Presented by RTG Fleet Maintenance
For many school districts, maintenance is a logistical tightrope: balancing cost, minimizing downtime, and ensuring every school bus safely transports its most precious cargo. Traditionally, districts either operate in-house maintenance departments or contract with off-site vendors—both of which come with limitations in terms of responsiveness, recordkeeping, and continuity. But a smarter alternative is reshaping how districts think about fleet upkeep: on-site, mobile maintenance offered by companies like RTG Fleet Maintenance.
RTG’s on-site model introduces a flexible, high-touch approach that blends technical expertise with genuine partnership. “The benefit of having us on site is the downtime of their unit,” said Juan Martinez, founder of RTG Fleet Maintenance. “Compared to a traditional dealer, that dealer has multiple customers… they don’t put [school districts] on priority.”
In contrast, when RTG arrives, “our only focus is the customer, is that specific unit. That’s the only thing that we’re working on,” Martinez said.
This laser focus significantly shortens turnaround times—a critical advantage in school transportation. Instead of waiting days or weeks for service from an overbooked third-party shop, districts can get repairs completed the same day, keeping buses in rotation and students on schedule.
Now, some municipalities naturally aim to conserve resources and rely on internal teams to keep operations running. It makes sense—morale stays high, local jobs are prioritized, and overhead is easier to manage. However, RTG doesn’t disrupt that model—it enhances it.
With years of experience servicing light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, RTG serves as a cost-saving ally, not a replacement. The company helps extend the life of existing fleets, reduce long-term repair costs, and implement proactive maintenance that prevents breakdowns before they start—especially in school bus yards where reliability isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Districts can adopt RTG’s services conservatively, maximizing their internal team’s effectiveness while gaining expert support when and where it matters most.
More than just speedy service, RTG emphasizes a human-centered model grounded in trust and communication.
“We’re not there just to about showing up, and turning a wrench and then leaving.” Martinez said. “It’s not about that. “We’re there for the long-standing relationship… what’s important are the kids and staffs safety.”
That child-focused mindset shapes every interaction.
RTG’s approach also offers schools a level of flexibility rarely found in traditional outsourcing. “Every scenario is different,” Martinez said. “If a school district needs a technician for two days, then not a problem… they’re pretty much your employee for those hours.” For longer-term needs or full maintenance management, RTG can scale up accordingly. The company’s model even accommodates remote districts, provided the commitment matches the travel requirements.
When a district brings RTG on site, they also gain insight into their own operation. “We can help a school district maintain their service records, and keep those service records, and really understand what’s happening with those units,” said Mark Crowson, an RTG executive. “So that way, if one of their long-trusted employees leaves, they don’t have to second guess what was done on a unit.”
That recordkeeping component is vital in an era when staff turnover and labor shortages are affecting even the most robust maintenance departments. By blending on-site service with documentation support, RTG not only fills gaps but also creates institutional knowledge that endures.
Crowson summed up the philosophy with a phrase that resonates in any school transportation department:
“Every school bus that we service carries someone’s whole world. Therefore, we treat our customers as we want our employees to be treated as well.”
Safety, in this model, is a shared value. “Safety isn’t just a policy, it’s personal,” he added.
Districts unfamiliar with this service model may initially react to the cost structure—particularly when viewing a single-week invoice without the full context. But, as Martinez and Crowson emphasize, the value goes beyond just hours worked.
“They think, ‘Hey, I only need them for one or two days,’ and they do,” Crowson said. “And then we get out there and we’re there for an extended stay. But, importantly, we didn’t just service one unit—we had them prepared for the next three or four months.”
This kind of comprehensive, preventative care helps districts avoid major disruptions and unplanned spending down the line. “At the cost of an employee’s pay for a week, we can have all your units serviced versus just one,” Crowson said.
By combining responsive repairs, transparent records, integrity-driven staffing, and a mission-focused commitment to student safety, RTG Fleet Maintenance introduces school districts to a smarter, scalable model of maintenance.
When every route matters and every bus carries the future, it’s not about spending more—it’s about spending wisely. RTG helps districts take care of their fleet without breaking the piggy bank.
For more information, visit https://rtgonsite.com/.