Navigating The School Transportation System. A Bus Driver's Perspective - L Michael Prior

The future of the national school bus transportation system is shifting towards electrification and smart technologies driven by regional goals for sustainability, safety and efficiency. Incorporating these new technologies will take years to fully realize and achieving this goal will be a worthwhile yet formidable challenge. But is there something that can be done in the meantime? Today's ongoing issues of driver shortages and budget constraints remain and providing effective management of student behavior while in transit requires proactive strategies that must provide the much needed, ongoing support for drivers. What can we do now for the communities and infrastructure around the country that face the significant challenges that we face today?

When I initially decided to write this book, it was going to be entitled My Kids - A School Bus Driver's Perspective. The topic was one of the three reasons why I decided to write the book in the first place - the kids. It quickly became apparent that the book was going to be more than that. It ultimately became a mixture of historical backgrounds, a practical application of experience from a former business executive and the realization that there are significant needs and issues that the school transportation system faces today. It is my hope that this book can stimulate more of this discussion for the benefit of today's school aged generation as well as the people who support it.