Op/Ed: Why the Time Is Now to Modernize Student Transportation
EverDriven Launches New School Bus Routing Services
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.

Greg Jackson told School Bus Fleet that anyone can use the new routing service, regardless of use of EverDriven's alternative transportation arm, and that they are vendor-agnostic in their approach.
School Bus Fleet
EverDriven today announced the launch of its Consolidated Routing Services, a new company division unifying routing across yellow buses, vans, and alternative transportation. Designed to complement a district’s existing routing strategy, it pairs advanced route intelligence with deep human expertise to make every route deliver the best outcome.
As many districts manage separate, disconnected processes, this fragmented reality can drain budgets and slow down service. EverDriven’s Consolidated Routing Services replaces that with a unified solution that learns, adapts, and improves in real time while driving measurable cost savings, faster ride times, and district-wide operational performance, it said.
Consolidated Routing Services brings EverDriven's depth of knowledge to work alongside AI-enabled technology that layers real-world expertise on top of a district’s current approach. The process analyzes ridership patterns, models route adjustments, and surfaces optimization opportunities before they become challenges.

To oversee the new routing services, EverDriven tapped industry expert Greg Jackson in a new role.
Greg Jackson
"A school district now not just receives a consultant; they're receiving a full company backing of individual expertise to do routing on a high level for you," said Greg Jackson, who was recently appointed general manager of school bus services at EverDriven, told School Bus Fleet. Mentioning the significant level of cost savings that can follow, "Every board, every superintendent, they're challenged at this time of year looking at budgets being tight, and to have you say we have a surplus, that makes you look like a rock star, and that's the thing that we're focused on."
How Does the Service Process Work?
Following a thorough evaluation of a district's routes, EverDriven's team gets to work on a strategy to deliver measurable results. This can result in up to 15% reduction in route costs, shorter ride times for all students, stronger on-time performance, and faster turnaround when daily changes arise. For transportation directors, CFOs, and superintendents, one of the most immediate opportunities lies in identifying vacated and unassigned routes.
“Fragmented routing is one of the most expensive invisible problems in K-12 transportation,” said Greg Jackson. “Most districts are managing separate processes for general education, students with disabilities, and McKinney-Vento students—creating daily inefficiencies that add up fast. By delivering visibility and unifying those workflows, we help teams cut costs, shorten ride times, and deliver more consistent service for the students who depend on it most.”
EverDriven’s Consolidated Routing Services will support districts with:
- Cost-neutral routing services
- Route-building prior to each semester
- Two weeks of dedicated on-site planning and testing timed with back to school
- Ongoing route optimization as student needs change
- Technology-agnostic integration that works alongside your existing routing software
- Comprehensive end-of-year data analysis and performance report
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve learned a lot and gained deep expertise supporting the students who need it most — and now we’re bringing that same rigor to every student a district serves,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven. “What sets this solution apart is the combination of industry-leading technology and the deep human expertise to act on it. Our Consolidated Routing Services gives leaders a reliable way to modernize planning, operate with greater confidence year-round, and ensure every student arrives at school safely and on time.”
EverDriven is looking for districts ready to explore the impact of consolidated routing to participate in a pilot for the service.
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