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C-A transportation chief estimates $75,000 savings

By Billie Dunn

COXSACKIE — Seventy-five-thousand dollars.

That’s how much Transportation Supervisor Ted Nugent projects he saved the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District in transportation costs this year.

Nugent came to the district last year after long-time transportation supervisor Judy Wicks retired, and he said that when he arrived everything “was on paper.” So with him he brought his knowledge of Transfinder — a Windows-based transportation management system designed to help schools manage student transportation.

Last year buses in the Coxsackie-Athens school district traveled approximately 272,500 miles, and after reviewing the district’s 2007 routes, Nugent was able to consolidate. The outcome? Buses are expected to travel only 222,000 this year — saving 50,500 miles worth of diesel fuel.

“This past fiscal year we had some difficulty with transportation. We had to transfer about $30,000 into the transportation budget to cover expenses — primarily fuel,” said the district’s Chief Financial Officer Leslie Copleston.

According to Copleston the transportation department had not budgeted for the unexpected increase that fuel prices took earlier this year.

“We’re hearing it more and more,” said Transfinder Marketing Manager Kathleen Fagan. “Everyone is so sensitized about fuel pricing now,” she said.

For 20 years Transfinder has been aiding districts in transportation management, and with 1,000 clients in 46 states, Fagan says it’s the leader in student transportation management software and services.

“When clients are using our software they can easily make decisions about consolidating stops, changing routes, and saving mileage,” said Fagan.

Transfinder’s second quarter sales this year were the best in its 20-year history.

For Nugent the program allowed him to see where the district’s students live, and to use the locations to best consolidate the routes. His biggest challenge? Timing.

“You have to be able to get the children to where they need to go — on time,” he said.

For the Coxsackie-Athens School District there are two main “runs” — high school and middle school students, and elementary students. Last year there were 18 routes total, this year there are 17, and elementary runs have been consolidated.

The outcome? Major savings which will be retained in the transportation budget, and while schools throughout the county are cutting services like field trips and sports trips, the Coxsackie-Athens School District isn’t planning to.

“We’ve maximized our efficiency by utilizing the capacity of our buses,” said Nugent, “and given the savings we’re looking at, we’re not planning on cutting any services.”

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