Transportation

The Fleet Operations division is responsible for the purchasing and maintenance of the Houston Independent School District's fleet including school buses, support, service, utility, and delivery vehicles.

In 2011 & 2012, the transportation department fleet was the only school district in the nation to be listed as a top 100 Best Fleets of North America.  Also,  the  HISD Fleet was ranked as one of the top 40 government green fleets in the country for 2011 & 2012.  The top 40 green fleets are chosen based on documentation of key performance measurements and use of alternative fuels and recycling policies. 

One of the key measurements is fleet composition of conventional fueled vehicles versus alternative fuels such as biodiesel and propane.  HISD’s green fleet improves Houston’s air quality for our children and is also a smart financial decision.  In August 2011 propane school buses were added to the district fleet as the result of a $2.2 million grant.  HISD estimates each of the 27 propane buses will save more than $3,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs and will reduce particulate matter by 99.99 percent over older petroleum diesel buses

 From the bus drivers who monitor engine idling to the shop team members who reduce waste stream daily to the routing team who uses GPS to optimize routing efficiency, everyone in the department played an essential role in this award. 

Key Green Milestones

·         In August 2011 27 propane school buses were added to the district fleet as the result of a $2.2 million grant. 

·         In 2010-2011, HISD began using biodiesel in all of its school buses and diesel light-fleet vehicles.  Biodiesel is derived from renewable sources such as soybeans which are expected to reduce harmful emissions by up to 5 percent and extend the life of engine parts.  

·         In 2010, Bus drivers began monitoring engine idling daily

·         The HISD School District has  an anti-idling policy for all HISD school buses and vehicles.  Excessive idling is tracked and reported to the Transportation and CFS Managers each day, GPS is used to track the idling.