Artificial intelligence could be the answer to the bus driver shortage

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS) – Millions of us put our children on those bright yellow buses every morning. Now some of those kids are getting a big assist from artificial intelligence because the technology is being used to help tackle major bus driver shortages.

The nationwide school bus driver shortage has persisted in many areas, including Colorado Springs School District 11. The school has offered training and higher salaries, but can’t find a candidate pool.

At the beginning of the school year, Superintendent Michael Gaal had a budget for 110 bus drivers but only 60 showed up. To find a solution, the district shifted gears and partnered with Routewise AI.

“They challenged the constant and they told us that there’s at least 10 to 20% of the students that you’re transporting, that you could optimize the way that you transport them based upon the limitations that you have,” said Gaal.

The rideshare company HopSkipDrive developed the AI technology and it’s testing it in Colorado.

“It looks at every vehicle available. So it’s looking at buses, sedans, vans, and looking at each school and determining what are the most effective routes,” said HopSkipDrive CEO Joanna McFarland. “It can run a first draft in, in hours and come up with something over the weekend.”

Now District 11 only needs about 55 bus routes and supplements with rideshare services, which use specially-trained employees. Drivers go through rigorous background checks, according to the companies. They pick up students who live in outlying areas.

“I get a text message knowing that he’s been picked up, a text message saying that he’s been dropped off. And then, you know, I don’t have to worry about it,” said one of the parents.

After 8 months of using the AI software, District 11 said it has cut the number of bus routes by nearly half, increased time arrivals and boosted driver pay.

It would cost about $50,000 for a school district the size of D11 to use the AI tool, according to HopSkipDrive. Fort Wayne Community Schools has 28,460 students enrolled, according to the Indiana Department of Education. Just this past year, the software has saved D11 more than half a million dollars. Saving that money helped the school district protect at least ten teacher positions, according to Gaal.