Minivans can navigate tighter urban roads better than school buses, but that’s not the only reason school districts are utilizing more non-yellow vehicles for student transportation
Written by Mark Rowh
A
A 7D transportation van operated by Van Pool, a Beacon Mobility company, for students in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The state regulates these vehicles and their drivers similar to school buses.
sk any fourth grader to draw a picture illustrating the term “school transportation,” and chances are you’ll get a rendering of a big yellow school bus. But as school districts face challenges ranging from
serving an increasing number of students with special needs to those experiencing homelessness to coping with driver shortages, the use of vans and other smaller vehicles is changing the scene. With their more manageable size and less stringent driver qualifi- cations, among other features, these alternatives offer enhanced flexibility in transporting students. In fact, for both school districts and private providers, vans are
becoming a growing element in the transportation equation. But not without controversy. “Demand for van usage has steadily increased due to a number
of interesting factors,” noted Jason Saunders, chief asset man- agement officer for contractor Beacon Mobility. “The supply of larger school buses has not kept up with post-COVID demand for new units and the availability of CDL-permitted drivers is on the decline as well, which affects the ability to service students.” He added that the ability to operate in tight urban environments
safely and efficiently has also shifted the demand toward smaller, less challenging units. In addition, the ability to service rural areas can be a factor, where rider density is low and as a result the effi- ciency of operating a larger bus would also be low. Beacon has seen an increase in the deployment of vans in
all lines of its business–general student transportation, para- transit and special needs. The company’s fleet includes about 12,000 transportation units operated by nearly two dozen sub- sidiaries nationwide, of which 7,500 are traditional yellow school buses of various types, with approximately 3,000 vans and 1,500 white buses for paratransit. “The utilization of vans is more of a geographical and driver
availability decision versus a specific service application,” Saun- ders noted. “We use several different types of buses that fall into the van category.”
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