Special Needs Transportation
Towns and School districts have relied on Mass Quality Ride with the responsibility of managing student transportation for children with special needs. Our management and staff are committed to meeting the unique and specific transportation needs of children and youth who are living with disabilities or are homeless or in foster care by ensuring stability to attain their life goals.
Handling Children with Care & Sensitity
With Behavioral or Disabilities
Children participating in special education s must have access to specialty services—special needs transportation being one. Safe, secure and responsive– Mass Quality Ride understands special needs children are to be handled with care. Safety always comes first with us.
Homeless
In Massachusetts, schools have identified 12,000-13,000 children and youth who go to school homeless.
Many are not identified and are estimated to be over 50,000.
McKinley-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act defines homelessness for schools, outlines the educational rights of homeless children and mandates transportation to and from school. Read more . . .http://www.doe.mass.edu/mv/GoingToSchool.pdf
In Foster Care
Mass Quality Ride partners with many human services agencies in assuring special needs students get to and from school. Transportation support is a key element to ensuring school stability for children in out-of-home care, particularly when the out-of-home placement is in a different school district or attendance area than the original educational placement. State education agencies and State child welfare agencies also play a key role in ensuring the adequate provision of transportation for children in foster care as part of their overall responsibilities under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act to provide educational stability for these children. No child, regardless of living situation, should be neglected the opportunity of education due to transportation factors. Mass Quality Ride will continue its work to provide special needs transportation for students, further supporting their education.
Contract or Managed Services
Partnering with Mass Quality Ride allows municipalities, schools or human service agencies to take advantage of our consistent and turnkey special needs transportation program. Our experienced staff—management, drivers, monitors, dispatchers, mechanics—work together to finetune the best overall service for our contracted customers—and improve it constantly to make it better. Mass Quaity Ride reviews current technology and develops innovations and enhanced technology for overall operating performance. Routing and logistics, GPS, tracking and monitoring apps are critical technologies in providing consistent support.We own all our vehicles and are constantly upgrading or purchasing more.
Contracted Services
Allows our customers to concentrate on what they do best . . . providing quality education programs to their students. Mass Quality Ride is contracted to provide a consistent and reliable special needs transportation program to meet the needs of many special needs students in that particular town or school district. Many students are added to this service throughout the school year and may include the summer for summer school activities.
Managed Services
Eventhough a contract is not a part of managed services, Mass Quality Ride provides the same services as a contract service. The difference is the school or town requests special needs transportation support throughout the school year. At the start school they may only have a couple of students not requiring a contract—but changes by adding more by the end of the school year. Mass Quality Ride is highly responsive to children in need, their safety and security allowing stabilizing this part of their daily life.
Why Contract with Mass Quality Ride?
Towns or School districts are balancing competitive and economic pressures with the need to deliver a quality education. Contracting student transportation saves an average of up to 10 to 30 percent, allowing you to dedicate your time, energy and resources to their education program.
The Benefits
Towns/School Districts
Districts seek a transportation partner for a number of reasons, including a desire for higher safety standards, enhanced efficiencies and services for their communities, and access to advanced transportation. Contracting with Mass Quality Ride increases district control. The school district sets policy and expectations in the contract. Then, collectively, through your partnership with a private contractor, the community is supported with the solid student transportation service they need and deserve.
Parents & Communities
Contracting empowers your district to reinsure safety standards, advances in technology and on-time performance. Partnering with Mass Quality Ride gives the community access to the experienced transportation available under budget constraints.
Our Drivers & Fleet
Our drivers is at the heart of our successful school transportation operation. Drivers are the link between the school district, transportation management and the community. Partnering with Mass Quality Ride can offer drivers enhanced training, advancement and additional income.