GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) and Dean Transportation have entered into a new 5-year agreement to provide transportation services for Pre-K through 8th grade scholars.
The new contract provides greater accountability, investment in technology and safety equipment, electric school buses, and improved communication protocols to families.
“This agreement reflects the feedback we've received from GRPS families and staff over the past two years,” said Luke Stier, GRPS Director of Communications and transportation liaison. “We are proud of the recent improvement to service for our scholars and families and look forward to continuing to collaborate with Dean Transportation to provide safe and reliable service every day.”
“Dean Transportation is proud to continue our support of GRPS, scholars, and families. Our agreement with GRPS reflects an investment in resources, including electric school buses, to align with GRPS’s Reimagine plan. Dean Transportation is committed to being a strong partner of GRPS for the years to come and is excited to continue collaboration with the district, scholars, and families,” said Patrick Dean, President of Dean Transportation.
The updated contract includes provisions for Dean Transportation to install camera systems on GRPS buses, a frequent request from parents and caregivers. Currently, the district and Dean Transportation are exploring technology options through BusPatrol, a vendor that provides cameras at no or reduced cost to the district under recent legislation passed in Michigan.
Dean Transportation will continue to offer and enhance Here Comes the Bus and ZPass technology, allowing parents and caregivers to track buses live and receive real-time notifications when scholars board and exit the bus. Dean and GRPS continue to encourage the use of these technologies. More information can be found on the GRPS website.
The contract also includes formal measures to address any bus delays. If more than 5% of buses arrive more than 10 minutes late in a given month, Dean Transportation will credit GRPS $100 per late bus. The same applies to special trip buses exceeding the 10-minute threshold for a given month. GRPS also reserves the right to declare Dean Transportation in default of the Contract if on-time performance of the system consistently falls below 90% and is not remedied by Dean Transportation. On-time metrics are posted monthly on the Reimagine GRPS Dashboard.
To assist with communication, a Dean Transportation supervisor will be required to be on-site at the transportation office during peak travel times. Dean Transportation must also notify families if a bus is more than 10 minutes late utilizing the Here Comes the Bus Messaging App or GRPS’s Notification System. If GRPS staff must remain on-site after hours waiting for a bus, due to transportation related matters, Dean Transportation will reimburse GRPS $200 per hour until the bus arrives.
GRPS has also established formal ride time targets in the new Contract. The maximum ride time target for neighborhood school routes is 60 minutes. The maximum ride time target for theme school routes, which may include bus transfers, is 90 minutes. Families can report any routes not meeting these standards by utilizing a form on the GRPS transportation page.
GRPS and Dean Transportation are partnering to introduce the first electric school buses to the fleet during the 2025-26 school year under the new agreement. To make this possible, Dean Transportation pursued state and federal grants on behalf of GRPS and was awarded funds to invest in electric school buses and charging infrastructure for GRPS services. Dean is providing all project management and grant support of electric buses in-kind to GRPS, including retiring several current internal combustion engines to be replaced by zero-emissions vehicles. One hundred percent of grant funds are being utilized to purchase equipment or infrastructure required to operate zero-emissions school buses. This project has significant value to GRPS and is being completed at no cost to the district. The contract specifically details that any school buses or equipment purchased with the grant funds dedicated to GRPS shall be provided to GRPS at no cost at the end of the agreement, if Dean is no longer providing service to GRPS.
As Dean continues to hire and recruit staff, the contract also states that GRPS will offer fingerprinting services for Dean Transportation applicants to streamline the hiring process and support workforce development, helping to improve staffing levels and performance. To learn more about Dean Transportation job opportunities at GRPS, please visit deanjobs.com.
