Operating a day care doesn’t come without its challenges. One of which, is deciding how to safely transport children to and from the center, to and from school, and during any off-site field trips. Extremely few (only very large) daycare providers offer their own daycare transportation services, it is often easier and more cost-effective to outsource this important service instead.
Included transportation is a valuable for parents
With numerous daycare options available to parents today, parents compare the features included in the fees. Offering transportation options for children can help entice parents to your business. The ability to provide safe and reliable transportation while kids are in your care can help parents feel comfortable with the daycare provider they choose.
Before and afterschool transportation is also valuable asset for a daycare provider, especially with schools offering full day kindergarten in Ontario. Providing this transportation service yourself can require quite a bit of training and paperwork for the driver. Outsourcing this however, allows most of the requirements to be handled by the transportation company instead.
It’s a given, daycare providers offering transportation services are a massive value-add for customers, and a huge competitive advantage. Parents often will want the option – even at extra cost.
Field trips are a blast
Going on a field trip isn’t an activity reserved for school kids! Taking a daycare group on a field trip to a local destination is a great way to create engagement, foster learning, build connection and have fun as a group. The options for a field trip destination are truly endless, especially in the GTA. Daycare providers can arrange for a daytrip to a library, science center, museum, park, movie theater, zoo, farm, factory, water park or anywhere else they think might be entertaining. Having a transportation company that can be contacted for these field trips can take a lot of guesswork out of the planning process.
Many advantages to outsourcing transportation
A preschool could choose to buy a bus and provide their own transportation, however there are many benefits to outsourcing this part. Allowing a company that specializes in providing group transportation to take on this task can help ensure that everything runs as smooth as possible.
Budget friendly service
Renting a school bus is a great way to work within a budget. The bus company will remain responsible for all costs associated with owning and maintaining a bus, hiring drivers and providing necessary safety training and certification, leaving the customer to pay just a single fee for its use.
High quality assurance
A rental company will gladly go through all the steps to ensure they are offering a high-quality vehicle for your use. They also have a team on standby to deal with any problems should they arise.
Vehicle sizes that suit your needs
A business that rents school buses has various sizes available, so you’ll be able to rent one that suits your unique needs. If attendee numbers change and cause your needs to change, they’re able to work with you to ensure you have the right number of seats available. When providing your own vehicle, you are locked in to the number of seats in that vehicle, even if your needs change.
Proven safety record
School bus rental companies are required to uphold their safety standards, and are able to show their records. Look for a company that already contracts with school districts to feel comfortable with the trust they’ve already built in the community.
Included driver
Registered and insured bus companies are required to have trained drivers on staff to operate their vehicles. Even if a driver falls ill or is unable to work their route, there is a full pool of trained drivers available to take over. This helps ensure that your daycare is never without transportation. The bus company is entirely responsible for driver staffing, and the team of technicians and dispatch services behind the scenes. This expertise no typical size daycare service provider will have in-house.
Take care of the legal requirements
Transporting children does come with a number of legal requirements like insurance and legal permission. Outsourcing transportation to an established company allows that to be taken care of by them, instead of by the daycare program.
Contracting out transportation is the way to go
When putting together a transportation plan for a daycare program, it can be tempting to meet your needs in house. However, there are a number of reasons why outsourcing your daycare transportation is the smart, safe and financially sound choice.
