Case Study

How First Student helped its team members build savings

With retention a priority, earned wage access opened a path to financial progress.

Ahead of back-to-school, First Student, North America's largest school-bus transportation provider, needed to bring experienced drivers back and keep them on the job, undistracted. For its 66,000+, largely hourly team members, seasonal pay fluctuations can add financial stress that impacts retention. So they bet on employee savings, a top financial-health indicator. 

By rolling out fee-free (see disclosure 1) Earned Wage Access (EWA), First Student not only helped its team members bridge short term cash-flow gaps, but also enabled them to save—a meaningful step toward stability. 

Two staff members walking away from parked school busses.

Inside the case study

  • Early results like: 3 out of 5 Chime EWA users contributed to savings at least once, and 4 out of 5 continued to. (see disclosure 2)

  • How the program leveraged EWA to support longer term financial progress

  • The key success factors: a multi-tool benefit, Workday integration, and provider brand recognition