The Steamboat Springs Board of Education received a detailed update on transportation during its regular business meeting Monday.

Transportation Manager Casey Ungs led the presentation, offering insights into the district’s efforts to ensure safe and efficient transportation for students while embracing sustainability and technological advancements.

The district currently operates 10 daily bus routes, Ungs explained, six of which primarily cover in-town areas and four that include more rural areas, with a plan to add an additional route to better serve rural students. Each bus averages 50 riders daily, compared to a capacity of 71-72 students per bus. 

“It’s hard to convince three high-schoolers to stuff three to a seat in a bus,” said Ungs. “So 50 is really a good number, we’re doing well there.”

Approximately 25% of the district’s student population uses the bus system, a figure that has remained consistent over the years, though Ungs noted that this percentage excludes juniors and seniors, who predominantly self-transport.

“Are we OK with the 25% of our district using the bus?” asked Board of Education Secretary Lara Craig. “What I see that connected to is a lot of traffic issues, especially at this campus. And what are the ways that we can mitigate that issue, and improve incentives for parents to actually use the bus system, rather than coming in single-car pickups and creating traffic woes for the rest of the town?”

“Ideally, every kid would ride the school bus just because it is the safest form of transportation that you could use to get to and from school,” Ungs answered. “They’re specifically designed to keep kids safe, and so ideally, I would totally support a larger percentage of the student population riding the bus.”

Ungs added that he plans to distribute a parent survey to gather more information as to what parent needs are from school buses and what may be preventing them from choosing school buses as a method of transportation. 

“I think that sounds great and I would encourage the district and you to look into that,” said Craig. “It concerns me that Steamboat is so conscious of the environment, and yet not participating in ways to carpool, or to allow their kids to get on the bus, or that sort of thing. That’s just been a concern for a long time.”

Collectively, the buses travel 512 miles daily, amounting to around 86,000 miles annually. The longest route spans up to 95 miles, serving North Routt Charter School in Clark.

Activity trips are another significant component of the transportation initiatives. Year-to-date, drivers have completed 437 trips, with an estimated total of 550 by year-end. Around half of these trips extend beyond the Yampa Valley.

“We’re kind of isolated up here, so some of our sports trips and some of the opportunities that are available in Denver and larger areas, we get out there and take students down there, which is awesome,” said Ungs. “Last weekend, high school track was in Gypsum, girls’ soccer was in Delta, the Science Olympiad was in Colorado Springs, we had baseball in Rifle, and girls’ lacrosse was in Edwards.”

“You know the terrain, you know the weather up here, it can be pretty challenging,” he added. “So kudos to all those drivers that go out on the activity trips and get them done safely.”

To enhance comfort on long trips, the district recently added two new buses equipped with upgraded seating, air conditioning and USB ports for charging devices.

The district has also implemented radio frequency identification card readers across its entire fleet to streamline student tracking. Approximately 500 cards were distributed to students at the beginning of the academic year, and Ungs is currently working through remaining requests using a newly acquired card printer.

By the summer, parents will have access to a companion app called My Ride K-12, which provides real-time updates on when and where students board and exit buses.

A major highlight of the meeting was the district’s progress in adopting electric vehicles — by the 2025-26 school year, 100% of the existing bus routes will be operated by EVs. 

“That’s just a huge win, I feel, for the transportation department, a huge win for the school district, and a huge win, really, for the kids riding the buses and the drivers driving the buses,” said Ungs. “They are substantially quieter, and it’s a substantially more enjoyable experience.”

Ungs also discussed exploring renewable natural gas technology as part of a retrofit initiative called the CowFartBus, which could significantly reduce emissions while improving fuel economy. He plans to visit Eagle Valley soon to evaluate the technology firsthand.

Safety remains a top priority for the transportation department. Ungs reported 48 instances of illegal passing of school buses this year so far. To address this issue, the district plans to install stop-arm extensions with flashing lights to improve visibility and reduce violations.

“Your entire crew does an incredible job with activities’ transportation. It is a lot, it is a big ask, it is exactly what you said: You never know about the weather, you never know about if a bus is going to make it down successfully, and you guys are very good at quickly and creatively problem-solving when those challenges arise, because it’s going to happen,” said Board of Education Vice President Chresta Brinkman following the presentation. “So thank you, guys.”

“I also just want to say thank you also for being forward-thinking,” said Craig. “For the district, really supporting electric buses and new technology and making sure that we’re not idling and creating more fumes for kids to breathe, and all of those things, I really appreciate it.”