Assisted Transportation

What Assisted Transportation does

Assisted Transportation Services, Inc. is a Kansas City, Kansas-based provider of alternative student transportation services to public school districts across Kansas and Missouri. Founded in 1993, the company operates a fleet of minivans, full-size vans, and ADA-accessible wheelchair vans, dispatching W-2 employee drivers and aides (rather than independent contractors) who complete over 40 hours of training before transporting students. Its primary customer segments are school districts requiring transportation for special-needs students, McKinney-Vento students, out-of-district students, early education pupils, and other "hard-to-serve" trips that standard yellow bus fleets and TNCs cannot efficiently accommodate.

The company's core technology stack centers on operational safety and parent communications rather than autonomous or AI-driven systems: GPS tracking, in-vehicle safety cameras, two-way radios, and routing/dispatch software are deployed across the fleet, and the proprietary AST-ALERTS product sends automated GPS-triggered SMS notifications to parents at pickup, school arrival, and afternoon drop-off without requiring app downloads or logins. The company is in the process of rolling out upgraded smart cameras for the 2025/26 school year. Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales to school district transportation administrators under multi-year contract arrangements with per-day pricing, supported by 10 local offices that provide 24/7 on-the-ground supervision within district boundaries.

Since September 2023, Assisted Transportation has operated as a subsidiary within the American Student Transportation Partners (ASTP) network, a portfolio company of Baltimore-based Access Holdings (~$2.7B AUM). The partnership provided growth capital, digital tools, and an acquisition platform; Assisted acquired more than 300 routes and vehicles from Brandywine Transportation and opened a new office in St. Louis in 2024 to extend its Midwest footprint. Leadership continuity is anchored by Founder and President Chris Hane, with ASTP alumnus Luke Stuby installed as Managing Director, alongside a finance and operations bench with 25+ years of regional experience.

Name

Assisted Transportation

Legal name

Assisted Transportation Services, Inc.

Website

https://assistedtransportation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Transportation Services

NAICS

Special Needs Transportation (485991), School and Employee Bus Transportation (48541), Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (48599), School and Employee Bus Transportation (485410)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs Student Transportation (Door-to-Door & Route Services) (EDAKAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wheelchair-Accessible & Lift-Equipped School Transportation (EDAKAOAB), Special Education Paratransit & On-Demand Ride Services (EDAKAOAC), Special Needs / Paratransit Student Transportation Services (EDAEADAH)

Keywords

• Student transportation services
• Special needs transportation
• School district transportation
• ADA accessible transport
• Alternative student transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. School District Transportation Contracts: Contract-based transportation services billed per day to school districts. Multi-year contract arrangements with school districts for specialized student transportation including special needs, McKinney-Vento, and out-of-district students. Revenue is generated through contractual relationships with educational institutions, typically charging per day with costs decreasing per student as volume increases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Assisted Transportation provides alternative, non-emergency student transportation services to school districts using a fleet of minivans, full-sized vans, and ADA-accessible wheelchair vans staffed by trained employee drivers and aides. The service covers special needs, McKinney-Vento, out-of-district, early education, and other hard-to-serve trips, with multi-year contracts and per-day billing. A complementary GPS-based text notification system (AST-ALERTS) provides real-time pickup and drop-off updates to parents and guardians.

Product overview

Assisted Transportation operates as a unified student transportation service that combines vehicle-based transportation with technology-enabled communication. The core offering is Student Transportation Services, featuring a fleet of minivans, full-sized vans, and ADA accessible wheelchair vans operated by trained drivers and aides. Complementing the transportation service is AST-ALERTS, a GPS-based text notification system that provides real-time pickup and drop-off alerts to parents and guardians. These products work together to deliver end-to-end specialized student transportation with integrated communication for school districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Transportation Services Contracted alternative student transportation for school districts, operating a fleet of minivans, full-sized vans, and ADA-accessible wheelchair vans staffed by trained employee drivers and aides. Serves special needs, McKinney-Vento, out-of-district, early education, and other hard-to-serve trips under multi-year per-day contracts.
• AST-ALERTS GPS-based text notification system that sends automated real-time alerts to parents and guardians when vehicles approach pickup, when students are dropped off at school, and at afternoon drop-off. Requires no apps, passwords, or logins; enrollment is automatic for eligible students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Districts can reduce administrative burden by consolidating multiple TNC providers into single alternative transportation partner
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Student Transportation Partners (ASTP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2023Partnership marks ASTP's expansion into the Midwest market. Assisted Transportation becomes part of ASTP's growing network of premium student transportation providers. ASTP is a portfolio company of Access Holdings. The partnership creates opportunity to expand business in Kansas, Missouri, and other attractive markets. ASTP provides digital tools and support while Assisted maintains local operations and expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zum Services: Tech-enabled student transportation provider serving school districts with a fleet of employee drivers, routing software, and parent apps. Directly comparable in target customer (school districts), service model (employee drivers), and technology-enabled differentiation.
• EverDriven: Direct competitor providing alternative K-12 student transportation for special needs and at-risk students. Operates in multiple states with a driver-network model, competing head-to-head with Assisted for school district contracts in overlapping geographies.
• HopSkipDrive: Tech-enabled ride service for children, including school transportation contracts. Uses a vetted independent driver model rather than employees, positioning as a TNC alternative — the same competitive lane Assisted attacks with its employee-driver approach.
• American Student Transportation Partners (ASTP): Direct parent company and operating partner. ASTP is a network of premium student transportation providers serving 65,000+ students; Assisted Transportation operates as the Midwest platform within this network, sharing digital tools, capital, and acquisition strategy.
• All Point Transportation: Wholly-owned subsidiary of Assisted Transportation providing student transportation services. Identical operating model, geography, and customer base; useful as the closest internal benchmark for routing, driver training, and contract execution.
• Brandywine Transportation: Former competitor operating student transportation routes that ASTP/Assisted recently acquired 300+ routes from. Highly comparable operator with overlapping geographies and customer segments prior to the acquisition.
• Michael's Transportation: Special-needs student transportation provider serving school districts with wheelchair-accessible vehicles and trained aides. Comparable in service scope (IEP-required accommodations, ADA fleet), though with a different geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Modivcare: Large broker and operator of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) and increasingly passenger transportation. Adjacent to Assisted's market (the company cites NEMT alongside student transport) and a potential consolidator in the fragmented alternative-transportation space.
• First Student: North America's largest school transportation provider, operating yellow bus fleets for K-12 districts. Broader incumbent that competes on traditional routes and increasingly on special needs transportation, with national scale that dwarfs regional players.

Others

• Access Holdings: Baltimore-based middle-market PE firm ($2.7B AUM) that owns ASTP. Relevant as the capital partner behind Assisted's growth strategy and as a peer for other essential-service transportation platforms in Access's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assisted-transportation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Assisted Transportation