allow users to continually learn bus routing programs:
- A dashboard included with the software that shows issues and how to address them within the program
- A full user guide with videos
- Free webinars when new versions of the software are released
While purchasing GPS tracking and route optimization software is a smart decision for school districts working to make their transportation systems safer and more efficient, saving money by skipping training is not advisable.
Receiving The Full Benefits Of Bus Routing Software
BusBoss’s software support contract covers detailed assistance for school districts that have purchased training, meaning those that skip training are limited to single, shortened explanations when calling for support.
Purchasing a new software system without being able to access important features limits users from using bus routing software to its full potential. If tracking software is right for your school district, be sure to receive its full benefits.
Ready to learn how fleet management and route optimization software fit within your transportation agenda? Call 866-740-8994 to speak with an experienced industry professional or click here to access a live chat and receive help. 
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