Building a Supplemental School Transportation RFP That Delivers: A Checklist
School districts have a complex transportation puzzle to solve: efficiently managing traditional yellow bus routes and other assets while ensuring every student, regardless of circumstance, has reliable access to education. Supplemental transportation can — and should — be an important piece of that puzzle, acting as a flexible, adaptable partner to fill critical gaps and help districts optimize existing resources.
To find the right partner for this crucial role, a well-crafted Request for Proposal (RFP) is essential. This checklist guides you through key considerations to ensure your RFP attracts vendors who prioritize student safety, reliability, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with your existing transportation framework.
Let’s delve into the essential components of an effective supplemental transportation RFP so you can find a school transportation partner that understands — and can help you address — your district’s unique transportation challenges.
RFP Checklist for Supplemental School Transportation
✅ Stringent Driver Background Checks and a Strong Safety Record
Requirements: Require transparent and regular safety data reporting and comprehensive criminal background checks — including state and FBI-based fingerprinting and driving record reviews — for all drivers.
Why: Student safety is paramount. Thorough background checks ensure only qualified and trustworthy individuals are transporting your students, and it’s important to confirm that your transportation partner is conducting and has oversight on these checks for all drivers — not just relying on another local partner to handle them.
Furthermore, gathering and reporting safety data allows districts to track incidents, identify trends and areas for improvement, and ensure that their transportation providers are maintaining the highest safety standards.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: HopSkipDrive CareDrivers® must pass an in-depth 15-point certification process that includes name and fingerprint-based criminal background checks; driving record checks; and, where available under state law, child abuse and neglect screening. CareDrivers are highly vetted caregivers — parents, grandparents, former teachers, babysitters, and more — who are required to have at least five years of caregiving experience.
Our commitment to safety is also reflected in our annual Safety Report. HopSkipDrive is the first and only organization in the student transportation industry to openly share safety metrics.
✅ Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency to Maximize Budget
Requirement: Ensure that the vendor can provide tools and data that give insight into transportation spending and budget, as well as reporting features that show how the service is helping your district save money and increase efficiency.
Why: Detailed reporting that shows cost savings and increased efficiency will help districts justify spending and budget, as well as track ROI over time.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: HopSkipDrive’s RideIQ ride management platform provides districts with tools and data that give insight into transportation spending and budget, as well as detailed reporting features that show how HopSkipDrive’s services are helping your district save money and increase efficiency.
HopSkipDrive’s supplemental transportation network also helps districts fill in transportation gaps and route vehicles more efficiently, which saves time and reduces costs. In fact, HopSkipDrive is 40% more affordable for districts than using underutilized bus routes.
✅ Insurance and Liability Coverage to Protect Your District
Requirement: Specify minimum insurance requirements for vehicle liability, general liability, and worker’s compensation.
Why: Adequate insurance coverage protects your district from potential liabilities and ensures financial security in case of accidents.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: HopSkipDrive maintains comprehensive commercial liability coverage that exceeds regulatory requirements and is designed specifically with the interests of our partners and users in mind. In particular, HopSkipDrive’s insurance accounts for the fact that most riders are youth and other vulnerable populations, and has been designed based on actual data relating to ride volume and incident rates. In addition, all HopSkipDrive CareDrivers are required to maintain personal automobile insurance coverage consistent with state laws, and must submit proof of coverage on an ongoing basis.
✅ Real-Time Ride Tracking and Robust Communication Practices
Requirement: Request live visibility into ride status, as well as effective communication capabilities between drivers, parents/guardians, and district staff.
Why: Real-time visibility enhances transparency, improves communication by keeping everyone in the loop, and enables a quick response to any issues.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: Our Safe Ride Technology™ enables open communication and gives full visibility into ride status to everyone involved in a student’s journey, from parents to school staff to CareDrivers to our dedicated Safe Ride Support® team — a group of specialists that tracks the progress of every ride, and steps in to proactively resolve issues in real time.
✅ Flexibility to Meet Diverse Student Requirements
Requirement: Seek a transportation partner that can accommodate diverse student needs, including those related to students with disabilities, youth living in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness.
Why: Students have varying transportation needs. A flexible transportation option that can fill in district transportation gaps ensures all students can access education regardless of their circumstances.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: HopSkipDrive is uniquely positioned to support students facing unique challenges, ensuring their well-being and access to education. Our compassionate care and cutting-edge technology combine to create a transportation solution that prioritizes safety and a positive experience for every child. Our small vehicle network and flexible driver availability allow us to accommodate a wide range of needs, including those of students with disabilities, youth in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness. Additionally, our RideIQ ride management platform streamlines the process for districts to arrange and customize transportation, ensuring each student’s unique situation is met with individualized care.
✅ Fast Turnaround Time and Responsiveness to Urgent Needs
Requirement: Evaluate the provider’s ability to respond to urgent and dynamic transportation requests, and provide timely support.
Why: Unforeseen circumstances can arise, and districts may also experience fluctuating needs for transportation services for specific populations, such as students who qualify for McKinney-Vento transportation and students with disabilities. A transportation partner that enables districts to quickly schedule rides — and adjust those schedules as needed — helps ensure students are not left without a way to get to school.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: Our platform’s built-in flexibility and responsiveness can meet your district’s urgent and ever-changing transportation needs. With HopSkipDrive, you can schedule rides with as little as six hours’ notice and make changes up to two hours before pickup. This rapid turnaround time ensures students always have a reliable ride to school, even in unexpected situations.
✅ Data Security and Privacy to Protect Students and Mitigate District Risk
Requirement: Ensure the provider complies with all applicable data privacy regulations and has verified security credentials, ideally a Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II attestation.
Why: Protecting student data is crucial. A secure platform safeguards sensitive information, maintains student privacy, and mitigates risk for the district by ensuring compliance and demonstrating strong data governance practices.
HopSkipDrive Advantage: HopSkipDrive has set a new standard for data security in student transportation as the first and only company in the industry to achieve SOC 2 Type II compliance. This achievement reinforces our unwavering commitment to protecting the data and privacy of the students, school districts, and CareDrivers we serve.
The right supplemental transportation partner isn’t just a vendor — it’s a strategic ally. By leveraging the insights in this checklist to build a comprehensive RFP, you’re setting the stage for a partnership that goes beyond logistics. You’re taking the first step towards securing a collaborator who understands the critical role transportation plays in educational equity and student success, and who is committed to working alongside you to achieve your district’s goals.
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