E26/27 ROUTE PLANNER (TRANSPORTATION)

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES 

Plans/Schedules school bus routes for students (Special Needs/General Education), APS-wide, and performs related analytical activities. Route planning/scheduling duties include maintenance and use of APS route planning and GPS software to yield alternatives and decision-support information for school bus transport (routes/stops/runs/times/buses/etc.), APS-wide, for safe timely, effective and efficient pick-up and drop-off of students consistent with school boundaries, school locations, neighborhood layouts; road network traffic patterns, times, distances, special needs of students, related geographic and demographic factors, bus fleet capacity data, and other factors. Analytic activities include analysis of route coupling options, fuel costs, short-term alternatives considering weather, construction, etc. Conducts preliminary analysis of “what-if” changes in student enrollments, school configurations and other variables, as well as performance data and performance trends, to highlight areas of problematic or suboptimum transportation performance and to help identify options for improvement,  software capabilities include bus, stop and rider tracking through Geographic Positioning System (GPS) information Performs related functions, 

SUPERVISION 

Reports to the Routing and Planning Coordinator. Work comes to the incumbent through established flows and by specific assignment, typically in terms of priorities, objectives, resources, timelines, known or anticipated problems, specific instructions, and other considerations/parameters. The incumbent carries out work in careful adherence to established procedures, makes decisions and recommendations within the scope of one's authority, keeps the supervisor informed and brings matters not covered by established procedures or other guidelines forward for guidance or resolutions Work is reviewed in process, upon completion and in other ways (such as reports) in terms of quality, quantity, timeliness, customer service, adherence to requirements and other factors. The incumbent has no employee or student supervisory responsibilities but is indirectly (through routing/scheduling of student transport and preliminary analysis of performance data) responsible for the safe, timely, and efficient transport of APS students in routine and non-routine circumstances. 

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS 

This is a single position class in the Department of Facilities and Operations (Transportation   Services) that routes/schedules day-to-day K-12 student transportation, APS-wide. 

GUIDELINES 

Guidelines include but are not limited to the Federal and State laws and regulations concerning transportation of K-12 students (and younger); Arlington School Board Policies and Policy Implementation Procedures (PIPS), especially PIP 50.5-1 (Pupil Transportation) and transportation issues related to support of students with special needs under PIP 25-4.4 (Special Education Programs and Services); Department of Facilities and Operations office and program procedures; technical manuals for route planning/scheduling software; generally-accepted principles, standards and practices of K-12 bus transport route planning/scheduling; and general references, such as dictionaries and style manuals. The incumbent uses judgment in quality assuring data before entry in databases or use in reports, analyzing data, and recommending improved school bus routes/schedules, and in performing related functions.   

CONTACTS 

Contacts include but are not limited to co-workers in Transportation Services as well as managers and employees across APS (including principals and instructional staff), parents, and others; there is occasional or incidental contact with private sector personnel, Arlington County government personnel, vendors, the general public and others. The purposes of contacts includes but are not limited to routine and non-routine student transport route planning/scheduling, APS wide; responding to parent/administrator’s inquiries about student transport issues, conducting preliminary analysis of transportation performance data to identify individual driver/vehicle or cluster problems or sub-optimum cluster or fleet performance and options for improvement from route/run/cluster/fleet capability perspectives; and performing related functions. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLASS (May not include all duties performed.)   

Schedules bus transportation (routes/runs/stops/times/sequences