CONCORD, N.C. – An STN EXPO East panel of student transporters shared how utilizing Transfinder’s technology suite has made their school bus operations safer and more efficient.
Improving Efficiency
Edgar Franco, assistant transportation director for Modesto City Schools in California, stated that technology has assisted with internal digitization, timeliness and streamlining communication between schools and the transportation department.
Christopher Faust, transportation director for Sangamon Valley Community Unit School District #9 in Illinois, noted that a district does not need to use Transfinder’s entire product suite since the Routefinder Plus routing software alone is powerful and convenient to also rapidly send parents relevant messages, as an example.
Kathleen Guarini, transportation coordinator for Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, and Elizabeth Cannata, supervisor of transportation for Haverhill Public Schools in Massachusetts, both agreed that a tech portal also eases the difficulties of driver shortages and substitutions. Guarini advised rolling out a tech stack slowly, so staff does not get overwhelmed and become averse to future integrations.
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Enhancing Safety, Accountability
“In an emergency situation, you need fast access to the data at your fingertips, and that’s what having an all-in-one platform is going to allow you to do,” stated panel facilitator and Transfinder Sales Engineer Shea Marstaller.
Cannata utilizes student RFID cards, which she said have been able to prevent lost-child debacles involving police and helicopters.
To help parents adopt the Stopfinder parent app, Franco advised “building a community, getting it out there and showing them [its] value.”
Guarini said Stopfinder has “been hugely impactful” especially during the first few weeks of school startup. She noted her eight dispatchers were spared having to field calls from parents of the 60,000-strong student population.
She also shared how the driver app Wayfinder provides directions via tablets which is much safer than drivers “searching for a piece of paper or dropping it, tucking it under [their] thigh while [they’re] trying to make the turns, so [they] can use two hands on the wheel.”
Leveraging Data, Statistics
Cannata noted a key performance indicator of the software is that it can show gaps in driver schedules, so one who is free can pick up a student who missed the bus and get them to school.
Guarini said that Transfinder’s team was able to find additional efficiencies when her district went from a three-tiered bell system to a five-tiered bell system. Additionally, she said she uses Formfinder for a special needs application that has saved her staff the workload of transferring 400 columns of data nightly for 3,000 students.
Franco stressed the importance of bringing in clean data to avoid messy problems down the road.
Cannata added that the technology assists with special needs routes.
“We have to separate who requires specialized transportation and what that specialized transportation is — be it a wheelchair, a 1-to-1 monitor, and anything like that,” she explained. “We have to have that inside of our end of year report and I’m able to simply filter, edit and I can get it within minutes. Pull my end of year report. It’s saved me from hours of going through each route individually to check.”
Rick Walterscheid, who spent 25 years as a transportation director and is now a sales executive with Transfinder, said using ServiceFinder in his district operations gave him actionable data for bus repairs and replacement cycles.
“What this enabled me to do was to put evidence into what I already knew because I kept the records,” he stated.
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Implementing Technology
Since school bus drivers on the roads everyday may have suggestions on route improvements, Franco said he layers planned routes and bus GPS data to compare them and determine if there is a way to optimize that route. Digitization has helped simplify things when drivers bring in notes on how their routes could be better, Guarini concurred.
With older drivers who may be hesitant to adopt new tech, Cannata advised providing copious training and having tech-savvy drivers assist if possible.
Franco agreed that identifying and empowering tech-forward leaders among drivers and technicians is crucial. He also confirmed that Transfinder’s tablet system is easy and intuitive for those less tech-friendly drivers.
While Transfinder offers multiple products, Faust advised student transporters to “take what works for you.”
“I love all of the features that Transfinder offers, but I feel like you need to identify which are the most important, which are the immediate needs for your division and start chipping away as you can manage,” agreed Guarini.
Looking Forward to the Future
Faust said he looks forward to AI integrations which can save time by answering conversationally spoken questions rather than requiring staff to manually seek out information.
Franco praised Servicefinder’s assistance in keeping track of white fleet vehicles that need repairs and getting that information to technicians in a timely manner.
“We’re all being asked to do more with less, right?” Marstaller commented.
“Being in a small district, we have to be as efficient as possible,” Faust agreed.
“Everybody’s afraid to change from what you know,” Guarini said. “The benefit of doing that, though, gives you a fresh mindset.”
Appreciating Customer Service
Cannata and Franco praised the clear and streamlined customer service Transfinder provides.
“Instantly, like within like an hour – not even, sometimes – it’s instantly quick, but we have an answer. We got it fixed,” Cannata declared.
“We all feel supported by Transfinder with anything we need help with,” Guarini confirmed.
Faust noted that having one vendor for the whole tech stack makes troubleshooting much easier.
All four panelists said they used the Transfinder Community feature through which their peers and fellow users help them better utilize the technology.
