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Operations Management
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Student Transportation Operations Analysis
How well is your school bus or student transportation operation performing? How do
you know? Persistent budget pressure has forced school districts to regularly look
at their student transportation operations for potential cost savings. Knowing if
those savings are available or if further cuts will have a negative impact on service
levels requires a clear understanding of the tradeoff between cost and service.
MPS utilizes a unique combination of performance measurement and operational analysis
to evaluate the performance of school bus transportation operations against industry
standards and determine where improvements can be made. Areas we review include:
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School bus routing and scheduling |
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Personnel management |
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Fleet maintenance |
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Repair parts management |
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Fuel management |
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Information technology |
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Transportation Shared Services and Inter-district Collaboration
The continuing budget pressures on school districts are requiring new and innovative solutions to providing
transportation services. One growing trend is the consideration of regionalized or cross boundary transportation
where multiple districts are providing services to and receiving services from each other. This approach can provide
a number potential benefits including reductions in total number of buses and drivers required, greater economies of
scale in purchasing of goods and services, and reductions in administrative and managerial staffing.
MPS has designed an analytical approach that will identify, quantify, and recommend potential opportunities for collaboration that will maximize cost savings, mitigate service disruptions, and improve the utility of transportation services in general. Options to consider include:
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Opportunities that would result from the use of collaborative services to regular education programs, given current program types, locations, and bell times; |
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Enhancements that could be implemented as a result of bell time, location, or other programmatic changes; and |
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Opportunities that would result from sharing assets, management, infrastructure, or support services. |
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Excellent performance is a mix of cost effectiveness and high service quality.
Understanding that "you can't manage what you cannot measure", our approach
incorporates performance standards with the individual constraints and service demands
that are unique to your transportation program. Our approach assists you in measuring
current performance and establishes an ongoing self-assessment program that utilizes
data and performance measurement as one of your key management tools.
At MPS, our diagnostic approach asks the following questions:
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Is our student transportation operation performing cost effectively? |
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Are customer expectations for high-quality services being met? |
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Can student transportation services be better or cheaper than they are now? |
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Transportation Performance Improvement Plans
Identification of a problem is important, but implementation of solutions is what
is going to make your operation run more smoothly. At MPS, our specialty is partnering
with our clients to make sure the changes that must be made are made. Our performance
improvement approach has been confirmed in many "real world" school bus
operations.
Our Transportation Improvement Plan defines the necessary changes, time lines, and
expected results. Put together with our Transportation Task Plan, the "who-what-when-where-how"
roadmap is complete, providing a step-by-step action strategy with specific staff
assignments, deadlines, and objectives that emphasizes accountability and results.
Using these powerful but straightforward tools with our clients has resulted in crisis
turnarounds and rapid improvement where other attempts had failed.
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Transportation Technology
Navigating the maze of technology available to transportation departments is a
complex and difficult endeavor at best and a can result in costly mistakes later
if not done properly. MPS specializes in understanding and defining your information
technology needs and filtering the array of choices to identify the best system for
your operation. We begin by helping you develop the clear vision of how the transportation
operation will use the system to improve operations so you can receive the highest
possible value from the system. We then translate these needs into specific service
specifications. This avoids the "reverse engineering" that so often happens
when a technology product is bought without a clear understanding of how you will
use it.
MPS can assist you with the identification of and development of specifications for:
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Routing and scheduling packages |
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Data analysis and report development |
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GIS and GPS technology |
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Fleet maintenance and management systems |
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Fuel management technology |
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AVL and event data recorders (black boxes) |
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Personnel Training
Today's transportation operations cannot be managed with yesterday's skill sets.
Increasing demands for service quality and public pressure to be more accountable
for cost competitiveness requires more attention to staff training and development.
MPS can help train your staff in areas such route design and development; driver
management and training; fleet maintenance management; data collection and analysis;
and community relations.
MPS can work with you to structure a training program that will address any or all
aspects of transportation management. Using MPS staff to supplement your existing
training program or to help mentor and develop in-house staff members to fill expected
vacancies can be a cost effective and efficient way to make sure that your organization
can continue to meet the cost and service quality expectations of your customers.
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What is the current condition of your facilities? Can you accurately evaluate
what is needed and what is already adequate? Knowing if savings are available or
if further deferred maintenance or replacement will have a negative impact on service
levels requires a clear understanding of the tradeoff between cost and service. MPS
has designed a cost effective service that includes a detailed inspection and evaluation
of mechanical areas including custodial closets, mechanical rooms, boiler rooms,
tunnels, attics, roofs, restrooms, kitchens, general classrooms, locker rooms, and
common areas. Exterior surveys would include stadiums and other athletic facilities,
parking lots and sidewalks, and the important "first impression" areas
of your facilities.
As added value to our Facility Assessments, we will complement your risk management
and safety programs providing comments on trip hazards, improper use of extension
cords, chemical use and storage, ladders and other suggestions that may help to reduce
expensive worker's compensation claims, loss of worker productivity, and potential
OSHA violations.
Click here for more detailed information about School and
Transportation Facility Assessments.
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Us
Management Partnership Services
9710 Traville Gateway Dr. #363 Rockville, MD 20850
888-518-3377 (phone)
888-348-0335 (fax)
inforequests@managementpartnershipservices.com
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