Over the past year, the school bus manufacturer has assembled a leadership team that is instilling new ideas into the business — from manufacturing improvements to sales and marketing strategies.

In a time when many pupil transportation employees have to do more with less, a resource and appreciation fair may be the medicine they need. Here’s a step-by-step guide to launching this valuable event — which can cost you virtually nothing.

No one is going to be excited about paying school transportation fees, but in some cases, they could be the best bet for saving yellow bus service.

A critical part of our mission here at SCHOOL BUS FLEET is to help our readers do their jobs better. In many cases, we write about innovative safety practices that school bus operations have implemented and found success with. The expectation here is that other operations might be interested in trying out these bright ideas for themselves.

As a school transportation director, you may not be able to mandate that school buses be used for activity trips, but you can help ensure that safe motorcoach carriers are selected.

Distracted driving means different things to different people. But it seems clear that this subject will continue to be at the top of the national agenda as policymakers in Washington seek the proper balance between innovation, convenience and safety.

Today’s systems include features that enable users to maintain a spotless fleet quickly, all while reducing water and energy consumption.

Progressive discipline in pupil transportation environments for anything other than general personnel issues — such as tardiness, absenteeism or drivers room behavior — can be bad for kids.

From operating alternative-fueled vehicles to installing pollution-control equipment on buses to reducing idling, pupil transportation operations are doing their part to provide a healthy and safe ride to and from school for students. Here, we provide details on these and other environmentally friendly practices at school districts and contractors throughout the country.

Good sleep is important for everyone’s well-being, but it’s even more crucial for those who work in transportation.

The question of whether to install seat belts on large school buses has been an emotional, contentious issue for a very long time. School bus professionals with a particular interest in this issue should not miss NTSB Vice Chairman Christopher Hart’s presentation at the NAPT Summit in Memphis, Tenn., this October. When he talks, everyone should be listening carefully.

I never met Joe Mirabella, but I got the sense that he was committed to doing what he felt was right — even if that meant going against the grain.

Today’s systems for the pupil transportation market allow end users to monitor the location of their operation’s buses, and they can help in performing many other functions, such as route analysis and monitoring driver speed and idling.

The strain of managing an in-house transportation department was running Hempfield Area School District ragged. Contracting out to First Student brought equipment and safety improvements, all while cutting costs.

Developing an emergency preparedness plan based on command, control and communication can help to reduce injuries and potentially save lives. Building relationships with first responders can ensure your operation’s viability in the emergency response cycle by bringing awareness of what it has to offer during crises.

Why do we cover tragic accidents? Mainly because we want to share with our readers any information that could help in improving school bus safety.

The association is planning to offer several workshops on violence prevention at the NAPT Summit in Memphis, Tenn., later this year. Officials are reaching out to law enforcement and other agencies, legal experts and professional educators to put together an agenda packed with experts on this and other important topics.

In this year’s showcase, regional managers and executives for some of North America’s largest school bus contractors discuss the biggest changes they have seen in their area in recent years.

Adjusting your parts inventory to fulfill the needs of your technicians and to address the repairs that occur most will help bus maintenance and parts ordering in your shop run smoothly.

Managers often run into trouble and are accused of “not being receptive” to an individual’s needs simply because we are trying to equitably uphold a school transportation policy or law.