The on-time bus arrival rate increased to 95 percent by the end of the school year, according to a report shared with Dallas ISD trustees on June 13.
Dallas ISD started running its own transportation system for the first time this past school year after Dallas County residents voted to dissolve Dallas County Schools (DCS), the taxpayer-funded agency that Dallas ISD contracted with to bus students. The average on-time arrival rate under DCS in 2017–2018 was 65 percent.
While Dallas ISD saw notable transportation improvements this past school year,
Dallas ISD Chief of Operations Scott Layne said the district must do a better job to start the school year. In August, the on-time arrival rate was 70 percent.
“The start was bumpy, but we’ve come a long way since then,” Layne said. “While some transportation issues will always come up at the start of the school year–no matter how much we plan and prepare–we are now much better prepared to address those issues.”
A mobile app rolling out will give parents real-time updates on their child’s bus and drop-off time. The district will provide bus route access to families at the end of July, rather than the week leading up to school.
Meanwhile, increasing the starting pay to $20 per hour for bus drivers–and adding attendance incentives and retention bonuses–has helped eliminate a driver shortage.
“We look forward to continuing to provide a high level of service to families to get students to school on time and ready to learn,” Layne said.
