Transportant picked a lane; now the Lenexa bus tech startup wants to conquer even more of the road

From the driver’s seat, Martin Staples is steering Lenexa-based Transportant toward rapid growth with its real-time, tech-driven approach, he said, bringing greater safety, communication, and efficiency to school buses and expanding the startup’s reach beyond its Midwest home region.

Fueling Transportant’s plans to leave coast-to-coast tracks — and beyond — will be key, said Staples, who serves as the company’s CEO.

“Our goal is to invest in more sales reps and marketing to take our Kansas City success nationwide,” he said. “We already have customers in New Jersey, New York, Washington, and California, but we want better coverage across the U.S.”

To support its growth, the company launched a $1 million funding round with more than 70 percent already secured from existing investors, Staples said, emphasizing the role starting from the middle of the country has played in establishing the Transportant’s tech upgrade for school buses.

Traditional bus safety has been outdated for decades, with previous innovation advancements relying on hard-drive-based camera systems that need to be manually accessed for footage, the CEO explained. Transportant’s solution includes real-time streaming, GPS tracking, and other tools that improve student safety and operational efficiency.

“Kansas alone has over 35 percent market share,” Staples said. “The product fills a gap the market didn’t have.”

“With ours, you get live streaming plus a full suite of tools, GPS, turn-by-turn directions, and ridership tracking, so students don’t get off at the wrong stop,” he added. “The community welcomed that.”

Staples also stressed the value of real-time information: “If something happens, schools need to react immediately. Our system makes that possible.”

Transportant’s platform also includes a red-alert button for bus drivers, allowing schools to access live video and audio during incidents, and a parent app that provides real-time updates on their child’s location.

Transportant tablet user view; courtesy photo

Giving momentum more tread

Transportant has already equipped about 2,800 school buses and serves more than 300,000 students across the U.S. The company’s technology is having a positive impact on schools.

Transportant App screen shot

According to customer feedback provided by Transportant:

• The parent app has led to up to an 80-percent reduction in parent calls to the school about students riding the bus.
• Schools have reported a 50- to 75-percent reduction in student incidents on the bus, thanks to the use of Transportant’s live cameras to support bus drivers.
• Schools also reported a 75- to 100-percent reduction in students getting off at the wrong stop with Transportant’s solution.

The company set up a Customer Advisory Board two years ago to ensure its product meets the needs of school districts, Staples said.

“We’ve always stayed close to customers,” he added. “[The advisory board] helps us develop real solutions to their problems.”

Photo courtesy of Transportant

Scaling up with a strategic partnership

A partnership with RWC Group — initially announced in April 2024 — is boosting Transportant’s efforts to expand beyond its Midwest base; already bringing its technology to school districts in Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.

“We have several opportunities taking off,” Staples said. “Litchfield was our first Arizona customer, and because of RWC, we’re expanding into five other states.”

“School districts want to know their investment will last,” he added. “It’s all about building trust.”

ICYMI: Transportant’s newest partnership gets KC startup’s smart dashboard onto more school buses

In its commitment to helping districts of all sizes, Transportant recently launched a new consulting service called Transportant Solutions. The service offers small districts, with limited staff, a fractional transportation consultant to manage their system.

“Many small schools, with under 30 buses, have very limited staff,” Staples said. “One person was the superintendent’s assistant and also managed transportation, she had no time. Now, we provide a fractional expert to monitor their system and handle the work.”

He pointed out how this service meets a big need

“For many districts, transportation is just one of many responsibilities,” Staples said. “We take that burden off their shoulders.”