SPECIAL REPORT


Avoiding False Starts


Starting the academic year off smoothly involves tackling the familiar challenges of driver shortages, tight budgets and high expectations Written by Eric Woolson


B


rian Joyner and Karim Johnson, two seasoned pros in the school transportation business, find themselves in new roles but dealing with the same challenges as they joined peers across


the nation working to achieve a smooth start to the new academic year. Meanwhile, surveys released over the summer by two transportation companies shed light not only on those challenges but some of the high expectations expressed by parents nationwide. ZÅ«m, which serves more than 4,000 school sites with end-to-end transportation technology solutions and electric fleets, found that 84 percent of parents surveyed said the U.S. school bus system could stand to improve.


20 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2024


“This new survey shows that most parents are looking


for increased safety and transparency on the school bus, as well as healthier, more sustainable rides for their chil- dren,” said Ritu Narayan, the company’s founder and CEO. Meanwhile, the HopSkipDrive 2024 State of School


Transportation Report found 91 percent of the 400 fleet managers surveyed said their operations are “con- strained by school bus driver shortages, staying steady from 2023 and increased from 88 percent in 2022.” Additionally, 64 percent of parents said coordinating school transportation is “the most stressful part of the back-to-school season.” (HopSkipDrive said it provides more than 10,000 school sites in 13 states with alter- native transportation options. Its employees also build


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