Each system brings a diverse set of functions to the school bus market, including inventory tracking and work order generation, and many are customizable to meet operations’ individual needs.

With a background in the fire truck industry, Dan Peters comes to Collins Bus Corp. with a keen understanding of the importance of building a top-quality vehicle for the job of protecting people.

The collaborative atmosphere at the School District of Manatee County’s transportation department ensures that everyone works together to do their jobs efficiently, minimizing unnecessary expenditures. A combination of factors, including providing ongoing driver instruction to help them operate new buses that have been purchased, has saved the district about $400,000.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, large employers, such as school bus contractors, must offer affordable and minimal value healthcare insurance to full-time staffers by Jan. 1, 2014, or tax penalties will be imposed. Guidance from several federal agencies shows when employees must be treated as full time based on their work hours and employment timeframes, with examples for existing and new personnel.

With Blue Bird recently netting its biggest-ever order of propane school buses — more than 400 — President and CEO Phil Horlock is ebullient about the fuel’s potential. Here, he discusses alternative fuels, the state of school bus sales and other pertinent topics.

In this roundtable, executives from several school bus companies discuss driver shortage, the potential for growth in the contractor market this year, and what impact legislative issues — at the national and state levels — will have on their business, and on the industry as a whole.

To protect kids from being left stranded, drivers have to carefully check their bus. Electronic systems can help keep that duty from being neglected.

Last fall’s massive storm on the East Coast created a surge of challenges for student transportation in New York City, from flooded bus yards and offices to fuel and equipment shortages. Here’s an overview of the crisis and how the city’s Office of Pupil Transportation responded.

Genesee Intermediate School District’s transportation consortiums provide service to special-needs and career/technical students in 21 districts. Route, bus maintenance and other efficiencies have saved participating districts $42.4 million since 1997, while service continues to expand. Driver training is extensive.

Here are details on some of the new offerings from industry suppliers that were on view and announced during the two-day show in Memphis, Tenn. They include wheelchair lifts, a bus air-conditioning line and an integrated vehicle tracking and routing system.

Two months after becoming president of NAPT, Alex Robinson began running the largest school district transportation department in the nation in December 2011. Since then, her staff at the NYC Office of Pupil Transportation has undergone more than 40 hours of training, and NAPT has grown its connections to relevant organizations around the globe.

The director of transportation and fleet service at Colorado’s Adams 12 Five Star Schools has orchestrated adjustments to school bell times to make busing more efficient, for an overall savings of $900,000. He has also set up mechanic apprenticeship programs to help young people enter the field.

From routing strategies to innovative facilities, speakers at the state directors conference share numerous ideas for enhancing school bus service and training. The NASDPTS membership continues to change, with more state directors announcing their retirement.

A session at the NAPT Summit addresses ways that managers contribute to distracted driving, while a keynote presentation covers fatal school bus accidents caused by inattentive drivers. Handling problematic student behavior is the focus of a panel discussion and a joint presentation. At the trade show, Blue Bird unveils its redesigned Type D buses.

Now in its 37th year of business, Central States Bus Sales recently strengthened efforts to focus on the school bus manufacturer’s green technologies and provide comprehensive instruction for customers in the process.

Officials from transportation cooperatives around the country also say that they can lead to consistency in employee training and hiring, and managing and scheduling bus routes for districts. Officials discuss factors to consider when forming a cooperative, as well as potential challenges and ways to resolve them.

What are the essential qualities for success for a school transportation leader? Here, more than 50 directors and managers explain vital traits for the job, from communication and problem-solving skills to a willingness to get down in the trenches.

At this year’s NASDPTS and NAPT conferences, speakers are scheduled to discuss such topics as advanced school bus design, performance-based management and transportation safety trends. NAPT workshops will cover social media and other interesting issues, and the association’s conference will feature a revamped awards banquet and a two-day trade show.

At this year’s conference in Memphis, Tenn., Max Christensen will become president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. He plans to keep the association focused on changes in technology, build upon its relationship with other industry groups and work on growing its ties to federal-level agencies.

Today’s surveillance systems not only record students on multiple channels, many record risky driving behavior, issue alerts for specific events and track buses through GPS. Here are details on these and other specifications from eight companies’ offerings.