The Future of Education: Disrupting the School Bus

 
Education has evolved phenomenally in recent years, but some structures around it need to catch up. Dated school bus operations are a significant sticking point in the education transformation. A nationwide school bus driver shortage is only compounding these challenges (Education Week).

Even in traditional school schedules, students need to be able to get to activities outside of school. Extended learning opportunities, sports, and community engagements are crucial to the development of children, but a core part of extracurriculars is the transportation to activities. Technology and the sharing economy are working hand in hand to address these issues and create innovative solutions.

Michael B. Horn, host of The Future of Education and Joanna McFarland, CEO and Co-Founder of HopSkipDrive, pose the future of school transportation, explore exciting innovations, and discuss the gaps in traditional transit.

Horn and McFarland discuss…

● HopSkipDrive solutions for underserved students and nontraditional schedules.

● The transportation gaps that exist in current education models.

● The importance of transporting vulnerable populations.

“We’re letting infrastructure drive decision making when we should be thinking ‘what’s best for the kids and how do we solve this?’” said McFarland. People have thought about school transportation the same way for 50 years. Policy and structure are set up around these outdated terms.

Joanna McFarland has more than 15 years of experience in product and general management. She earned her MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her two sons were a part of the core inspiration for creating HopSkipDrive and modernizing school transportation.