EverDriven Technologies, which provides technology-enabled alternative student transportation for school districts nationwide, is launching a first-of-its-kind safe driving course designed specifically for drivers in alternative student transportation. The exclusive course for EverSafe drivers is provided by School Bus Safety Company (SBSC) and is based on SBSC’s award-winning training program for school bus drivers.

The need for safe, alternative transportation options is surging, according to a news release. About 20 million children — more than half of all pre-high school students in the United States — have to travel more than two miles to school, and more than half of children ride to school in a private vehicle.

EverDriven reported unprecedented growth in both district and student demand for its alternative transportation services in the past two years, with more than 61% growth in the number of districts served and more than 153% growth in students served. Even after these last few weeks, the company reports increased demand in services for the 2023/2024 school year.

“At EverDriven, safety has always been our No. 1 priority and the EverDriven Safety Commitment is recognized as the gold standard in alternative transportation solutions,” said Morgan Judge, EverDriven's director of compliance, regulation, and policy. “We are proud to once again lead the industry with a custom-built learning course that captures best driving practices for alternative transportation and supports our highly vetted EverSafe drivers in meeting EverDriven’s unwavering commitment to safety and to protecting the students we serve.”

During the 2022 school year, EverSafe drivers safely made over 1,900,000 trips with about 22,000 students that added up to over 29,500,000 total miles across 27 states. The new safe driving course is designed to enhance and reinforce EverDriven’s exceptional safety record and will roll out later this fall.

SBSC’s video programs and study guides created specifically for EverDriven will cover best practices for safe alternative transportation and for understanding students with unique transportation needs, which includes students with disabilities, students experiencing housing insecurities and foster youth. The online course will take approximately four hours to complete and will launch in late fall.

“The comprehensive safe driving course that SBSC has created for EverDriven represents an important step forward in elevating safety standards across the field of alternative student transportation,” said Jeffrey Cassell, president at School Bus Safety Company. “With our expert programs, EverSafe drivers will learn field-tested best practices, the 14 driving behaviors that lead to accidents and how to mitigate such behaviors, as well as how to better understand the needs of students with disabilities.” 

Alternative transportation, defined as transportation between one and five students in small-capacity vehicles, offers school districts a safe, cost-effective solution to provide crucial transportation services to students, including those with unique needs. This includes students with disabilities, students experiencing housing insecurity, students in foster care, and students who attend a school that is out of their district or in a hard-to-reach location.