News & Events

From Albany Business Review
By Chelsea Diana  – Reporter
March 17, 2020

Schools across the country are shutting down, students are staying home and teachers are conducting class remotely to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

That could seem like bad news for a company that relies on helping districts get kids to and from school safely and efficiently.

But Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella said the situation is opening opportunities and new ways for districts to use its school bus routing software. The software helps thousands of district across the country figure out the best routes to get kids to school, while tracking fuel consumption, maintenance costs and vehicle replacement. And Civitella says it can be used to help districts manage this crisis.

Transfinder will give any school district the company's two-way communication tool — Stopfinder, which is usually used for parent communication — for free for the remainder of the school year. The app can be used to communicate with parents across the district.

"We can't just call [clients] and say, 'How’s your day going?' We can't make that friendly call," Civitella said. "We have to call with a solution. All weekend long, we were thinking about what are our clients struggling with and what will they be struggling with."

For example, in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered that schools statewide be closed for two weeks. Some districts plan to close for as long as a month. Civitella said parents can use the app to get updates on closings, delays or schools reopening.

Clients are finding creative uses to solve big problems with Transfinder's products, too. Civitella said at least one school district plans to have drivers deliver meals to students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch during closures.

"One of the biggest issues [with the school closures] is providing food for many students. There are 30 million students in this country that depend on free or reduced meals," Civitella said. "So many of our clients have been stepping up and thinking about how to pull this off and bring food to kids' homes."

Transfinder has around 120 employees between offices in Schenectady, Shanghai and Austin.

Last week, Civitella made the decision to cancel any travel, conferences or client visits. The Schenectady office moved to remote work on Friday. And the Shanghai office has been working remotely for months.

"I’m sure the budgets for not just schools but other industries will be cut. It will be expected," Civitella said. "Every company that’s been around as long as we have has had to endure these cycles. When times are good, we celebrate. When times are tough, we have to be fast."