Our Approach

Special Needs Expertise

Ensuring student safety is our top priority. With over 35 years of experience, we understand the unique challenges of transporting special needs and homeless students and have the specialized knowledge and know-how to meet them.

Through our formal training program — the only one of its kind in New England — we ensure that our drivers not only have technical, equipment and emergency skills needed; but also know how to be sensitive to and effectively manage the different physical, cognitive and behavioral needs of students. We want to help make sure that every school day starts and finishes on a positive note.

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vanpool-our-approach-safety

Special Needs Expertise

Ensuring student safety is our top priority. We understand the unique challenges of transporting special needs and homeless students and have the specialized knowledge and know-how to meet them.

Through our formal training program — the only one of its kind in New England — we ensure that our drivers not only have technical, equipment and emergency skills needed; but also know how to be sensitive to and effectively manage the different physical, cognitive and behavioral needs of students. We want to help make sure that every school day starts and finishes on a positive note.

vanpool-our-approach-operations

Operational Excellence

We’re committed to providing a safe, high quality, and reliable service at an appropriate cost. We do so by recruiting, hiring, and training the best.  We maintain a fleet of late model vehicles and keep them in prime operating condition.

We back them up with a team of transportation coordinators who have both the operational expertise and the experience to minimize wait and ride times for students, leading to efficient and timely service.

We live and work in the regions we serve, giving us a better understanding of the needs of our districts, families, and students.  And with over 1,000 vehicles on the road each day, we can be flexible and respond to changing needs quickly and effectively.

Training

Van Pool School, the company’s flagship training program, is a first stop for all new employees.  Not only does each new employee receive the technical training they need, they also begin to understand the Van Pool Way.  Part of the Van Pool Way is learning that first and foremost, we are a SERVICE organization.  We work with and for our school districts, educational programs, parents, families, and students.  Van Pool School is the first step in setting high expectations for our team, and sets the stage for each employee to represent Van Pool in the field.

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vanpool-our-approach-training

Training

Van Pool School, the Company’s formal training program, is a requirement for all drivers and ensures that employees not only receive technical training, but also understand the Company’s culture, relationships with stakeholders (customers, parents and students) and expectations for them as representatives of Van Pool in the field.

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Technology

Van Pool has developed a proprietary and robust data driven technology platform that captures the detail needed to provide the appropriate services to each student.  All vehicles have GPS tracking devices with onboard cameras that provide consistent monitoring of the services we provide.

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Superior Customer Service

Since our founding, we’ve always maintained a “Whatever it Takes” approach. By providing superior customer service, we hope to make the lives of students, families, teachers, and school administrators a little bit easier.

One way we do that is by providing a dedicated Transportation Coordinator to each school district and family. Capable of handling all of the duties involving our services, the transportation coordinator will work directly with parents and school district staff, attend IEP meetings if desired, assign drivers and monitors, and develop efficient and appropriate routing. We believe communication is a key element in providing our service, and our transportation coordinators serve as a vital link in making that happen. In addition, they also ensure proper documentation and reporting is available, along with invoicing and detail to satisfy any type of request.

In the end, we understand you’ve partnered with Van Pool to provide a service. We are here to meet your expectations and satisfy your obligations, and to do so in a collegial and professional manner.

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vanpool-our-approach-training

Superior Customer Service

“Whatever it takes” is our motto and we strive to make the lives of students, parents and administrators a little bit easier.

All customers are assigned a dedicated Van Pool transportation coordinator who can take on nearly all of the transportation duties saving valuable time for administrators. We’ll work directly with parents and schools, attend IEP meetings, and take the lead role in resolving service issues. We believe communication is king and are happy to communicate directly with parents while ensuring administrators are always in the loop. And we’ll ensure all invoices, documentation, and reporting are accurate and on time. Our goal is to help take work off your desk, not add to it.

What Our Customers Think

  • "Van Pool’s service is very reliable. They are timely with pickups and drop offs. Their staff is very responsive, and are very good about accommodating us with changes on the fly. Finally, their vehicles are immaculate."

    Transportation Coordinator Springfield Public Schools

  • "I originally taught all my life and when I was looking for a retirement job, my experience with children and schools made me notice Van Pool transportation. It looked very enticing: knowing the county very well and with my past experience I decided to join Van Pool and I’ve loved every minute of it."

    Van Pool Employee

  • "It’s the most I’ve enjoyed a job. If you want to bring service to a special needs community and get paid for that, it’s the perfect job for you."

    Angel C. 3.5 years

  • "I enjoy the flexibility of Van Pool. I get time to spend with my grandkids and run errands that I didn’t have time for when I was working at my past job."

    Carmina S. 3 years

  • "Van Pool is extremely experienced in special education transportation.  Their staff is professional, knowledgeable and courteous.  Our transportation runs a lot smoother since we have contracted with Van Pool.   They are a great vendor and I genuinely hope that we continue working together."

    Director of Operations MA Collaborative

  • "I am incredibly happy with Van Pool. I have recommended them to at least six different school districts. I always give Van Pool a glowing review."

    Transportation Coodinator Springfield Public Schools

  • "Van Pool is very accessible and responsive. If we need a report or an answer to a question, they get back to us in a very reasonable timeframe."

    Director of Special Education District, NE Massachusetts