School transportation companies need to take extra care in preparing their buses for daily use. After all, their cargo is exceedingly precious. If you head one of these companies, you prioritize fleet maintenance, route-travel efficiency, passenger safety and ownership costs among many interrelated factors. You want buses that run clean, last for years and get to their destinations safely and on time. Chalk up successful fleet management to following these three basic guidelines.
1. Maintain Your Buses
As with any vehicle, buses perform better and last longer when your mechanics perform ongoing preventative maintenance. The cost of maintaining an engine over its lifetime is less expensive than replacing the unit in one fell swoop. Even more important to your mission, a well-maintained school bus provides safer transportation for its priceless cargo since your schedule should include brake and steering inspection and repairs.
2. Improve Overall Fuel Efficiency
The continual stops and starts a school bus makes on its routes take a toll on its fuel mileage. Proactively address fuel usage by installing aftermarket solutions that increase the efficiency of your fuel injection system. Fuel-air separators, for example, prevent unstable, excess air from entering the engine. Also, employing data-measuring fleet fuel trackers can give you insights into fuel usage for each vehicle.
3. Rotate Your Fleet
At some point, your maintenance and fuel management will lead to diminishing returns in comparison to the purchase of a new vehicle. Buses reach a point where they spend more time in the shop than on the road. By purchasing new individual buses on a rotating schedule, you won’t face the budgetary disaster of having to replace numerous buses suddenly and unexpectedly, thus reducing overall ownership costs.
A yellow school bus is an iconic partner to the well-run school district. As a fleet owner, you know your vehicles are depended on to bring students to school and return them safely home. By taking measures to keep your buses operating efficiently and safely, you can ensure smooth transportation throughout their lifetimes.
