Celebrating 40 Years 1980~2020
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES Transportation Services provides school districts and agencies in our region 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. This group focuses on individualized and specialized transportation solutions.
COVID-19 Response
EASTCONN Transportation provided services for 40 member and non-member school districts, transporting nearly 1,300 students daily to sites across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff continued working to retain drivers, maintain vehicles, work with districts and plan efficient student routes for next year. They pulled back all vehicles and driver cellphones to take advantage of insurance and mobile-carrier savings, and kept drivers current with state certifications and requirements, in spite of school/program closures. Learn more in the COVID-19 Response Supplement insert.
2019-2020 HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS Student & Client Transportation PreK-12 Transportation
Prior to COVID-19, we transported 1,294 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 regular K-12 students. Of note: • We provided transportation services for
40 member and non-member school districts, as well as Head Start in Putnam, Killingly and Plainfield.
• Conveyed 187 students from 36 districts to the region’s 3 public magnet schools.
• Transported 524 special needs students and 770 regular education students, using our cost-saving outplacement destinations database. Services are customized to meet individual needs.
“We have used EASTCONN to provide our specialized transportation for many years. Our experience has been that the drivers ‘go the extra mile’ for our students.“ – Penny Farrington, Pupil Services Secretary, Willington www.eastconn.org 1.
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2019-2020
EASTCONN’s 130-vehicle fleet includes full-size buses, minibuses, vans and the recent addition of 10 customized passenger vans.
Regional Transportation Initiative
Managed shared runs for numerous member school districts with special education students placed in out-of-district 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 low-income, unemployed adults to skills-training programs, job interviews and work sites. On average, and prior to COVID-19 site closures, 14 clients were transported weekly. A lack of public transportation regionally will continue to make this a valuable service.
Driver Education & Training Driver Training
Throughout the school year, all 115 of our drivers participate in state-mandated trainings, both in-person and remotely. Trainings include information about anti-bullying, blood-borne pathogens, student management, emergency procedures, substance abuse, communication skills, laws and regulations and characteristics of students with special needs, among other topics. EASTCONN policies are regularly reviewed by drivers during workshop sessions.
Expansion & Improvements EASTCONN Fleet
Our 130-vehicle fleet includes full-size yellow buses, minibuses, vans, mobility vehicles and the recent additions of 10 passenger vans. All vehicles have cellular communication, GPS, safety and first-aid equipment. Other vehicles have integrated car seats, wheel-chair 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
We worked with many local school districts to schedule and manage their transportation for field trips and athletics.
PLANS & IMPLICATIONS FOR 2020-2021 • Expand Regional Collaboration We will increase the number of districts and customers in regionally
coordinated transportation runs for special-needs children, and use our custom database to create more shared routes, cut costs and increase efficiencies.
• Staffing We will continue to seek more effective strategies for recruiting and retraining qualified drivers. We will work with current drivers to upgrade their licenses from school bus (STV) to commercial (CDL) to prepare for charter services and new school bus contracts.
• Equipment Upgrade Fleet management, charter and routing software continue to be upgraded to ensure we are offering the most efficient services available.
2 . www.eastconn.org