SPECIAL REPORT


Not Your Parent’s Carpool


As non-traditional student transportation growth continues, especially the amid the influx of new ridesharing apps, confusion about the safety and oversight of service has resulted.


S


tudents riding to school in passenger vehicles is nothing new. What has changed is the per- son and companies that are driving them. As an alternative to taking the school bus, walking


or biking, Mom or Dad used to take the wheel and ferry their children to and from campus. When that wasn’t an option, parents entered car-pool agreements with neighbors to share the burden of the school commute. Today, many parents are turning to ridesharing apps


operated by private contractors who operate passenger cars. Still, parents have concerns about placing their children, especially younger ones, in vehicles with drivers who they do not know. While ridesharing can help alle- viate logistical challenges for parents, these new services bring with them much confusion for student transporters. Separately, school districts can also supplement


traditional school bus routes by contracting with stu- dent transportation companies that provide service in smaller, non-bus vehicles. Smaller capacity vehicles are typically used for homeless students and students with special needs as such it is important that these students have driver consistency. School districts need to be aware of their state de-


22School Transportation News • JUNE 2019


partment of education mandates surrounding student transportation and have an understanding that, although the transportation may not be occuring via a bus, it is still student transportation. As such, districts need to be conscious of the security and liability issues to contend with, and they must provide oversight of any contractor they use to ensure those requirements are met. Amid financial and logistic pressures on school dis-


tricts, companies that provide rideshare services are not using vehicles that are regulated by the same federal safety construction standards that apply to yellow school buses. However, these companies must still meet the same driver qualification standards that have earned school busing a reputation for safely transporting students for decades. Lawmakers, local officials and regulators in the U.S.


are charged with oversight of student transportation, regardless of the vehicle type being used. The arrival of ridesharing apps has created confusion regarding if these companies must meet the same standards for liability insurance, driver background checks, student safety and training. Maryland prohibits its 24 school districts from contract- ing directly with non-bus transportation companies.

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