EverDriven is expanding beyond alternative transportation and into school bus routing. In this interview, Greg Jackson shares how the company’s new Consolidated Routing Services division is designed to support transportation teams facing driver shortages, tighter budgets, and increasingly complex student needs.

What you’ll learn in this interview:

• What prompted EverDriven’s move from alternative transportation to the yellow bus
• Who qualifies to use their consolidated routing services
• What EverDriven’s new service is, and what it isn’t
• The expertise Greg and EverDriven bring to the new division
• What costs are involved and how little it can take to get to a budget surplus
• Examples of route efficiencies EverDriven can help identify and why it matters
• What the process and implementation for customers will look like
• How success for the division will be measured
• Where school bus routing is headed and AI’s place in the puzzle
• How to be a part of the pilot service

This video is sponsored by EverDriven, which provides safe, small-vehicle student transportation that works alongside district bus fleets, supporting students who need specialized routes or more flexible solutions, including special education, foster care, and McKinney-Vento students.

To learn more and get started with EverDriven’s consolidated routing services, visit everdriven.com or contact Jackson at gjackson@everdriven.com or 945-227-8300.

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If you’re a transportation director tired of bidding everything year after year or wondering whether your district is leaving opportunities on the table, we’ve got just the conversation for you.

In this episode of The Route, Amanda Huggett sits down with Andy Campbell and Steph Eckes from Sourcewell to talk about all things cooperative purchasing. We cover how group purchasing power can help school transportation departments save time, reduce administrative burden, and protect limited budgets.

In this discussion, you’ll learn:

• What cooperative purchasing actually means and what product categories it includes

• How it compares to traditional bids and state contracts

• Why “low bid” isn’t always the best value

• How districts can maintain compliance while gaining flexibility

• Common misconceptions about cooperative contracts and how to get started

This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Just in time for Minnesota’s School Bus Driver Appreciation Day during Love the Bus month, meet one local driver with half a century of experience driving students.

School Bus Fleet editor Amanda Huggett sits down in Princeton, Minnesota, with Connie Duff, a school bus driver who began her career in 1972 and hasn’t looked back since.

From stick-shift buses and no training to today’s rigorous safety standards, Duff shares how the job has changed — and what hasn’t.

Watch to hear:

• How training has evolved over five decades

• The biggest changes in traffic and safety

• Lessons learned from emergency situations

• Advice for new drivers

• Why appreciation matters

• And why the industry still needs more drivers

School bus safety doesn’t stop at the wheelchair lift or the steps. In this episode of The Route, Amanda Huggett sits down with Brianna Paauwe, product application specialist at AMF Bruns of America and a wheelchair user bringing lived experience to an industry that impacts students every day.

Paauwe breaks down what “good” wheelchair securement looks like from a rider’s point of view, why refresher training matters (not just one-and-done onboarding), and how small shifts in communication can protect safety and promote dignity. Plus, get the inside scoop on AMF Bruns’ new podcast, Beyond Mobility, created to broaden conversations around mobility, independence, and access.

Themes and topics in this episode:

• Why securement safety is often an application andtraining issue (not just equipment)
• What drivers, aides, and routers should understand about time, angles, and consistency.
• Simple ways to support rider dignity through communication and autonomy.
• Why “one size fits all” approach doesn’t apply.
• Why there’s hope for the future of transportation mobility and how we can get there together.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This special episode of The Route marks two major milestones: Episode 100 of the show and 70 years of School Bus Fleet serving the student transportation industry.

To celebrate, host Amanda Huggett is joined by three former School Bus Fleet editors — Wes Platt, Nicole Schlosser, and Tom McMahon — for a look back at the moments, people, and issues that shaped the industry, and the publication, over the decades.

From alternative fuels and electric school buses to seat belt debates, safety legislation, and the everyday heroism of drivers and transportation professionals, this episode reflects on how far school transportation has come and where it’s headed next.

Themes and topics in this episode:

• Technology growth: cameras, safety systems, training tools
• The rise in alternative fuels
• Seat belt debates spanning decades
• Stop-arm violations and tragic incidents shaping policy
• School bus drivers as everyday heroes
• Advice for transportation directors

This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🚌 Stay up to date on all industry news and trends at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.schoolbusfleet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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2025 was a big year for IC Bus, with record production, next-gen tech upgrades, and big moves in electrification. In this new episode of The Route, IC Bus' VP of Sales Ryan Kauffman breaks down what really happened this year… and what’s about to hit the industry in 2026.

Whether you spec buses, manage a fleet, or just want to stay ahead of the curve, this is your insider look at the trends shaping the future of K-12 transportation.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🚌 Stay up to date on all industry news and trends at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.schoolbusfleet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Illegal school bus passing remains one of the most persistent and dangerous threats to student safety — but technology is helping to turn the tide. In this interview, School Bus Fleet sits down with Mike Hagan, president of Safe Fleet, to explore how innovative solutions are transforming the way we protect students on and around the bus.

From predictive stop arms and driver alert systems to AI-powered dashcams and partnerships with law enforcement, Hagan offers insights into emerging trends, what’s working today, and what’s next for fleets ready to embrace smarter, data-driven safety tools.

Links to reference:

👉 The Illegal Passing Problem: Reducing School Bus Stop-Arm Violations👉 Safe Fleet’s Illegal Passing SuiteThis episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🚌 Stay up to date on all industry news and trends at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.schoolbusfleet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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School bus drivers aren’t just behind the wheel — they’re often the first line of defense when it comes to keeping students safe. In this episode of The Route, we talk with Jim Levine, CEO of S.T.A.R.T., about how training and preparedness can make all the difference in an active threat or emergency situation.

From scenario-based training to new safety standards, you’ll learn how districts can support drivers with the tools, confidence, and awareness they need to protect the most vulnerable passengers: our kids. S.T.A.R.T. (School Transportation Active-Threat Response Training) has a national effort to equip drivers and transportation teams with the training they need to recognize, prevent, and respond to active threats before police arrive. For more information, visit www.schoolbusstart.com.

Links to reference:

👉 S.T.A.R.T. Launches Back-to-School Active Threat Training

👉 Grant opportunity

This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IC Bus.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🚌 Stay up to date on all industry news and trends at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.schoolbusfleet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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