District Boosts Driver Hiring and Retention With Technology
January 05, 2026 by Shauna Seaver
The role of the bus driver comes with high-stakes responsibilities. They are crucial to students' access to educational opportunities, must meet parent expectations, and are responsible for student safety. These demands can make it difficult for districts to fill these positions and retain qualified drivers. At Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BH-BL) Central School District in New York, supporting drivers with technology has helped attract qualified candidates, onboard new drivers quickly, and set them up for success on the road.
Katria Hitrick, administrator for student transportation at BH-BL, attributes much of the district’s ability to hire and retain full-time and substitute drivers to their student ridership system, including Tyler Drive tablets from Tyler Technologies. These tablets provide drivers with accurate routes, turn-by-turn navigation, and student information that help them ensure student safety and increase on-time performance.
Recruiting and Onboarding
With districts facing hiring difficulties, offering drivers a higher level of support can help a district stand out as a desirable employer. Drivers know the benefits of in-cab tablets and will choose to work for districts that have them installed as part of their student transportation technology system. Since adding Tyler Drive tablets to their fleet, BH-BL has hired and onboarded several drivers. “If those drivers were considering a job at another district that didn’t have Tyler Drive, they came to us because we have it. Knowing we use Tyler Drive instead of a paper system is a benefit for them,” said Hitrick.
Once the new-hire paperwork is signed, the district uses their Tyler Drive tablets as training tools. “That’s how they’re learning,” said Hitrick. She noted the tablets’ navigation is familiar and easy to use. “We used to flip paper route sheets and look up, look down, look up, look down. This is so much better for our new drivers because they're used to GPS systems in their cars. It’s the next level for our transportation department,” she said.
Supporting New and Substitute Drivers
The Tyler Drive tablets at BH-BL help substitutes and new drivers feel better prepared to take on any route. “On the tablets, our routes are spot-on. That supports our substitute drivers and makes their lives so much easier,” said Hitrick. “Even though they don’t know all the stops, they don’t know all the kids, they feel more comfortable accepting a job they may have never done before because all that information is there for them.” Drivers can quickly get to know their students and their specific needs by referring to the information provided on the tablet.
Nick Donlon, a substitute driver at BH-BL, considers Tyler Drive tablets a non-negotiable tool on his routes. “As a new driver, particularly a substitute driver, I never know what run will be handed to me when I walk in every morning. Tyler Drive gives me the ability to tackle any run with confidence and accuracy, even if I’ve never driven it before. Couldn’t do my job without it,” he said.
Retaining Responsible, Qualified Drivers
For seasoned drivers, routes can begin to feel like second nature. “We get in this auto-mode, and Tyler Drive gives us backup,” said Hitrick. The tablets help keep track of the basics, like navigation and stops, so drivers can focus on the road and student safety.
As part of a student ridership system, Tyler Drive helps drivers quickly make sure students are on the right bus and getting off at the right stop. The student information displayed at each stop also helps drivers ensure student safety. “Our kindergarteners and 1st graders need to be received by an adult. If a driver is pulling up to a stop and sees their grade-level on the screen and their student badge, that puts the driver’s mind at ease because they know, ‘I can't let this child off the bus until I see an adult,’” said Hitrick. “It all comes down to student safety.”