its buses, as well as requiring it of all bus contractors. She added that her staff is also looking to enhance and integrate their technologies to implement a parent app and student tracking. The School District of Philadelphia recently moved to a three-tier routing model in 2020, so there is an operational shift around routes that transpor- tation is continuing to improve. The district is focused on phasing out its diesel buses
for healthier options and is only purchasing electric, gasoline, or propane going forward. Currently, the dis- trict has 14 electric school buses with six more electric and 38 propane on the way by next month. Fleming’s goal is to have a total of 58 alternative fueled school buses—38 propane and 20 electric—in service by the end of the fiscal year. “That is going to depend on infrastructure,” she added. Fleming explained that the district’s first set of five
electric buses remained parked for the first few months due to challenges with the infrastructure and needing to upgrade facilities to support charging. She said while there are still some challenges, the first five are on the
road. The district received another nine electric buses in early September and drivers have already begun training on the new vehicles as they are from a different OEM. “Once we’ve had that training with our mechanics and instructors, then we will continue with training our drivers on these newer buses and anticipate implement- ing them into service sometime over the next couple of months,” she shared. The first five were 71-passenger Blue Bird Type C
Vision Electric buses and quite large. However, the streets in Philadelphia are very narrow. Fleming noted that the ideal fleet for the operation would consist of 48-passenger lift buses with track seating that can increase capacity to 66 passengers. “And I go back to the fact that a majority of the
students in-house receive curb-to-curb transportation,” she explained, adding that the narrow streets could hinder a driver’s ability to safely navigate the school bus to assigned stops. “Having that mid-size bus allows those drivers to navigate better without compromising the service or safety.”
Congratulations TERESA FLEMING School District of Philadelphia
2023 Winner Transportation Director of the Year Award
Our heartfelt congratulations to Teresa Fleming on your recognition as Transportation Director of the Year. Your unwavering commitment to every student, the district, and your team shines brightly.
— The Sarah Car Care family
Scan or visit us at
SarahCarCare.com
68 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2023
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