GPS & EVIR Fleet Installation (44,000 Buses)
First Student | 2009–2012 | Sr. Director, Operations Support
Challenge
First Student needed to equip 44,000 school buses with Zonar GPS and EVIR (electronic vehicle inspection report) systems to improve:
• Route visibility and dispatch optimization
• Driver safety compliance and accountability
• Parent/school district communication (real-time location tracking)
• Risk mitigation through video evidence of incidents
• Operational cost reduction through fuel and route optimization
Approach
Led a $28M enterprise-wide infrastructure program spanning 3+ years:
• Scoped and planned installation across 44,000 vehicles, 600+ locations
• Vendor selection and contract negotiation
• Managed $28M capital program in phased waves
• Coordinated installations, minimal disruptions
• Led 30-person Ops Support team
• Standardized vehicle config & deployment
• Managed vendor performance & SLA compliance
Results
✅ $28M capital program delivered on time, on budget
✅ 44,000 vehicles equipped with GPS/EVIR systems
✅ $20M+ annual benefits:
- Route optimization & fuel cost reduction
- On-time performance +20% in 6 months
- Safety & risk mitigation, customer satisfaction
✅ 95% device health across all fleet
✅ Zero major disruptions during deployment
✅ Team standardized processes across 600+ locations
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