Running reduced routes improves efficiency and ad-
dresses the ongoing driver shortage, felt not only in Ohio but nationwide. “You have to look what you currently have versus the staff that you currently have,” he said. “You have to be able to fill in the gaps whenever necessary.” Miller noted that routing is not a one-and-done pro- cess. “People think that you route for the beginning of the year, and then you don’t have anything else to do for the rest of the year,” he said. “And that is not the case at all. Routing, if it’s done correctly, routing is a daily occurrence, because things change every day.” He said he will drive a route when needed as will his assistant director, router-dispatcher and three me- chanics. Another challenge, however, is Ohio is one of five states that is required to provide transportation to private, parochial and charter school students. He refer- enced a formal Ohio Association of Pupil Transportation statement, for which Miller serves as president, related to the recent shooting death of a Dayton Public Schools student and the broader transportation crisis in Ohio. The Dayton student was waiting to catch a public transit bus near a busy transit hub in downtown when
he was shot. Many districts rely on public transit sys- tems, especially for high school students when yellow school buses are not available. According OAPT, the recent tragedy highlights the need for systemic changes and multi-agency collaboration to ensure student safety. “Ohio law mandates that public school districts trans-
port not only their enrolled students, but also students attending charter and private schools within district boundaries—often extending service up to 30 minutes outside those boundaries. This requirement, imposed without proportional funding or flexibility, has pushed many districts to the brink,” OPTA said recently. “As of August 2024, Ohio had just 18,817 active school bus drivers—down nearly 7,000 from 2019—while the de- mand for transportation services continues to rise due to expanding private and charter school mandates.” ●
Read more about Dayton, Ohio at
stnonline.com/go/mi.
www.stnonline.com 29
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