B
eing the first can be a scary proposition. While both exciting and perhaps an honor to pioneer a
manufacturer’s technology, such as propane school buses, there are certainly challenges to overcome. But for Cathy Staggs and Tuscalo- osa City Schools, reducing emis- sions, saving money and increasing the satisfaction of its bus drivers have been well worth any headaches, thanks to a commitment from IC Bus and its local dealer, Southland International.
Te school district and others are finding that introducing inno- vations like alternative fuels are reaping the benefit of not only a cleaner environment and fuel cost savings but also increased driver satisfaction. Tuscaloosa City, like many school districts across North America, is suffering from not enough school bus drivers. Dreaded driver shortages have crippled operations from To- ronto to Tuscaloosa, the latter where Staggs began her first full school year in August. One possible hurdle in the attrac- tion of new drivers and retention of existing ones could be the tradition- ally low wages paid to school bus drivers, especially when considering all of the safety, child management and—now—technology responsi- bilities heaped upon these employ- ees. It’s an issue that has plagued the industry for decades upon decades. Staggs came on board last Decem-
ber, helping the district limp home to finish the 2015-2016 school year down seven drivers. “Everybody who had a CDL, who had a school bus driver’s license in the shop, was driv- ing. All the mechanics, all the people in the office,” she said. “If anyone was absent, the only thing to do was to double up.” Her department recruited several school teachers to the driver corps as
the summer progressed, but then in mid-July, Staggs was presented with a 220 new preschool transportation service requests for the district’s early intervention program, about double the amount from last year. To make matters worse, several drivers resigned about two weeks before the school year started on Aug. 11. At the same time, Staggs’ de-
partment had to add new routes to accommodate a complete re-zoning of all Tuscaloosa City high schools. Not only are school buses now headed out in different directions, but, as Staggs ex- plained, students are allowed to transfer back to the high school they attended the previous year, and school bus transportation is included.
“Tat has cer- tainly impacted the program and caused us to have to add bus routes when we were already short,” she said.
Te district 44 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2016 CELEBRATING25YEARS
also transports to and from four specialty programs: fine arts, STEM and magnet elementary schools and an international high school. Meanwhile, Staggs said her staff is receiving six to eight requests daily for transportation service required under the McKinney-Vento Home- less Assistance Act. Tuscaloosa City also closed three elementary schools and a middle school for renovations and new construction, resulting in those walk zones being essentially eliminated, as the approximately 300 students
One of the early adjustments made for Tuscaloosa by IC Bus was to adjust the fuel system and fuel door switch to prevent the bus from starting during refueling.
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