While classrooms remain quiet until Aug. 20, Davis School District's Transportation Department is already hard at work preparing for the first day of school.
Over the next few weeks, families may notice school buses traveling throughout neighborhoods across the district. These aren't regular routes just yet. Drivers are running practice routes, verifying stops, checking timing and ensuring every detail is ready before students climb aboard on the first day.
It's all part of "Back-to-School Boot Camp for Buses" that helps ensure safe, reliable transportation for more than 21,000 bus-eligible students throughout Davis School District.
A Big Job by an Amazing Team
The numbers behind student transportation are impressive.
Each year, DSD buses travel approximately 2.5 million miles, the equivalent of more than five round trips to the moon. Transportation staff log more than 122,000 operating hours annually while serving students across one of Utah's largest school districts.
The department transports more than 20,000 student riders, including nearly 1,300 special education students whose transportation needs often require additional planning, specialized equipment and individualized support. In fact, the department invests more than one-third of its resources in serving special education transportation needs.
Supporting those efforts is a team of 332 dedicated employees, making Transportation one of the largest support-services departments in the district.
Behind the scenes, 13 highly skilled mechanics maintain approximately 700 district vehicles, including school buses, snowplows, maintenance trucks, driver's education vehicles and other fleet vehicles. Their work has earned statewide recognition, including consistent Gold Awards in Utah Highway Patrol inspections and an exceptionally low out-of-service rate of just 0.05%.
New Tablets Bring Smarter, Safer Transportation
This school year also marks an exciting step forward as the district continues deploying Tyler Drive tablets throughout its bus fleet.
The tablets replace traditional paper route sheets with modern digital tools designed to improve student safety, support drivers and increase operational efficiency. Drivers now have access to turn-by-turn navigation, real-time route updates, route management tools, driver messaging and student information directly on their tablets.
According to transportation leaders, the technology is especially valuable for substitute and newer drivers, helping them navigate routes confidently while ensuring students arrive safely and on time. Early results show improved route consistency, easier substitute driver coverage, greater student accountability and reduced dependence on paper route materials.
The rollout began with pilot programs on special education and complex routes and continues toward full fleet implementation, bringing modern transportation technology to all district buses.
Better Information for Families
The new technology is also laying the foundation for enhanced communication with families.
Parents will continue using the MyRide K-12 app, which allows them to track buses, view route information and receive transportation updates. Future tablet integration will further improve parent visibility by supporting additional features such as student ridership tracking and notifications when students board or exit their bus.
If you haven't used MyRide K-12 before, now is a great time to get familiar with the app before the school year begins.
Check out our "Did You Know?" Transportation reel to learn more about how to download and access the app for keeping in the loop with your student’s transportation: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q8TK48A2JQA
More Than Just a Ride to School
For many students, the school day begins the moment they step onto a bus. Transportation employees understand the responsibility that comes with safely serving students and families across the district every day.
Whether it's drivers learning routes before school starts, dispatchers coordinating schedules, mechanics maintaining vehicles or staff implementing new technology to improve service, the Transportation Department's goal remains the same: providing safe, reliable transportation that helps students arrive ready to learn.
Their work is guided by a simple but powerful motto: "We carry the most precious cargo." Every route, safety check, maintenance inspection, training session and technology upgrade is centered on the students entrusted to their care. From the moment a child steps onto a bus until they arrive safely at school and back home again, the Transportation team is focused on protecting what matters most.
As buses begin appearing around the community during these final weeks of summer, remember, school hasn't started yet. Our Transportation team is simply doing what they always do, preparing, training and working behind the scenes to make sure day one is a success for every student they serve. And with dedicated employees, innovative tools and a commitment to carrying our community's most precious cargo, they are ready to roll.