Schools across the country are constantly looking for ways to improve their transportation systems and make sure their students are getting to and from school safely. First Student is proud to announce the launch of First Consulting, new school transportation consulting service that will help schools with every aspect of their school transportation operations.
First Consulting leverages First Student’s extensive experience providing safe, reliable and efficient transportation to school districts across North America. Our consultants can evaluate daily transportation operations, bus routing, electrification, fleet maintenance, management and safety to enhance a district’s transportation service.
Every First Consulting service offering begins with an in-depth assessment by an internal team of First Student experts. We can identify opportunities for continuous improvement, providing valuable insights on how districts can better serve the evolving needs of students and families.
Transportation Consulting
School districts that want to improve transportation services can benefit from First Consulting’s daily operations assessment. All aspects of day-to-day operations are analyzed, including dispatching, staffing, daily management, safety, communication and Key Performance Indicators. First Consulting can identify opportunities to improve overall effectiveness.
Routing
Understanding the importance of safe and timely bus routes, First Consulting also offers a routing efficiency and effectiveness analysis as a stand-alone option for districts. It includes examining routes, school schedules and bus utilization. First Student manages the routing of more than 30,000 vehicles each year, working with all major routing platforms. The evaluation can help districts improve on-time performance and reduce costs.
Fleet Electrification
As more school districts look to modernize their fleets with electric school buses, while improving the health and well-being of students, First Consulting can simplify the process. First Student’s EV experts can assist districts with grant applications, infrastructure design, hardware and software selection, charger and bus selections, site assessments, utility outreach and construction, and deployment. First Student is the largest operator of electric school buses in the world with more than one million miles of service with EVs.
Fleet Management & Maintenance
First Consulting can also develop solutions to assist districts with fleet management and maintenance, ensuring students are riding safe and reliable buses to and from school. Assessments in these areas include evaluating the district’s entire fleet, usage and associated costs to provide recommendations for fleet optimization and improved reliability. First Student has a network of ASE-certified technicians, lean shop facilities and an unmatched preventative maintenance program for districts to leverage.
Safety & Special Needs Training
Recognizing the most important safety feature on the bus is a well-trained driver, districts can partner with First Consulting for enhanced driver training. First Student invests heavily in driver development to lead the industry in safety and is now offering its researched-based special needs program, First Serves, to all school districts. The company is the largest provider of special education transportation services in North America, understanding transporting students with physical and emotional disabilities requires experience, specialized training and compassion.
Interested in learning more? Schedule time with the team!