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With more than two decades of experience in transportation, Craig Lipps has become a bit of an unofficial troubleshooter or change agent for school transportation operations.

He led the transportation operation at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District in upstate New York for a couple years, where he helped the district save more than $400,000 annually by optimizing routes with the use of Transfinder solutions.

“In this business, we’re working for the success of kids. That’s the bottom line. You need the best tools to do that. I rely on Transfinder to stay a step ahead of everybody else.”

Then he went to nearby Guilderland Central School District (NY) where he saved the district $2.6 million annually, again with Transfinder’s award-winning solutions.

So how does Lipps do it? Here’s the backstory.

When Lipps arrived at Guilderland, he faced a daunting challenge: a transportation department struggling with inefficiencies, outdated software and ballooning costs. The district was financially upside down, contracting dozens of routes to outside providers while its own buses sat idle.

For Lipps, a veteran transportation leader, the solution was clear—modernize operations with Transfinder technology.

The Problem: Inefficiency and Overspending

Guilderland’s transportation system was riddled with inefficiencies. The district had 115 buses in its fleet but was operating only about 70, while paying contractors to handle 36 out-of-district routes.

“It was very costly,” Lipps recalled.

And it just didn’t make sense.

“They (Guilderland) have the equipment and the drivers,” he said, “so you don’t need to contract when you have equipment and drivers.”

The software in place when Lipps arrived was outdated, locally hosted and lacked the tools needed to identify inefficiencies or optimize routes. The data, he said, “was messy.”

A hands-on kind of leader, Lipps left the office to see for himself what was going on.

“I’d get out there in my own vehicle just to watch what was happening,” Lipps said. What he saw confirmed his suspicions: buses sitting idle for hours. “I’ll never forget the day I saw three yellow buses parked at Crossgates Mall.”

He was curious if there was a field trip at the mall.

“So, the next day I went there, the same three buses were sitting there. And the next day I went there. So, I checked the GPS system and, sure enough, those buses were sitting there every single day for more than an hour. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s a problem.’”

The Solution: Transfinder’s Suite of Tools

The software product the district was using didn’t provide the tools “to look and find opportunities or inefficiencies,” Lipps said, yet he knew the district needed a cloud-based, data-driven system to regain control.

When Lipps arrived, he put a spotlight on the issues – “The problem was bigger than anyone realized” – and the district moved quicker to Transfinder, a solution he knew well.

The first step was implementing Routefinder PLUS, Transfinder’s award-winning flagship routing solution. Lipps personally sat down with every driver to build routes in the new system. “I have a large TV in my office and we sat at a table and worked from the laptop and built their routes. They watched it unfold before them. They were intrigued by it, and it was cool.”

Accurate data from the student information system was imported, giving the district a clear picture of transportation needs.

Coupled with Transfinder’s field trip management solution Tripfinder, which streamlined field trip management, the district was well on its way to greater efficiency. Previously, trip requests were handled through PDFs—a cumbersome process that led to mistakes and wasted time. “Tripfinder was a no-brainer,” Lipps said. “It integrated seamlessly with Routefinder and eliminated the nightmare of managing trips manually.”

The Results: $2.6 Million Saved in One Year

By the end of the school year, Guilderland had saved an astonishing $2.6 million. “That was one school year—September to June,” Lipps emphasized. “And those savings will continue every year as long as they keep using the tools.

To learn more and read the rest of this transformational journey, click here.

One example illustrating the magnitude of the inefficiencies Lipps uncovered: a contracted afternoon route transporting three displaced (McKinney Vento) students 49 miles in a minivan with a driver and monitor—at a cost of $900 per day. “We built that into a trip and got it down to about $100 a day,” Lipps said. Multiply that by dozens of similar cases, and the savings quickly added up.

The district also eliminated all contracted routes for the current school year. “We had planned for two contracted routes, but we hit zero,” Lipps said proudly. “We hit our goals 100 percent.”

Beyond Savings: Efficiency and Accountability

Lipps knows Transfinder’s technology doesn’t just save money—it transforms operations. With Routefinder PLUS, Lipps can analyze routes, identify opportunities, and ensure resources are used effectively. And Tripfinder improves communication and compliance for field trips and athletic events, reducing headaches for staff and administrators.

Lipps credits Transfinder’s intuitive design and strong support for helping make the transition smooth. He said Tripfinder was a “no-brainer” purchase, replacing what he described as a “time-consuming nightmare” approach that involved a chain of approvals that wasted people’s time. Tripfinder, he said, worked seamlessly with the department’s routing management system, Routefinder PLUS.

In his experience at another district, Tripfinder was embraced by coaches after “some kicking and screaming.” It didn’t take long before they were one board 100 percent. They absolutely ended up loving it.” The same goes for the teachers requesting transportation for field trips.

“Not only do people in transportation love it, but the teachers now using Tripfinder, they get used to it and end up loving it,” Lipps said.

Stopfinder has been a game-changer as well.

“Parents never understand routing systems, management systems, but when they get their hands on Stopfinder, they love it” because it provides real-time bus location information.

Craig paused for a moment. He had just spoken about teachers, coaches, and his own transportation department.

“What other stakeholders are left?” he asked. “Oh, well, let’s talk about the board. Their happy to see the expenses are under control.”

A Legacy of Improvement

As Lipps prepared to leave Guilderland for a new role at East Greenbush CSD (NY), he reflected on his impact. The words of an assistant superintendent for business administration still ringing in his ear: “He said, ‘You’re leaving Guilderland in much better shape than you got it.’”

Now he’s focused on making an impact at East Greenbush.

In a press release announcing Lipps’ appointment as transportation supervisor, Superintendent Dr. Kurtis Kotes said; “The district was fortunate to have a highly qualified pool of applicants. From the onset of the interview process, it was quickly evident that Mr. Lipps’s professional attributes were the right fit for East Greenbush. His diverse experiences in transportation and his clear commitment to supporting the education of children will be of great benefit for our school district.”

The good news, he said, is that they have Transfinder already.

“That’s one of the things that made me attractive to them,” he said, “my knowledge of Transfinder and how to use the system.”

He knows the Transfinder team is behind him.

“They’re right there,” Lipps said. “They’re supporting everybody. They’re training everybody. They’re making things happen.”

To learn more about Transfinder’s technology and support, email solutions@transfinder.com, visit https://www.transfinder.com/solutions or call 800-373-3609.