Transfinder is Your One Partner, One Solution Partner
Your school transportation department’s needs are ever-changing. What you needed even a year ago differs greatly from what is needed today. Transfinder realizes this, and we have evolved and expanded to provide you with all the solutions you need, from parent and driver apps to fleet maintenance and inventory solutions. And where Transfinder doesn’t offer its own solutions, we have vetted what’s out there to provide you with the best-in-breed solutions.
School transportation is much more than the yellow bus going from point a to b to c. Transfinder’s suite of solutions provides you with the best-in-class tools to make your transportation operation run smoothly and efficiently. Transfinder believes routing is at the core of everything you do. The data needed to provide accurate, safe, and efficient routes is everything. All your other tools must rely on up-to-date and accurate routing data.
Did you know Transfinder won back-to-back "Best Software" industry awards in 2021 and 2022? Did you know that 1 in 3.5 transported students get to and from school more safely and efficiently with Routefinder? Did you know Transfinder offers all the peripheral solutions needed for an All-In-One vendor? Now you do!
Routefinder PLUS - the industry’s best transportation department "everything solution" - is here for you. Not just amazing routing... but everything.
You have nothing to lose when requesting a demo. We know what you need!
- You need efficient and safe routes
- You need a solution that is easy to learn and onboard
- You need discipline documentation
- You need communication with parents & staff
- You need turn-by-turn driver navigation
- You need student attendance and ridership tracking
- You need GPS
- You need Parent apps and a means to communicate quickly and effectively
- You need a company with 35 years of industry experience backing you up and there for you that has award-winning support and service
We offer all that and more! Transfinder has all the industry's award-winning software and hardware you need for your transportation department.
Transfinder is Your One-Stop-Shop
The Search is Over.
Complete the form on this page or contact us at 800-373-3609 or at getplus@transfinder.com for more information.
Top Transportation Tips for Streamlining your Transportation Department
1) Accurate Data Sharing is Vital – It is important to know who, where and when you are transporting students regardless of what software you use. To obtain this data you will need to work closely with other departments in your organization. You will likely get that data from a Student Information System (SIS) and that data will also be entered into the SIS by other staff (possibly IT) in charge of registration and/or parents. As the old saying goes, “garbage in – garbage out.” Working with IT and registration is the first step in ensuring accurate bus routes.
2) Special Needs Date Sharing is Just as Vital – It is very important to protect student HIPAA and FERPA rights, but it is necessary for transporters to know the adaptive requirements for special needs students, such as required equipment or training necessary for transport. Ideally, this information should flow to transportation in a similar fashion to other students’ data needed for transporting students.
3) Make Sure You Have Accurate Updated Route Sheets – Even in a small district where the drivers know all the routes, it is important to have accurate, updated route sheets. You never know when someone is going to have to fill in for a driver who calls in sick. Route sheets are important for substitute drivers to know where the planned route goes and what the timing should be. Route sheets should have important information like driving directions, where students cross, etc. Even if you utilize mobile tablets for directions and student tracking, it is important to have printed route sheets available in case of emergency.
4) Track Student Ridership – Not only should you know POTENTIAL bus riders, you should also track who ACTUALLY rides the bus. Every school district is unique, but nationally we see student ridership by grade level fall into the following ranges: Typically, 75 to 80 percent of potential riders actually ride the bus at elementary levels. Likewise, 65 to 70 percent ride at middle school and 50 to 65 percent ride at high school. This can have a dramatic impact on the utilization of your vehicles (how full the bus is). Buses that are half full, or have even lower ridership, should be reviewed for possible consolidation with other bus runs.
5) Track Staff Dates – It is your responsibility to track important dates for your staff. License expiration dates, physicals, trainings attended, etc., all of these types of dates are important to track and monitor to ensure all staff are up to date with relevant regulations.
6) Make Training Fun – Transportation staff require regular training and updates to stay current with best practices and safety policies. Rather than repeat the same training from last year, it is important to change things up and keep the content fresh.
7) Establish Good Communication With All Your Customers – Transportation departments have lots of different customers, not just the students riding the buses. Parents and community members need to be informed of changes and deviations in regular schedules. School offices and other district staff also need to be kept informed. Sharing information in a timely fashion is an important task for any organization, but when it comes to transporting students, it is extra important! Make sure you establish good lines of communication and have a detailed plan for how information should be shared.