HopSkipDrive

09/02/2026

71% of districts felt a real, documented consequence of bus driver shortages this past year, including longer ride times; missed pickups; canceled routes; staff burnout; or the elimination of transportation for extracurriculars, field trips, and athletics.

That’s one of the key findings from our 2026 State of School Transportation Report, which confirms that the bus driver shortage is not a temporary issue — it’s the current operating reality for most districts nationwide.

As the 2026–2027 school year kicks off, it’s an issue that’s showing up in real time. This month alone, local news covered bus service eliminated in Michigan, a substitute-driver scramble in Louisiana, and double-digit driver vacancies across Virginia.

Districts getting ahead of things aren’t waiting on the labor market to shift. Almost half (44%) of districts surveyed have already brought in an alternative transportation partner for built-in, supplemental transportation capacity.

See the full breakdown of what the driver shortage is costing students, including those who can’t get to games, after-school programs, and field trips.

New data: 71% of districts report operational fallout from driver shortages, including lost transportation for extracurriculars, sports, and field trips.

08/25/2026

Our 2026 State of School Transportation Report found that transportation availability plays a significant role in where families choose to enroll their kids. Sixty-eight percent of all K-12 parents surveyed say transportation was a factor in choosing their child’s current school. The majority (79%) of charter school parents say they’d switch their child’s school for better transportation alone — no academic improvement required. That number climbs to 82% for private school parents.

This data is a strong signal that districts and schools shouldn’t ignore.

The pattern continues past enrollment day. More than half of parents say their child missed school entirely at least once in the past year because of a transportation problem. And while most districts (75%) believe transportation affects attendance, only 25% are actually tracking that connection.

For school districts in states like California and Missouri, where funding is tied at least in part to attendance, those missed days aren’t just an instructional loss for students. They show up as lost revenue, too.

Our latest blog post digs into what the data shows, and makes the case for treating transportation as a vital part of enrollment and attendance strategy.

Read more on our blog: https://bit.ly/4hTMWem

New data links school transportation issues to enrollment and attendance. Here’s what district leaders should know.

08/06/2026

Our 2026 State of School Transportation Report is here, and it looks at what families of K-12 students and school districts across the country are really experiencing when it comes to getting kids to school.

We asked parents about their real, everyday experiences with school transportation, and we asked district leaders about the pressures they’re managing behind the scenes, including driver shortages, tight budgets, and the challenge of serving every student.

See the full picture: https://bit.ly/4wEP91x

Explore the 2026 State of School Transportation Report. Uncover data on driver shortages, budget blind spots, and impact on school attendance. Read today!

07/31/2026

Angelo Grau, Transportation Supervisor at Mesquite Independent School District (TX) and President-Elect of the North Texas Association for Pupil Transportation, shares why HopSkipDrive's customer service and cost-effectiveness make it the right partner.

Hear more from Grau and the HopSkipDrive team on our upcoming webinar “Attendance, Enrollment, and Equity Answers Hiding in Your Transportation Data” on Thursday, August 6th.

Join us 👉 https://bit.ly/3RtG38C

07/27/2026

"Language access is one of the biggest hidden barriers to getting kids to school reliably, especially in districts serving large multilingual caregiver populations," HopSkipDrive’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, Corey McMahon, said. "As school communities become more diverse, transportation providers need to meet caregivers where they are, not just in the vehicle, but in the app experience they use every day to coordinate their child's ride."

Check out this recent piece by School Bus Fleet Magazine on HopSkipDrive’s recent launch of Spanish-language app for caregivers!

The update aims to improve communication with multilingual families by offering ride tracking, notifications, and support in Spanish, with more languages planned for the 2026-2027 school year.

07/21/2026

We are excited to launch our new Spanish-language app for families! 🎉

HopSkipDrive just launched a fully Spanish-language app experience: the app, ride notifications, and live phone support are all available in Spanish, with zero extra setup. Families can track rides in real time, get milestone alerts like "CareDriver en camino," and connect with a Spanish-speaking support agent whenever they need it.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4vRGSq4

¡Estamos emocionados de lanzar nuestra nueva aplicación en español para las familias! 🎉

HopSkipDrive acaba de lanzar una experiencia completamente en español: la aplicación, las notificaciones de viaje y el soporte telefónico en vivo, todo disponible en español, sin configuración adicional. Las familias pueden seguir sus viajes en tiempo real, recibir alertas como "CareDriver en camino" y hablar con un agente en español cuando lo necesiten.

Más información: https://bit.ly/4pGSf2r

07/16/2026

Tyler Maybee, Director of Operations at Denver Public Schools, shares how our transportation intelligence tool, RouteWise AI™, helped his team evaluate route efficiency, identify savings, and build a stronger transportation plan.

Ready to bring that same efficiency to your district? Get in touch with our team 👉 https://bit.ly/4w6PcTr

06/23/2026

Did you know that raising your own kids, watching younger siblings, or volunteering at an after-school program counts as caregiving experience? 💙

You don’t need a formal medical background or professional title to be a caregiver. If you bring patience, empathy, and strong communication to the table, those skills are highly valuable—especially for roles like being a CareDriver!

Discover what counts as caregiving experience and how you can turn those skills into a flexible opportunity:

Learn what a caregiver does, what qualifies as caregiving experience, and how to become a caregiver in flexible roles like student transportation.

06/22/2026

Safety isn't just about the ride. It's about who picks up the phone when something goes wrong.

HopSkipDrive's Safe Ride Support® and Trust & Safety teams are now certified through the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), widely recognized as the standard for crisis intervention training. Every specialist supporting our community has been trained to lead with empathy, build trust quickly, and respond with real care, especially in the moments that matter most.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4xNAYsc

HopSkipDrive’s trust, safety, and support teams are now NOVA trauma-informed certified, enhancing student safety with expert care for every ride.

06/19/2026

At HopSkipDrive, we're honored to celebrate Juneteenth, a day of profound significance in our nation's history.