School Transportation News asked contractors from across the U.S. about their views on emerging technology, driver shortages, the acceptance of alternative fuels and their school district appetites for outsourcing. Their answers were edited for space considerations and compiled by Taylor Hannon.
Apple Bus Total Fleet: 1,800 Buses School District Customers/Contracts: 80+ Number of Bus Drivers: About 2,000 Students Transported: 158,000 Per Day
President Mike Oyster (above, left, with son Reid)
founded Apple Bus in 2000. Oyster has been in the transportation industry for over 40 years, working on all levels of the industry. The company operates in Alaska, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas.
On the Driver Shortage: “This is my 44th school year in the student transporta-
tion industry, and I have never seen it this tight before. Of course, with a great challenge comes great opportunity, the manifestation of which is that we have become quite adept at being creative at putting qualified drivers behind the wheel. Without being so specific as to provide a road map as to how we achieve this, I will leave it at recogniz-
ing the amazing drivers that we have and how good they are at doing much of our recruiting for us. This is an outgrowth of the working environ- ment that we all work so very hard to achieve. It is an environment that typically motivates, with- out prompting, our driver group to solicit their friends and family to join them at Apple Bus. I personally feel this is best achieved when the driv-
ers and the children we transport feel they are the central focus of Apple Bus. We work tirelessly to keep the focus where it should be. [We] don’t let extraneous distrac- tions creep in to the point they cause a loss of focus. If the drivers clearly see that we care about them and their needs, our lives as managers become measurably better.”
On Bids Submitted by School Districts: “We continue to grow through the RFP process, having
added five new schools to the Apple Bus family so far this bid season. I can’t imagine not growing, as I feel it adds an energy to the organization that can’t otherwise be achieved.”
EDUCATION
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