District Uses Smart Routing to Boost Bus Contractor Service

Organization Profile

• Industry: School District
• Location: Roanoke, Virginia
• Number of Employees: 2,824
• Students: 13,709
• Tyler Client Since: 2008
• Tyler Products/Solutions: Student Transportation

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Challenges

As the 2023 school year began, Roanoke City Public Schools’ transportation services hit some bumps in the road — bus delays were causing students to arrive at school more than 45 minutes late. Soon after, Walter Doughty joined the district as transportation director, bringing decades of experience and strategies to put an end to their transportation difficulties. Many factors contributed to the bus delays, but Doughty identified scheduling as the root of the problem. “No one can be successful with an ineffective schedule,” he said. “When I came to Roanoke City, we had more than 11,000 bus stops. We were stopping at every corner in the district, and every time that bus stops it creates a time delay.”

Shortly after, the district partnered with a new contractor to manage their school bus fleet. “When we began discussions with our contractor, they expressed interest in overseeing all aspects of our transportation services,” Doughty said. With nearly 40 years of experience in pupil transportation and a well-established relationship with Tyler Technologies, he recognized the value of maintaining direct involvement in the district’s routing operations. “While we appreciate the contractor’s comprehensive approach, we believe retaining local control of our routing processes allows us to best serve our students and community.”

To address these routing challenges, Cheek and Executive Director of Transportation Anthony Jackson began an initiative to provide drivers with turn-by-turn directions — and that became a conduit for a larger change. After successfully using Tyler Technologies’ legacy transportation tools for many years, Bibb County School District needed a more connected, modern, and robust solution.

Leveraging his industry experience, a team of skilled drivers, and his trusted Tyler routing software, Doughty resolved to create a new system of bus stops, routes, and schedules that would transform the district’s transportation operations.

Solution

Throughout his decades-long career in pupil transportation, Doughty has trusted Tyler’s solutions to meet the varied transportation needs of multiple school districts. Roanoke City Public Schools’ use of a school bus contractor didn’t stop Doughty from using his preferred routing solution — Tyler’s student transportation software supports contractor operations to provide districts with industry-leading routing software, even when fleets are managed externally.

Using Tyler’s routing software, Doughty implemented a system of community bus stops to serve all the district’s students. “We created rules and guidelines for our bus stops, so now in Roanoke City we have stops within a quarter-mile of every student’s residence,” he said. The change has enabled a 75% reduction in the number of bus stops, now down to only 2,700. These fixed stop locations enable simple and immediate routing for new students. “When we enter a new student’s data, the routing software identifies where they are. Then, because we’ve gone in and built defaults, I really don’t have to do anything. Tyler’s software looks where the student is, canvasses the immediate area, and finds the closest bus stop,” Doughty said.

Once this successful new system of community bus stops was established, Doughty needed to ensure the routes he created were followed appropriately. “Tyler helped us to provide our contractor with a read-only view of our routes, which then transfers into the tablets for the drivers,” he said. From there, Doughty counts on his drivers to make the right decisions. “Our contractor wants everything followed to the letter in the name of efficiency, but I rely a lot on my drivers — they know that if there is something wrong with the route while they’re on the road, they do what’s safest for the students.” Routes built with Tyler’s software work hand in hand with Roanoke’s experienced drivers to help ensure efficiency and student safety.

Results

Building on Roanoke’s Tyler-supported routes and community bus stop system, the district implemented a four-tier schedule to help them meet the needs of every student. Between their morning and afternoon runs, the district operates a midday schedule to support students with special needs and three-hour programs at their elementary schools. A fourth run transports students home from athletic programs in the evening, which helps increase participation in afterschool activities. Altogether, the district operates 115 routes every school day.

Since the development of the district’s new routes and schedules, Roanoke has maintained 95% on-time performance — leaving disruptive bus delays in the past. And while the district’s transportation success can be traced back to Doughty’s efforts, his vision was supported by the versatility of their Tyler routing software. “The product is almost like a mound of clay, and you get to be the potter. You can put all the defaults and the things you want to create into it, and it helps you build from that. The program allows you the flexibility to make it what you want, but it provides you the stability to support whatever you ask it to do,” Doughty said.

Tyler’s routing software allows the district to set parameters, such as identifying split highways, to ensure the safety of planned routes. “Since putting all the pieces in place, we don’t have to force pieces to fit anymore. We put the puzzle together and then it flowed. Our system, in itself, created the success,” Doughty said. Using Tyler’s routing software to guide its contractor’s fleet, the district is confident that its routes are safe, efficient, and flexible enough to meet their needs for years to come.

To learn more about Student Transportation, contact us at: info@tylertech.com | 833.895.3783 | tylertech.com