Kent said he gives his contracted vendors student
addresses, and the company does the routing. He said he sometimes suggests cost-cutting measures like routing two or three students together because they live in the same general area or the same household.
Selecting the Bus for the Route Kent said Denver has a limited number of electric school buses, and they are currently being used on shorter routes based on range. “[Looking at] how many miles that route generally puts on it in the day and whether I can use that electric bus,” he said of se- lecting a bus for a route. “Otherwise, it’s literally based on the needs of the students, either how many or if they’re in a wheelchair or something along that line. That will change the type of bus that I use.” Miller in Washington said buses are assigned to
routes based on passenger capacity. She said the routers start by looking at the routes that need to be assigned an 81-passenger bus. “We are running propane buses, and we have at this
point one electric,” she said. “We know a few routes that that electric does fit on and has time to come back and charge in the middle of the day. It’s been on three different routes as trial, but it has fit well [on a route] last year, and then we kept it on again this year.”
Putting in the Right Requirements Kent said routing right-hand-only stops is a priority. “We don’t ever want a student crossing in front of the bus,” he said, adding that left-hand stops only exist if located on one-way streets. “We won’t ever do a left-handed stop based on efficiency.” This becomes even more important with students
in wheelchairs because the lift is on the right side of the bus. He added that buses aren’t routed to enter cul de sacs because drivers aren’t supposed to back up. Additionally, buses don’t drive into apartment parking lots unless given permission due to the sheer volume of students being picked up. Decisions to bypass construction zones are left to
the drivers. “Find the best way,” Kent said, adding that routes will only be adjusted around long-term projects. If school bus drivers do take alternate routes, they
must communicate with dispatch so the office can let the school as well as parents know of the changes. Miller said downed powerlines are a common
occurrence in her rural district. When this happens, transportation staff review the affected routes for that region or specific school and provide the drivers with “an on-the-fly plan to reroute them around.” She said parents would be notified through the
parent app with the new route and duration of the change. “[Families] can see that different stop time because of the route adjustment from the copied
Air Conditioning for School Buses (Type A, C, & D)
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Specify Trans/Air A/C systems installed in your buses on your next purchase.
A/C system installations available on buses ordered without A/C in your fleet
Purchase A/C parts on-line for easy ordering
busacparts.com
Parts and components available for any bus, any year.
(800) 673-2446
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www.stnonline.com 27
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