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'It's all about safety'

Transportation director Al Karam talks about what drives the transportation department

It’s all about safety, says Al Karam, transportation director for the Bethlehem Central School District.

 “Safety drives what we do,” he said. “Our goal is not to provide the quickest route; our goal is to provide the safest and most reliable route.”

 The transportation needs of the district drive the size and scope of the transportation department, said Karam. This is an important fact to remember when you’re dealing with a department that logs over one million miles per year, and picks up and drops off 7,500 students every day.

“The point we need to remember is that the cost of the transportation department is driven by the program needs,” said Karam.

In order to meet these demanding program needs, the transportation department usually runs about 12-hour days - mechanics show up at 5 a.m., dispatch at 5:30.

“So, if anyone loses anything on the buses, if you want to come by that early and look for it, we’ll be there,” Karam joked.

During that 12-hour day, Karam’s department will conduct well over 11,000 stops and keep his fleet of 142 vehicles so well maintained that in 2009, it was honored as one of the "10 Top Shops" in the nation by School Bus Fleet magazine, the official news source of the National Association of Pupil Transportation.

“When I first came here in 2000, we were running a 24-25 percent out of service rate,” said Karam. “We now have one of the best out of service rates of any school district or any private operation at 0.7 percent.”

Karam said it’s because of the team of dedicated professionals he and his staff have put together.

“I have a great bunch of guys who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it takes to get things done,” he said. And that is because Karam and his team are very selective about who will be part of the department responsible for transporting your children safely and efficiently.

“When we take in applications, we really scrutinize them. That’s the difference between us and a private service - we’re not here for profit, we’re here for safety,” he said.

In addition to the department’s high standard for employees, Karam has also worked to maintain a standard fleet of vehicles so the department can maximize savings in parts and maintenance costs.
Karam said his department fields a lot of phone calls around this time of year about transportation issues.

“Many parents wonder why, if they can drive to school in five minutes, does it take their child 45 minutes to get to school on the bus,” he said. “But parents need to remember, we don’t route from point A to point B, we route to cover the collective needs of every student.”

And that routing process is a massive undertaking. The many variables considered include geography, school calendars, distance, time, student schedules, weather, bell schedules and the desire to keep routes under 45 minutes. The routing process begins in mid-February, and more than 700 person-hours are devoted to developing the bus routes until they’re complete in August.

Even then, it can take a few weeks after the start of school to get all of that routing work into a smooth practical application.

“I know sometimes it may be a source of frustration for parents at the beginning of the school year when buses aren’t on their normal schedule, but I don’t know of any school district that starts right off the bat without any hitches. It takes the drivers, the students and the schools a good 4-to-six weeks to settle the routes down,” said Karam.

The challenges don’t stop there. Karam and his crew are always on the lookout for potential savings and, conversely, potential budget challenges. Fuel prices are always a cause of concern for the department, said Karam, as is the bus-to-mechanic ratio. Presently, there are 21 buses to every mechanic.

Also on the horizon are new safety mandates the department must comply with that will increase the cost of bus purchase or maintenance. These include retrofitting five buses with engine fire suppression systems by 2012 and outfitting each vehicle that’s 10,000 lbs. or less with a three-point belt system.

Despite these challenges, Karam and the Transportation Department remain dedicated to providing Bethlehem’s students with the safest, most efficient service possible.

“Bus transportation is good for the environment, it’s safe and it’s the gateway to a child’s education,” said Karam. “Because of those reasons, we take what we do very seriously.”

For more information on the Transportation Department, visit their website here.

See the presentation Transportation Department Director Al Karam gave to the Board of Education at its November 2 meeting here [PDF].

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