School Bus Fleet, February 2020

SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSPORTATION M inivans taxicabs and other smaller capacity vehicles are commonly being used by school districts to supplement traditional school bus service Besides reducing load count these vehicles ofer the potential of cutting ride times and costs for districts especially when transporting passengers with a variety of special needs In addition to providing those benefits supplemental transportation providers work to ensure that the same standards apply when it comes to the safety and compliance of these vehicles and the training required for those who drive them When we talk about transporting one to five students in a smaller capacity vehicle youre taking these students out of a bus where you mostly have the same driver every day says Megan Carey the chief revenue oficer for American Logistics Co ALC Schools an alternative vehicle transportation provider In alternative student transportation not one day is the same but the key is providing flexibility when transporting some of our more vulnerable student populations Carey says that this flexibility can mean making sure a student who may have special needs has the same driver every day when being transported in an alternative vehicle and or ensuring that the vehicle is outfitted with the proper safety equipment such as a wheelchair securement system By doing so school districts can reduce the chance of dealing with additional challenges associated with transporting students under special circumstances while also adhering to various state and federal standards such as those established by their respective state Departments of Education SERVICING SPECIAL POPULATIONS One of the most common misconceptions Carey says about alternative vehicle usage for pupil transportation is that the vehicles 26 SCHOOL BUS FLEET FEBRUARY 2020 WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM Photo courtesy Nicole Martin School Bus Alternatives Meet a Range of Standards Student Needs Some pupil transporters increasingly look beyond the big yellow bus to transport students with special needs and those who are homeless or in foster care choosing minivans taxicabs and other smaller capacity vehicles By Sadiah Thompson Assistant Editor The Rhode Island Department of Education uses eightpassenger minivans to transport its special needs and out of district student populations