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These are tough times for school transportation management. Budgets are getting tighter, even as it becomes ever harder to find enough drivers for school buses. The driver shortage isn't going away, and for some districts, every year is a struggle to keep their buses running.
In these cases, outsourcing bus services to a third-party provider can be a very attractive prospect - but is it a good idea? Orbit Software can help you decide with our new free white paper The Pros and Cons of Student Transportation Outsourcing!
Should You Consider Outsourcing Your Bus System?
"In theory, the arrangement is simple: The school contracts with a transportation company to provide both buses and drivers while typically taking over many administrative tasks as well. The third-party company is often responsible for matters such as bus routing and scheduling, based on information provided by the school. Likewise, the outsourced company will handle driver recruitment, development, and payroll. The district pays a contracted agreed-on fee for the services."
As the white paper outlines, the arrangement should be fairly simple - although the reality is usually more complicated. Orbit Software wants you to understand what you're getting into if you choose to outsource your bus system.
We cover both the pros and cons, including:
- Various services and functions that could be outsourced.
- The many ways outsourcing can potentially save money.
- How your administrative burdens will be lessened.
- The possibility of selling off your existing buses for an extra cash infusion - and the risks involved.
- The difficulties in coordinating between yourself and the third party.
- Challenges helping the third party adapt to the specific needs of your district or geographical area.
- Issues maintaining oversight.
- The technical complexities of the contracts involved, and how they might be exploited by unethical actors.
- The potential that the bus company might fail to uphold its obligations, leaving you responsible.
Overall, there are numerous benefits to outsourcing your transportation management. However, it's not the right decision for every school district, and the matter must be considered carefully before making a commitment.
Orbit Software wants to help you optimize and streamline your school transportation system, and outsourcing could be part of that. Click here to download our free white paper The Pros and Cons of Student Transportation Outsourcing to learn more!
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PRESIDENT
Sonia has been involved with BusBoss since the late 1990’s, and has personally overseen many projects for various customers ranging from large urban and suburban districts to smaller rural school districts from all over the country.
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