School bus utilization by community transportation coordinators assessed

CUTR recently completed a study of the use of school buses by community transportation coordinators (CTCs) in Florida. The research was sponsored by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (FCTD) and was completed with the cooperation and assistance of the Florida Department of Education.

Objectives of this project were to assess the current usage of school buses by CTCs in Florida and to identify the benefits of and the barriers to using school buses to transport persons who are transportation disadvantaged (TD). CTCs were surveyed and interviews were conducted with those that reported using school buses. In addition, relevant State statutes and regulations that affect the use of school buses for TD transportation were reviewed.

Findings

Findings of the study include the following:

  • The percentage of CTCs that use school buses as part of the coordinating transportation program appears to be holding constant at about 40 percent.

  • The actual number of trips using school buses has declined by 32 percent from FY 1994 to FY 1995. A major reason may be related to recent changes in the instructions used to report such trips. Other factors that may cause the number of CTC-provided school bus trips to decline are the perception of higher costs and difficulties obtaining liability insurance.

  • The majority of CTC passengers transported on school buses are children (59 percent), followed by senior citizens (29 percent), and low income clients (24 percent).

  • Of the CTCs that use school buses, more than 60 percent report using them to provide recreational and shopping trips; 53 percent use them to provide educational and training trips.

  • Most (82 percent) CTCs using school buses report using district school bus drivers to provide these trips. This fact may be attributed to different licensing requirements and joint-use agreements that specifically require school board employees to drive the buses.

  • Of those CTCs that do not use school buses, 80 percent said that using school buses is not economically feasible. Lack of accessibility and air conditioning are also major reasons cited by respondents for not using school buses (54 percent).

Recommended Actions

Based on these findings, CUTR recommended several activities to encourage the use of school buses, where appropriate:

  • Conducting a workshop at the Commission’s annual conference and regional workshops to discuss school bus coordination issues and exchange information on overcoming barriers.

  • Developing a manual of best practices to use as a resource guide for CTCs interested in using school buses in their communities.

  • Creating an annual awards program to recognize the “best” cooperative partnership between a local school district and CTC for using school buses as part of the coordinated system.

  • Verifying that Head Start participants are counted in the coordinated system only for those CTCs that have written coordination agreements with local school districts.

  • Developing a form for school districts to use to report data on school bus availability based on DOE FORM ESE-567.

  • Having local planning agencies compile the required school bus utilization data on an annual basis and including that information as part of a CTC’s annual service plan.

  • Adding a review of the school bus utilization data collection and reporting procedures as part of the Commission’s biannual Quality Assurance and Performance Evaluation effort for each CTC.

  • Asking planners to provide detailed information about who represents the educational community on local coor-dinating boards, their level of participation, and perceived benefits to both the CTC and local educational system.

  • Reviewing (and changing, if necessary) Chapter 427, F.S., and Rule 41-2, F.A.C., with respect to the role of DOE on the Commission and the role of the educational representatives on local coordinating boards.

  • Reviewing school bus and transit/paratransit vehicle standards periodically to identify and clarify similarities and differences among vehicles used by CTC and school district program.

  • Providing coordinated training with school district and TD program drivers to take advantage of available resources and skills.

“The Commission was pleased to have this study prepared to provide an update on the use of school buses as well as to identify activities that the Commission can implement to further improve and expand this available transportation resource,” said Jo Ann Hutchinson, FCTD’s Executive Director. These recommended actions have been referred to an FCTD committee, and some recommendations already have been initiated.

For more information on this study, contact CUTR Research Associates Rosemary Mathias at, mathias@cutr.usf.edu , or Patricia Turner at, turner@cutr.usf.edu, (813) 974-3120.

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