8:30 – 11:45 AM

180a – Ride the Rapids

Description: Board the bus – the Rapid – as we revisit the Grand Rapids Area public transportation system. Tour their facility and hear how they recruit, train, and retain employees. Learn the key metrics they monitor to determine how well their program is doing from financial and customer satisfaction perspectives. Witness firsthand how the Rapid manages their maintenance operation to keep repair operations efficient and as low cost as possible, while keeping the fleet reliable. Learn how they are dealing with cleaner fuels for their fleet.

Presenter(s): Representatives, The Rapid

 

11:45 am – 12:00 pm

Break

 

12:00 – 1:00 pm

Lunch

 

1:00 – 1:15 pm

Break

 

1:15 – 1:45 pm

180b – Michigan Secretary of State Updates

Description: Learn the latest licensing and certification updates from the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.

Presenter(s): Ryan Smith, Michigan Department of State

 

1:45 – 2:45 pm

180c – Operational Management: From Employees to Students

Description: Learn strategies that can assist in onboarding team members and also keeping drivers up to date on proper student management. Discover ways to properly deal with frustrating scenarios that can occur on the bus. Learn to educate staff on the need to react accordingly to avoid letting “how an issue is handled” become the issue!

Presenter(s): Fred Doelker, Dean Transportation

 

2:45 – 3:00 pm

Break

 

3:00 – 4:00 pm

180d – Managing Transportation Risks

Description: Risk in transportation should be about a lot more than accidents and insurance. Learn to identify the operational risks that exist in a transportation department, establishing a mechanism to evaluate the severity of the risk, and developing mitigation strategies. Key areas of concern include drivers, policies and procedures, technology, contracts, and assets.

Presenter(s): Tim Ammon, Center for Effective School Operations

 

4:00 – 4:30 pm

180e – Driver Retention

Description: Much emphasis has been placed on recruiting new bus drivers. It’s definitely important, but so is retaining current drivers. Learn how to make current drivers feel appreciated and stay on the job. There aren’t magic solutions, but sharing among peers can help everyone improve on transportation staffing.

Presenter(s): Cynthia Valentine, Novi Community School District