Transportation Services
Coordinated transportation services to school districts in Union County are provided through UCESC Transportation Department. The department has been very successful at formulating/bidding routes that are the most cost effective for our member districts. UCESC prides itself on the high level of on-going service we provide throughout the year as well as the highly competitive costs that are made possible by coordinating routes among member districts.
Hence, providing transportation to more than 3600 students on a daily basis requires experience, expertise, coordination, compassion, and business savvy. Collectively, the staff of the transportation department of the Union County Educational Services Commission (UCESC), led by 12 year veteran Lorraine Vitiello, possesses all of the these abilities and more.
Perhaps the most important benefit the UCESC transportation staff offers the students they transport and their parents is the caring and understanding that comes from years of experience. Some of the 21-year old students on the routes have been traveling with the Commission since they were three years old. The staff becomes familiar with each student’s requirements and special needs and takes all of this into account when assigning routes. They also have developed good working relationships with school district personnel over the years. Many parents know the staff and are comfortable calling to be reassured that their children are okay.
As a Regional Transportation Cooperative, UCESC provides cost-effective transportation for each school district and nonpublic school in Union County, for the Union County Vocational- Technical School, and for special needs students throughout the state. Because the Commission acts as a central clearing house for more than 800 routes per day during the school year covering 175 different schools with an additional 450 routes in the summer, bus companies from eight counties in the state respond to the bid requests with very competitive bids.
According to Mrs. Vitiello, transportation coordinator for the Commission, “This saves everyone involved a lot of money and time because it’s cheaper to drive one full bus than to drive several half empty buses.” She adds, “For additional savings, one school district in Union County has turned over all its transportation to the Commission, thereby reducing its internal administrative costs.”
The transportation staff is dedicated to delivering high quality service and has made a commitment to be available to the parents, students, bus drivers, school districts, etc., to deal effectively with transportation situations as they arise. They work long hours at the busiest times. They realize that transportation can make a big difference in a child’s day.
The Commission also owns its own fleet of 20 vehicles to serve UCESC schools and programs.