Education Logistics (EDULOG) and Alpha Communications have been partners for almost seven years, and the companies are experiencing growth in their teams due to increased demand for their services, officials said.  

EDULOG is a routing software provider for the school bus market, and Alpha Communications is an installation company. In April, EDULOG hired 20 employees, as SBFpreviously reported, and the company has been steadily adding to its employee pool since then.

Alpha Communications is increasing the size of its hardware installation team by 38% this summer, growing from eight installers to 13 installers to help meet the increased demand from schools, according to Vice President of Sales and Service Todd Benton.

Of the partnership with EDULOG, Benton said, “Their expertise is in routing and service, and ours is in installing equipment on school buses. It was just the perfect marriage.”

Benton estimates that his group will be installing GPS units on 2,500 to 3,000 school buses in June and July, due to its partnership with EDULOG. The new hires come on at a critical time as adoption of this new technology increases during the summer when school districts aren't in full session.

While two of Benton’s new employees are college students who will only be working for the summer, the other three will be kept on throughout the year to meet the needs of school districts.

“You have to care about what you’re doing, which is why we hire full-time employees,” Benton said. “We’re always open to districts contacting us later.”

EDULOG President Jason Corbally said that when GPS is combined with routing software, the real-time tracking systems can help school districts find more efficient routes, thereby reducing mileage, and it can help schools retire older buses by decreasing the number of routes needed to transport students.

“We’re pleased that we are not only helping school districts put money back into classrooms, but that we’re also seeing our businesses grow because of it,” Corbally added. “It’s great to see the positive effects our industry has on people’s lives in so many ways.”