The School District of Philadelphia expects to onboard 45 additional electric buses and five propane buses by early next year, bringing its fleet totals to 65 electric and 43 propane vehicles.
School districts say they also seek Type A school buses
as well as alternative student transportation/rideshare services and special needs transportation services. Not to mention the various technology that finds itself on the top list of wants such as child detection systems, collision avoidance technologies, crossing control products, dash cams, field trip management software, fleet maintenance software, GPS/GIS and telematics and lighting and LEDs. Additional items include mirrors and visibility tech-
nologies, onboard tablets/mobile data terminals, stop-arm video systems, video security systems and Wi- Fi/onboard student connectivity. Navigating the sea of wants and needs is a line item
that many transportation directors’ toy with, as budgets are scarce nationwide and choosing where the funds are allocated is no simple task. The School District of Philadelphia’s Office of
Transportation Services manages transportation for approximately 95,000 students attending public, non-public and charter schools. Its service model includes both district-owned and
contractor-managed transportation. It oversees a fleet of 260 electric, propane and diesel buses, along with more than 400 non-school bus vehicles. Lauren Wallace, director of garage operations, noted
that following a successful bid and fleet optimization, the district’s in-house transportation operation now includes 251 dedicated drivers, 200 active routes and a streamlined fleet of 262 buses to help ensure safe, effi- cient service for Philadelphia’s students daily.
40 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2025
In addition to yellow school buses, the district seeks to add cellular and two-way radio systems for real-time communication, and student tracking and parent com- munication apps for transparency, Wallace noted. The district’s in-vehicle tablets, soon to be equipped
with Wi-Fi capabilities, will support electronic route updates for real-time navigation adjustments, provide a digital safety checklist to ensure compliance, consis- tency and streamlined workflows that reduce paperwork and manual tasks as well as enhance driver experience through intuitive interfaces and faster access to infor- mation, said Wallace. “Transparency, efficiency and driver ease are at the
core of our mission,” Wallace said. “Domino’s Pizza allows customers to track from oven to doorstep, so you should be able to track a school bus pick-up just as easily.” Wallace noted the technology is expected to enable the
district to monitor bus locations and performance in real time via cellular telematics and communicate instantly with drivers and dispatch. Other technology benefits in- clude logging student boarding and aligning events for accurate attendance, providing parents with live ETAs, alerts and two-way messaging through mobile apps and equiping drivers with tablets for electronic manifests, route adjustments, and safety checklists. “Together, these capabilities enhance operational trans-
parency, reduce service disruptions, and elevate the overall experience for families, staff, and drivers alike,” she added. Philadelphia is also seeking additional technologies. Video recording enhancements inside and out are being
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
