Facing a severe shortage of bus drivers, a school district in Colorado, US, chose to use artificial intelligence to increase the efficiency of its transportation service.
District 11 in Colorado Springs was able to hire only 60 drivers out of the 110 needed, despite higher training and salaries. So, to improve its offerings, the school district turned to RouteWise AI, a system created by HopSkipDrive, CBS News reported.
The operation of this AI-powered system is already being used in other areas, such as healthcare and emergency services, to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Thus, thanks to artificial intelligence, the program analyzes all available vehicles, whether buses, sedans or minivans, as well as the needs of each school to provide the most efficient routes, as explained to the American media Joanna McFarland, co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive. .
With RouteWise, District 11 was able to limit its service to 55 buses. This is complemented by a car-sharing service with trained and background-checked drivers.
Financially, this system would be beneficial to school districts. In Colorado Springs, more than half a million dollars were saved. These funds have made it possible to secure the jobs of at least 10 teachers, according to District 11 Superintendent Michael Gall.
