Most school bus contractors run on spreadsheets for years, and it works, until it doesn't. One file has the buses, another the drivers, a third the routes, each a little out of date, and the person who understands the formulas is the only one who can change them. The move to software usually stalls on one worry: "we'll have to type all of it in again."
You don't. Most of what's in your spreadsheets can be loaded in an afternoon. This guide is a step-by-step plan to switch from spreadsheets to school bus software: what to move first, how to clean the files, how to import and check them, and how to run both side by side for a week before you let the spreadsheets go.
What to move, in order
Move the records that other records point to first. A driver's assigned bus must exist before the driver is loaded, and a route needs its school.
| Order | What | Why this order |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vehicles | Drivers, routes, fuel and repairs all point to a bus |
| 2 | Drivers | Routes need their driver; a driver can point to their bus |
| 3 | Schools | Routes need their school |
| 4 | Routes | Point to the school, the bus and the driver |
| 5 | Vendors and parts | Repairs and parts orders point to them |
| 6 | Fuel and expenses | History, if you want this year's costs in the new system |
Documents like registrations and medical cards are files, not rows. Upload those on each bus and driver after the import, starting with the ones that expire soonest.
Clean the spreadsheets first
- One row per record. No merged cells, no subtotal rows, no blank rows in the middle.
- One kind of data per column. Dates in a date column, not "next spring".
- The same spelling every time. "Lincoln Elem" and "Lincoln Elementary" become two schools.
- No duplicates. Each bus number and each driver once.
- Delete what's dead. Sold buses and drivers who left years ago can stay in the old file.
- Keep a copy of the original before you change anything.
Tip: Don't try to make the old file perfect. Make it consistent. The new system will show you what's missing, and it's easier to fill in gaps there than in a spreadsheet.
The switch, step by step
- Pick a quiet week, not the first week of school or the week invoices go out.
- Download the new system's template for each kind of record, and copy your columns into it.
- Import vehicles first, then drivers, schools and routes, in the order above.
- Read every warning the import gives you, and fix the file or the records.
- Spot-check ten records of each kind against the spreadsheet.
- Upload the papers that expire soonest.
- Run both for one week. Drivers use the app; the office still updates the spreadsheet, and compares.
- Stop updating the spreadsheets once a week goes by with no surprises. Keep them as a read-only archive.
What usually goes wrong
| Problem | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Dates read the wrong way (03/04 as March 4 or April 3) | Use the date format the template asks for |
| Two spellings of one school or vendor | Fix the spelling in the file before importing |
| A driver's bus not found | Import vehicles first, with the same bus numbers |
| Nobody uses it in week one | Show drivers their phone screen on day one, and stop accepting paper for the things the app does |
| The office keeps the spreadsheets "just in case" | Set a date to stop, and keep the old files read-only |
Good to know: If your district contract or state rules require certain records, keep the old spreadsheets and paper files for as long as they say, even after the switch.
Doing it in FleetCommander
Settings › Import data (CSV) loads Vehicles, Drivers, Schools, Routes, Parts, Vendors, Fuel transactions and Expenses. It works in three steps: 1. Choose what to import, with Download CSV template for that kind; 2. Upload and validate, where Validate file checks every row; and 3. Review, which shows each row with what's wrong, then the button to import.
Nothing half-loaded. For most kinds the import is all-or-nothing: fix the rows it lists and upload the file again. A number that's already used, such as a bus number, is refused with "already exists in FleetCommander". Routes are more forgiving: a route with something missing or wrong, such as a bus that's already on another route at that time, is imported and flagged, with that part left out, and listed with its warnings after the import.
After the import. Upload papers on each vehicle's and driver's Documents tab, with their expiry dates. Compliance then lists the Drivers missing papers and Vehicles missing papers, so you can see what's left to collect. Drivers sign in to My Day on their phone, with nothing to download from an app store.
Want to look around first? A Super Admin can load a small example company to try every page, and remove it with one click before adding your own. See the Settings guide, Getting started and Installing the app.
Ava (Beta), the assistant in the app, answers how-to questions from the Help center while you set up, such as How do I upload a document for a driver?. More on her page.
Related reading
Questions people ask
- How do you move fleet data from Excel to software?
- Clean the spreadsheets (one row per record, consistent spelling, no duplicates), copy the columns into the software's import template, and import vehicles first, then drivers, schools and routes. Read every warning, then spot-check records.
- How long does it take to switch from spreadsheets?
- Loading the data can take an afternoon. Plan a week of running both side by side before you stop updating the spreadsheets.
- What should you import first?
- Vehicles, because drivers, routes, fuel and repairs all point to a bus. Then drivers, schools and routes, then vendors, parts, fuel and expenses.
- Should you keep the old spreadsheets?
- Yes, as a read-only archive, for as long as your state rules and district contracts require you to keep those records.