Episode 191: The $400K Mistake Most School Districts Are About to Make

“If you're tracking school bus maintenance in a notebook, you're 30 years behind—and it's costing you way more than you think.”

Episode Summary

In this data-packed episode of The Fleet Success Show, host Marc Canton is joined by school bus operations and data analytics expert Griffin Scott to dive deep into one of the most overlooked and under-optimized segments in fleet management: school transportation fleets.

Griffin shares how his background in geoinformatics and data science led to a decade of improving efficiency for school districts nationwide. Together, Marc and Griffin break down why many school bus fleets are still stuck in the past, what they can learn from commercial fleet operations, and how the right fleet maintenance management software (FMIS) can revolutionize performance, staffing, and safety.

The duo also explores three strategic levers school districts can use to save time, money, and headaches:

• Bell time studies
  
  
• Route optimization
  
  
• Walk zone evaluations
  
  

And of course, they tackle the EV school bus conundrum—a perfect use case that’s become a logistical nightmare for many underprepared districts.

Key Takeaways

• Routing software ≠ Fleet Management Software: Most districts lack a true FMIS, causing deferred maintenance, poor data retention, and technician overload.
  
  
• Driver + Tech Shortage = Disaster: With CDL-holding mechanics driving routes and superintendents behind the wheel, staffing is stretched dangerously thin.
  
  
• Bell Time & Route Optimization Save $$$: Small shifts in bell schedules or tiers can eliminate entire routes, reduce bus counts, and improve driver retention.
  
  
• EVs Are Ideal—But Only If You’re Ready: School bus EVs are a goldmine for clean, quiet, efficient transport, but the infrastructure, training, and funding must be in place first.
  
  
• Training Matters: The best software in the world is useless without trained users. Investment in ongoing training is critical for sustainable operations.

Speaker Bios

Marc Canton
Marc is the VP of Product & Consulting at RTA: The Fleet Success Company. With nearly 30 years of experience in fleet operations—including managing New York City’s Fordham University fleet—Marc is a passionate advocate for data-driven fleet maintenance, scalable systems, and modern software.

Griffin Scott
Griffin is a data scientist with a specialty in geoinformatics and fleet analytics. Before joining RTA, he spent nearly a decade consulting with school districts across the country to optimize bus routes, bell times, and walk zones—improving safety, efficiency, and savings.

PODCAST HOT TAKES:

Why Most School Districts Still Don’t Have a Real Fleet Management System

The 10-Minute Bell Time Hack That Cuts Bus Costs Fast

The EV Bus Dilemma: Routing, Recharge Time & $400K Mistakes

School Walk Zones: The Political Move That Cuts Bus Costs