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NYC SCHOOL BUS UMBRELLA SERVICES INC

BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 853531873 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W40 · Public & Societal Benefit · Very Large (>$50M) · nycsbus.com
revenue
$198.9M
expenses
$195.3M
net assets
$11.9M
employees
2,005
volunteers
5
program ratio
97%
mission · from form 990

TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO STUDENTS OF NEW YORK CITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

profile · synthesized from sources

NYC School Bus Umbrella Services, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation established to provide services to students in New York City's public school system. It operates under a board of directors composed of city officials and appointed representatives, with governance oversight provided by the New York City Department of Education and the Mayor's Management and Budget office. The organization manages transportation-related services and contracts in support of student mobility.

named programs · 1 · from sources

What they call their work

Student Transportation Services
Provides coordinated school bus transportation services for students across New York City’s public school system, including routing, fleet management, and contractor oversight.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Clean Transportation Adoption & Infrastructure 3 activities
    • Fleet electrification and electric vehicle infrastructure development
      Leads the transition to electric school buses, including securing over $100 million in federal funding to purchase 322 electric buses and operating a growing fleet that had traveled over 25,000 miles by March 2025. Installed the first East Coast depot grid connection using computerized load management for efficient charging infrastructure.
    • Pilot programs for innovation in school transportation
      Conducted a pilot procurement process for Type A and Type C battery-electric school buses with proposals due April 3, 2026. Piloted a student ridership tracking application for the NYC Board of Education to optimize bus routes.
    • Research and knowledge sharing on electric school buses
      Conducts research to improve school transportation systems and publishes findings such as the Electric Vehicle Activity Report, which shares real-world performance data and practical insights on electric bus operations with other districts and operators.
  • Transportation Policy Advocacy & Infrastructure Reform 1 activity
    • Advocacy and policy collaboration for clean transportation
      Collaborated with the NY League of Conservation Voters to produce fact sheets on electric school buses and contributed to the development of the first-in-the-nation Safe Fleet Transition Plan adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the City of New York.
  • Workforce Readiness Training 1 activity
    • Driver training and workforce development
      Partners with community organizations to operate a driver training program for immigrant communities, creating career pathways in school transportation. Trained 113 individuals, with 78 obtaining commercial driver’s licenses and entering the workforce.
  • Transportation Access Support 1 activity
    • Emergency and auxiliary transportation support
      Provided emergency transportation for newly arrived migrants moving from intake centers to temporary housing. Deployed school buses as mobile warming centers during extreme cold and supported snow removal by transporting shoveling crews during a 2026 blizzard.
  • Text Messaging Communication Services 1 activity
    • Real-time tracking and notification systems
      Developed and operates the NYCSBUS Notification System (NNS) to predict bus arrival times and send real-time alerts via text message. Also provides a mobile app for families to track school buses in real time.
  • Student and Camp Transportation Services 1 activity
    • Student transportation services
      Operates 818 student transportation routes, serving 11,077 students daily across 989 schools in New York City. Provides reliable and safe school bus transportation, traveling approximately 45,000 miles per day.
  • Uncategorized 3 activities
    • Digital automation and data management
      Operates an automated system that scans and logs incoming New York State bus inspection certificates from email into a database. Supports digital dashboards for monitoring electric vehicle performance.
    • Incident and safety management systems
      Co-developing a large-scale incident management system with Amazon for school busing operations. Piloted stop-arm cameras with the NYC Department of Transportation to improve student safety during boarding and alighting.
    • Public performance reporting
      Began publishing daily public performance reports that include metrics on on-time arrivals, collisions, breakdowns, and parent call center response times to ensure transparency and accountability.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$198.94M
Contributions & grants$8.56M4%
Program service revenue$188.29M95%
Investment income$222K0%
Other revenue$1.87M
expenses
Total expenses$195.31M
Program expenses97%
Admin / overhead3%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$145.61M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$74.95M
Cash$28.40M
Investments$0
Liabilities$63.02M
Net assets$11.93M
Liquid reserves1.7 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue +12.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 7
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LUISA LASSI CHIEF SERVICE DELIVERY OFFICER 40 $247K
HOLLY ORR CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER 40 $244K
MATTHEW J BERLIN CHIEF EXEC. OFFICER 40 $232K
RONALD A LEVIA DRIVER 75 $228K
VARUN ADIBHATLA HEAD OF DATA SCIENCE 40 $220K
EDWARD DRISCOLL III CHIEF FLEET AND FACILITIES OFFICER 40 $202K
ANGELO KRISTOFFERSON MAYO DIRECTOR OF BUDGETING 40 $179K
board members · 5
  • EMMA VADEHRA — CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD
  • HEATHER MILLER — BOARD MEMBER
  • LORI PODVESKER — BOARD MEMBER
  • MICHAEL MCCLENATHAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • PLACHIKKAT ANATHARAM — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 37

Who they work with

  • Advocates for Children of NY Partner — Offers guidance and support to families and schools on student transportation, particularly for marginalized communities.
  • Afrikana Partner — Community organization partner focused on equity and access in transportation.
  • Afrikana Partner — Partnered to welcome immigrant drivers into NYCSBUS’s training program, expanding workforce opportunities.
  • Amazon Partner — Collaborating with Amazon to build a general-purpose incident management system for school busing.
  • Archdiocese of NY Partner — Provides transportation information and support for Catholic schools and students in New York City.
  • Borough of Manhattan Community College Partner — Partner organization in student transportation or sustainability initiatives.
  • CALSTART Partner — Collaborates on the electrification of school buses.
  • Cornell Tech Partner — Partner organization in student transportation or sustainability initiatives.
  • Digicon Corporation Partner — Technology or infrastructure partner supporting transportation operations.
  • EPA Funder — Primary grant funder supporting the electric vehicle performance dashboard.
  • Empire Clean Cities Partner — Supported the planning and execution of a regional electric bus expo for transportation providers and school districts.
  • Highland Electric Fleets Partner — Partner in electric school bus fleet deployment and management.
  • INCLUDEnyc Partner — Provides resources and advocacy support for families of students with disabilities, including school busing accommodations.
  • Joint Utilities of NY Government — Connected with for utility fleet assessment and charging infrastructure upgrades.
  • My Immigrant Pathway Partner — Partner organization supporting community access and equity in transportation.
  • NAPT Network — National association providing research, resources, and professional development for student transportation industry; NYCSBUS references its standards and knowledge base.
  • NY League of Conservation Voters Partner — Collaborated to produce fact sheets on electric school buses.
  • NYAPT Network — Professional association supporting school transportation professionals in New York; NYCSBUS engages with its resources and network.
  • NYC Parents Union Partner — Advocates for improved educational access and services, including school transportation, especially for students with disabilities.
  • NYSERDA Government — Source of state-level grant programs for electric school bus deployment in New York.
  • NYU Tandon School of Engineering Partner — Academic partner in transportation innovation and engineering solutions.
  • National Parent Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Partner — Supports parents in understanding their rights under IDEA, including transportation accommodations for students with disabilities.
  • New York City Department of Transportation Government — Collaborated on piloting stop-arm cameras to improve student safety during school bus loading and unloading.
  • New York League of Conservation Voters Partner — Partner in advancing environmental sustainability in student transportation.
  • Nine Energy Service Partner — Partner in energy or fleet sustainability initiatives.
  • Office of Pupil Transportation Government — Primary government agency governing school busing for all students in NYC; collaborates on transportation policies and services.
  • Qualified manufacturers and dealers Partner — Collaborates with qualified manufacturers and dealers in the procurement of electric school buses.
  • South Bronx Unite Partner — Partnered on the annual South Bronx Bike and Electric Bus Tour and hosted an air quality monitoring station at the Zerega depot.
  • The Center for Family Life Partner — Collaborated on a driver training program for immigrant communities to build career pathways in school transportation.
  • The Mobility House Partner — Collaborated to install an innovative, computerized grid connection system at a bus depot, reducing time and cost for electrification.
+ 7 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Collaborative Networks to Advance Sustainability
    methodology: collaborative-sustainability-network
    By leveraging partnerships with government and nonprofits, we accelerate electrification without bearing full costs alone, because shared goals and external expertise reduce barriers to sustainable innovation.
  • Data-Centric Modernization of School Transportation
    methodology: data_driven_transparency
    By using data to optimize fleet operations and guide electrification efforts, we improve service efficiency and support sustainable urban transportation systems, because data transparency enables continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
  • Incremental Electrification with Learning-by-Doing
    methodology: incremental_deployment
    By starting small and deploying electric buses gradually, we enable manageable transitions and organizational learning, because early action despite uncertainty builds practical knowledge and reduces risk in large-scale adoption.
  • Shared Responsibility for Safe Student Transport
    methodology: shared_responsibility_model
    By aligning families and transportation providers around mutual obligations, we improve punctuality and safety, because student readiness and behavior are critical co-determinants of reliable service delivery.
  • Workforce Investment Linked to Service Quality
    methodology: workforce_investment_performance_link
    By investing in better compensation for transportation staff, we raise performance standards and service reliability, because motivated and valued employees deliver safer and more consistent student transport.