First Alt - An Introduction to the Community

First Alt is First Student's specialized, small-capacity student transportation program. It is designed for situations where putting one student—or a small number of students—on a large school bus may not be the safest, most efficient, or most appropriate transportation solution.

Think of it as a customized transportation option within our larger transportation system. 

Instead of sending a full-size bus on a long trip for one student, First Alt can use a sedan, SUV, minivan, or other small-capacity vehicle. Instead of placing a student with unique transportation needs onto a traditional route with many stops, First Alt can provide a more individualized trip with a consistent driver and specific pickup, drop-off, and handoff instructions.

That flexibility can provide a better experience for the individual student while also helping us use our buses and drivers more efficiently throughout the district. First Alt is designed for circumstances such as specialized student needs, McKinney-Vento transportation, certain out-of-district programs, remote or low-capacity trips, and other situations where a traditional bus route may not be the best fit.

This is an important question, and North Bend and First Student also owe some families an apology.

At the beginning of the school year, First Student was responsible for coordinating the implementation of First Alt services. As routes were finalized and additional transportation needs were identified only days before school began, First Alt needed to establish local service very quickly.

To get students transported without waiting weeks to recruit and establish an entirely new fleet of local drivers and vehicles, First Alt temporarily partnered with a local taxi provider that has met all the required safety requirements to be an approved ODE transportation provider.  

Unfortunately, the communication did not keep pace with the implementation.

Some families did not receive an adequate introduction to First Alt before service began and were understandably surprised when what appeared to be a taxi arrived to transport their child.

A parent should never be left wondering who has arrived to transport their child or whether that person has been authorized by the school district. We have been working with First Student and First Alt to correct that communication process.

This is probably the most important distinction for families to understand.

When a local taxi driver and vehicle are assigned to First Alt, they aren't simply accepting a regular taxi fare and picking up a student.

They are operating under First Alt's student transportation requirements.

Drivers must meet specific qualification requirements, including criminal background screening and ongoing criminal-record monitoring, driving-record review, drug screening and applicable drug/alcohol testing requirements, ODE driver qualification and approval, and North Bend School District-required fingerprinting. They also complete First Alt training specifically focused on transporting students.

Vehicles also must meet specific requirements, including mechanical and First Alt inspections, applicable ODE requirements, and an approved First Alt camera system.

Those cameras provide an additional layer of safety and accountability. They are part of the First Alt transportation system—not a personal recording system controlled by the individual driver. Drivers do not have access to the camera  records.  

Drivers are also prohibited from unauthorized stops, passengers, personal errands and unauthorized route deviations while providing First Alt transportation.

In other words, the vehicle may currently look like a taxi, but the trip is a designated, customized student transportation experience.

Learn More Here 

Operations Assistant Manager | FirstAlt

Kenneth.Ortega@firststudentinc.com