all school districts, school bus contractors or alternative transportation companies are held to. “Years ago, there were not ridesharing services as there
are now,” said Ken Micklash, school support services director at the Michigan Department of Education. “We wanted to be proactive in providing some standards, but the state currently doesn’t collect safety data.” The Colorado Department of Education’s school trans-
portation team goes to great lengths to make sure the state’s 178 public school districts, 230 charter schools and their contractors are in compliance with bus and driver safety standards, regardless of the type of vehicle being utilized. These requirements also extend to alternative student transportation companies, such as ALC Schools, which has been operating in Colorado as well as Califor- nia, Utah, Texas and 14 other states for over a decade. Since 2014, Colorado’s state school transportation office
has conducted bi-annual audits of vehicles, maintenance and driver qualifications. The largest school districts are reviewed every four years, due to their ability to monitor operations on their own, with bigger staffs. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission also pro-
vides safety and insurance oversight for all passenger carriers that operate on a for-hire basis. This includes
traditional school bus contractors as well as the new ridesharing companies that are springing up. The man- dates, established by Colorado Senate Bill 14-125, include driver background checks, liability insurance, vehicle inspections and permits to operate. Violations can result in civil penalties and permit revocation. “Ridesharing is brand new, and there will probably
be more [of it] coming to Colorado,” said Susan Miller, transportation supervisor at the Colorado Department of Education. “New companies need to be reviewed to determine which area [school bus, taxi or rideshare, etc.] they fall under.” As the Weld County School District in Milliken, Colorado,
utilizes ridesharing services, Director of Transportation Terry Ruddick has concerns about driver training, student behavior problems, and some bell time logistics when transporting out-of-district and homeless riders. “We have only done this for a short time,” said Ruddick. “It mostly has been a good experience, so far.”
Where Rideshare Has Accelerated California has been a breeding ground for niche ride- sharing startups, such as HopSkipDrive, Kango and Zūm. Collectively, they say they serve hundreds of school sites
www.stnonline.com25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
