Late last year, we polled readers online to ask one question: What one issue are you most concerned about heading into 2025? The results were (drumroll please) …

• Hiring drivers/recruiting – 23.5%

• Electrification – 20.6%

• Everything – 17.6%

• Safety – 17.6%

• Budget – 8.8%

• Staff – 5.9%

• Training – 5.9%

These are only a little surprising, and they echo what we heard from SBFX attendees, who said that EVs and hiring drivers topped their stress-inducing list.

The driver shortage is thankfully lessening, as evidenced by survey data, but for those of you still struggling to complete routes as planned, a larger trend showing relief doesn’t help you get through each day. 

As we continue to move into 2025, I suspect we will see more attention shift to electric vehicles and federal funding (both as they relate to each other and as they stand separately). With a new administration, we could see massive shifts in where resources are allocated. But, as with any coming change, there is more speculation than fact. We'll need to take that good ol’ wait-and-see approach. However, I think it’s always wise to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Electric school buses have seen some major successes — but for some drivers and admins, there is a hesitancy if not a downright resistance to moving away from the diesel buses we all know so well. 

And then we look at the OEMs and buses themselves. What I’ve got my eye on most is what happens to Lion Electric. Just moments after sending our last Fact Book to press, big news broke: the Canadian manufacturer is experiencing serious strife. They’ve had financial downslides for a few quarters (in Q2 of 2024, they reported $27.7 million less in revenue compared to Q2 2023), and in December, it all seemed to fall apart. After a district in Maine pulled Lion’s buses due to malfunctions and safety concerns earlier in the year, they laid off about half of their workforce, suspended manufacturing, sold an innovation center for debt repayment, lost their president, and seeks creditor protection. But, some customers speak highly of Lion’s buses, and they’ve got over 1,000 orders on the books. With the right leadership and investors, it’s possible they could come out the other side, but it doesn't look likely right now.

I get déjà vu with this story and remember similar tales of EV makers in the automotive space coming and going as the market does what the market does with emerging technologies. It doesn't mean the technology isn't valid, but turnover can be common with new players exploring new spaces.

As we monitor the progress of this story, we’re also watching the earnings and financial performance of the other market players. Publicly traded manufacturers like Blue Bird, Thomas Built, IC, and RIDE’s corporations all seem to be on solid ground.

OEMs and funding aside, the bigger question marks are around infrastructure, grid readiness, and reliability. One transportation director recently expressed to me feeling perplexed at the gushing positivity over ESBs, leaving them wondering if the emporer has no clothes.

Another issue I’m watching closely is the rise in illegal passings. We continue to get more and more data on this safety issue, and the trend is alarming. I’m relieved to hear that the NSTA is hard at work to address this issue on a federal level, but they will need much more support before we start to see a reversal ­— and first, we’ve got to figure out why it’s happening in the first place. It’s likely a combination of factors — speeding, distracted driving, and some ignorance. Some solutions are already on the market; lighted signs and cameras are making a small dent, and the Safe System approach is wonderful in theory, but we need to continue to dig into the best way to make wide-sweeping change and soon.

At School Bus Fleet, we want to ensure that the content we deliver aligns with what you experience, what you need, and what should be celebrated. That’s why we gathered tips to help you recruit Millennial and Gen Z drivers last November. We know there are so many more frustrations you have that we’re unaware of.

In 2025, we’ve got some big goals and plans in the works that you’ll slowly start to see rolling out. Even more will be happening behind the scenes as we put our finger on the pulse of the everyday transportation director and analyze the struggles and successes that fleets of all sizes, in all geographies, experience.

But we can’t do this without you. We already launched one reader survey to gauge what we do well and what we don’t, and we want to dig even deeper. What topics do you want to see covered, and in what format? What keeps you up at night and what are your pain points? What big- or small-scale successes have you witnessed in your own team or from your peers? Where are the hidden gems, the heart-warming tales of administrators who may be overlooked? We truly want to know.

So, this is my humble request, dear reader. Please reach out to tell us what we can do to serve you better. Send your feedback, ideas, tricks, and tips. And if you’re near me in the upper Midwest, invite us to visit you in person, talk shop, and see your operation up close. You can reach me at amanda.huggett@bobit.com.

I can’t wait to get to know you better. Together, we can make 2025 a spectacular year of progress, innovation, and connection.