Outsourcing vs. In-House: Solving Dilemmas in Student Transportation

Outsourcing student transportation has been steadily gaining traction over the years. Why do almost 30% of U.S. school districts hire contractors to take care of their transportation operations?

It often comes down to simplicity and cost savings. Many schools prefer to hire contractors to handle transportation, even though it results in a loss of control. Read on to learn more about whether an in-house fleet is better for your school district, or if it’s time to outsource operations.

At the end, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing, and ways you can work around the problems associated with having an in-house fleet.

Bus Driver Shortage

For almost a decade, there has been a lack of school bus drivers. Finding and retaining quality bus drivers is a well-known challenge for many school districts.  One of the ways to overcome this challenge is to outsource transportation to a contractor. 

What drives schools to reach out to contractors?

Maintenance Costs Are Through the Roof

Do you know how much money schools spend on maintaining their buses each year?

With most school buses approaching their retirement age, many districts may consider outsourcing operations to a third party, just to get rid of maintenance worries. 

Your District Lacks Administrative Resources

School districts lacking administrative resources or facing staffing shortages may prefer outsourcing operations to contractors. This takes away a lot of the workload that would otherwise go into routing and communication. 

This also helps reduce staffing needs for schools, since they don’t need as many transportation professionals. 

Should You Outsource?

While outsourcing might seem like a great option on paper, it might not align with your school district’s needs. Here are some additional considerations:

Optimizing for In-House Fleets

While there are challenges associated with an in-house fleet, there are school bus routing software solutions that can help solve most of them. From fleet management tools to financial management suites, to efficient routing — tools like BusPlanner can help you make the most of your current resources and operate sustainably. 

Book a demo today to how you can transform your transportation department with BusPlanner! 

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