
The Saratoga Springs City School District in New York is transforming its transportation operations with the help of busHive, a software solution streamlining critical processes and reducing inefficiencies. For Dave Gonzalez, dispatcher for the district, busHive has become an invaluable tool for navigating these challenges.
Bridging the Gaps
Each day, Saratoga Springs requires 70 bus drivers to meet its transportation needs, but it consistently operates with a shortfall of at least six drivers—a deficit that grows when absences occur. This shortage complicates routine operations and adds pressure, particularly as the district reinstates late runs and after-school programs that were suspended during the pandemic.
“It’s a little bit of a challenging puzzle every morning to piece together because people are going to get sick, it happens,” Gonzalez said.
To address this challenge, the district is considering consolidating routes to create longer, full-time positions that offer a more livable wage, an initiative Gonzalez sees as crucial.
“As a school bus driver, it’s hard to make a living wage under the conditions we’re currently working on,” he said.
Modernizing Operations
Although busHive is not used for daily route planning at Saratoga Springs, it plays a pivotal role in managing field trips, athletic trips, and other logistical demands. Gonzalez credits the software for saving countless hours that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks.
“If I had to do this by hand, I’d be pushing close to 80 hours a week,” he said.
With busHive, Gonzalez can process weeks of trip schedules in just a few hours, a dramatic improvement over traditional methods.
The software’s reporting features have also revolutionized how the district communicates trip assignments. Gonzalez described the ease of generating detailed driver schedules with just a click.
“All I really have to do is hit a report that gives me that information and then send it on to athletics,” he said.
This streamlined process eliminates the need for endless phone calls or email exchanges, freeing up time for more critical tasks.
Enhanced Accuracy and Communication
busHive has improved communication between departments by automating approval processes. Requests for trips are entered into the system, routed to the appropriate personnel for review, and approved or denied without back-and-forth delays.
“It just sends out an email to everybody who needs to know about it and approve it or disprove it,” Gonzalez said. “If I had to do this without that technology, people would have to be calling me nonstop.”
Additionally, the software allows the district to maintain precise records of time and mileage for academic and athletic trips. This data not only aids in cost-cutting initiatives but also ensures that billing for academic trips is accurate and timely. Gonzalez said that monthly billing for the district’s six elementary schools, middle school, and high school is now a seamless process thanks to busHive’s capabilities.
Expanding Capabilities
Beyond trips, the district is exploring busHive’s potential for managing mechanical maintenance and inventory. The software is also being leveraged to track driver certifications and upcoming exams, a necessity in the highly regulated field of school transportation. Gonzalez foresees significant benefits in using busHive for notifications and reports, which would replace labor-intensive, paper-based methods.
“If you have a program that will spit out a warning to you, that will be incredibly helpful,” he said.
While no technology is without its glitches, Gonzalez spoke highly of busHive’s support team.
“It’s very rare that I have to sit on them or get aggravated with them,” he said, highlighting their responsiveness and commitment to resolving issues.
For Gonzalez, the occasional hiccup is outweighed by the software’s overall reliability and time-saving benefits.
Looking Ahead
As Saratoga Springs continues to refine its transportation operations, busHive remains a cornerstone of its strategy. The district’s focus on efficiency, communication, and adaptability reflects a commitment to overcoming challenges while providing safe and reliable transportation for its students. For Gonzalez, the benefits are clear.
“This is a vastly better system than what we had,” he said.