TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
Transportation Services provides school districts
and agencies with a safe, cost-effective means of transporting their students and clients. Transportation is available for students with special needs, other public school students and adult clients traveling to job training sites. Transportation focuses on individualized and specialized transport solutions that create positive outcomes for students and clients.
2020-2021 HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Student & Client Transportation PreK-12 Transportation
We drove 2,038 students daily to sites across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as we helped districts and public agencies reduce accessibility and transportation barriers for individuals with special needs, as well as adults and general education K-12 students. Of note: • We provided transportation services for 41 member and non-member school districts, as well as Head Start in Putnam, Killingly and Plainfield. • Conveyed 264 students from 38 districts to the region’s 3 public magnet schools. • Transported 328 special needs students and 1,446 general education students, using our cost-saving outplacement destinations database. Services are customized to meet individual needs.
EASTCONN Annual Board Update 2021
2,038 students were transported
daily to sites spanning a 3-state region, helping
districts & agencies reduce barriers for K-12 students
Transportation Services 1.
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS | 2020-2021
Regional Transportation Initiative
Expansion & Improvements EASTCONN Fleet
Managed shared runs for numerous member school districts with special education students placed in out-ofdistrict programs, in an effort to reduce costs and increase efficiencies across the region. Added 10 passenger vans to our fleet to ensure savings to districts.
Adult Riders
EASTCONN contracts with the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) to transport lowincome, unemployed adults to skills-training programs, job interviews and work sites. A lack of public transportation regionally continues to make this a valuable service.
Driver Education & Training Driver Training
Throughout the school year, all 150 of our drivers participate in state-mandated trainings, both in-person and remotely. Trainings include information about anti-bullying, bloodborne pathogens, student management, emergency procedures, substance abuse, communication skills, laws and regulations, and characteristics of students with special needs, and more. Certified EASTCONN staff regularly review policies with drivers during workshop sessions.
Our 150-vehicle fleet includes full-size yellow buses, minibuses, vans, mobility vehicles and the recent addition of 10 passenger vans. All vehicles have cellular communication, GPS, safety and first-aid equipment. Other vehicles have integrated car seats, wheelchair lifts, two-way radios and video cameras, for use as needed.
Maintenance
This 4-person department of specialists uses fleet maintenance software to efficiently schedule routine maintenance and mandated DMV and DOT servicing.
Equipment Upgrades
Staff use 2-way radios and cell phones to communicate with dispatch. All vehicles are equipped with GPS monitoring data on drivers’ speed, stopping and cornering; video cameras monitor/record student behavior, on request.
Charter Transportation
This service enables us to work with local school districts to schedule and manage their transportation needs for student field trips and athletics.
PLANS & IMPLICATIONS FOR 2021-2022
EXPAND REGIONAL COLLABORATION
STAFFING
Our custom database will be used to improve efficiencies by creating more shared routes and increase the number of districts and customers in regionally coordinated transportation runs for special-needs children.
We will expand our outreach strategies for recruiting and retraining qualified drivers, and work with current drivers to upgrade their licenses to prepare for charter services and new school bus contracts.
2. Transportation Services
EQUIPMENT UPGRADE
We will continue to upgrade our fleet management, charter and routing software to ensure that we are offering the most efficient services available.
EASTCONN Annual Board Update 2021