INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
Transportation Heads Share Benefits of Safe Routes Partnerships in Webinar Two student transportation veterans
“Twenty percent of students actually use
spoke to the common goals they share with the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership during a recent webinar on collaboration. Te free April 18 webinar, “Maximizing
District-wide Impact of Safe Routes to School: Educating Student Transportation Departments,” was the fourth in a series that spotlights working champions helping to achieve SRTS aims. Te guest speakers were Peter Hurst, transportation options program specialist at Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) in Colorado, and Dan Pires, director of operations, transporta- tion and risk management at Eureka City Schools (ECS) in California. Hurst started out as a school bus driver
before working his way up to BVSD trans- portation specialist. Te district serves about 30,000 students in 56 schools.
the school bus, so 24,000 are not riding — we estimate half of these get driven to school,” he said. Pires began his student transportation
journey in 1980, working in special-ed transportation with Humboldt County before rising through the ranks to ECS transportation director. He joined the local Safe Routes task force in 2010. “I would strongly urge transportation
folks to get involved in SRTS, as we all know transportation isn’t just school buses anymore,” said Pires, who emphasized that educating both parents and students is key to minimizing hazards such as unsafe driving in school zones. “My job is to teach parents and children about safe ways to get to and from the school bus stops as well. Te Safe Routes program gave me additional information to
include in parent handbooks, such as maps showing best walking routes to school bus stops,” he added.
Outsourcing means savings.
Routings, vehicle maintenance, school bell time management, capital investment, operator training and many other specialties.
Pupil Transportation is a complex business that includes many aspects such as routing, vehicle maintenance, school bell time management, capital investment, operator training and many other specialties. But when you get right down to it, the two most important reasons school districts and private school systems outsource their student transportation are safety and savings. By far, according to independent research, the safest way for children to get to and from school is on yellow school buses. It’s safer than walking, riding a bike, public transportation, taxis and even being dropped off and picked up by a parent. Independent research also tells us that outsourcing can save school districts 10% or more in their transportation costs.
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26 School Transportation News June 2013
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