Phil Eades brings decades of experience in delivery logistics, healthcare and student transportation, and operational leadership to his role as COO of ASTP. In this Q&A, we ask Phil for his perspective on the current challenges facing the student transportation industry, as well as some future opportunities on the road ahead.
Q: How have your experiences in logistics, yellow bus, and health care transportation given you a unique perspective on the industry?
A: My early experience in logistics was heavily influenced and driven by metrics and hours management. Moving packages around the country and world overnight is not easy, and having daily operational discipline was crucial to maintaining profitability. This skill set and area of expertise have been a consistent focus throughout my career, carrying forward into each of my roles.
When I first ventured into the yellow bus industry fifteen years ago, I was surprised to see that on-vehicle technology was only just starting to play a larger role in student transportation. Things have come a long way since then, but I am still surprised at the slow rate of technology adoption and metric driven management across the industry. Leveraging data, key performance indicators (KPIs), and maintaining operational consistency have been integral to my success throughout the years.
In my healthcare transportation experience, I saw some of the same challenges from a technology adoption perspective. If you are in healthcare transportation and are not using technology to manage the member experience and to route and bill for trips, you are going to be left behind by providers who are.
Q: You mentioned that many operators are slow to adopt new technology. What, in your opinion, is the number one mistake most transportation providers make that hinders their operational success?
A: Becoming complacent. When people and companies do not believe they need to have a continuous improvement mindset, that is the beginning of the end in my opinion. Transportation is a people-centered business and the most successful transportation companies are continually challenging themselves to improve all aspects of their business, while remaining centered around two core principles: 1) Be easy to work for and 2) Be easy to do business with.
Q: What are the three biggest challenges facing student transportation right now?
A: Driver shortages are still the number one concern of almost every provider nation-wide (although they are improving slightly from post-Covid levels). Increasing operational costs for things like wages, benefits, insurance, fuel, vehicle costs, maintenance, and parts are also crippling many small to mid-size operations. With rapidly evolving technology, and a wide range of options, choosing and adopting the appropriate level of available technology to effectively meet the needs of all stakeholders and improve the service experience for students and parents is a big challenge.
Q: Do you see any opportunities for innovation and growth in the industry?
A: Absolutely. When I look at the billions of dollars Uber and Lyft have spent on technology that is centered around both the rider and driver experience, I am encouraged at where student transportation can go by adopting technology into daily operational practices. Specifically in student transportation, I look for current and future technology providers to take things to a different level by utilizing AI to provide actionable insights to front line transportation managers.
Current technology offers reporting that amounts to lists of what vehicles or drivers did in a given time period. Successful technology providers in our space will find ways to save their customers time and money by serving up actionable reporting that is customizable for the end user.
I am also extremely excited to see where the current event-based push-notification technology takes us in student transportation.
Q: From your perspective, what makes ASTP different from other transportation service companies?
A: The team at ASTP has decades of experience in student transportation and we provide both a collaborative and innovative approach to partnership with existing companies. We draw on our collective industry experience to creatively structure agreements and assist partners through the acquisition process as seamlessly as possible. As a mission-driven business, we recognize the importance of offering our team members more than just a paycheck, creating a meaningful and fulfilling work environment.
We have developed our H.E.R.O.E.S. ethos, which is deeply integrated into every aspect of our business. Our team members are H.E.R.O.E.S. (Here, Every day, Ready, On-time, Exceptional, Safe). We’ve established the H.E.R.O.E.S. podcast studio inside a 72-passenger bus, created the HEROES Broadcast channel to stream our videos and podcasts at each terminal, and launched the HEROES Training Academy to cultivate our future leaders. We are an ideal partner for student transportation operators seeking liquidity or growth.
Q: In your current role as COO with ASTP, what have you identified as priority areas of focus for 2024/25?
A: At ASTP and our family of operating partners, our immediate focus is on improving the utilization of our existing technology to drive operational improvements, on-time performance, routing integration, key performance measurement, and process standardization.
Q: Any final predictions for the next 12 months?
A: ASTP is focused on continued organic and inorganic growth as we plan to continue our aggressive but measured growth strategy. In the industry it will be interesting to see what role the introduction of micro transit options will play in the future of student transportation, as well as how EV’s continue to evolve as future clean student transportation solutions.
Contact Us
Ready to learn more about how ASTP is driving the future of student transportation? Reach out to us.
American Student Transportation Partners (ASTP) is a national network of reliable student transportation providers, ensuring better access to education through safe, dependable student transportation programs. Exceptional bus operators choose ASTP because of our innovative approach to partnership, as well as the resources we provide to help “future-proof” their operations.
To learn more about partnering with ASTP, contact Nick Tierno, Director of Corporate Development, at [email protected].