School bus industry veteran to retire

Longtime pupil transportation stalwart Barry Stock announced that he will retire at the end of July.

Stock, currently executive vice president of business development for National Express Corp., has been a fixture in the school bus industry since he launched Stock School Transport in 1988.

The company, based in Ontario, Canada, merged with two other school bus companies in 1992 to form Stock Transportation. The Stock family grew the business to 2,200 buses before it was acquired by National Express in 2002.

(National Express also operates Durham School Services in the U.S.)

“Barry has made tremendous contributions to the school bus industry, Stock Transportation and Durham School Services,” said John Elliott, president and CEO of National Express. “He is a well-known and respected leader in the industry who has been instrumental in advancing our business to where it is today.”

Stock has been affiliated with many industry groups during his years in student transportation. He served as president of the National School Transportation Association from 2008-09, and he has been a key figure in the American School Bus Council.

“I am proud to have been associated with such great talent within these industry organizations as we have collectively worked to positively position the school transportation industry,” Stock said.

In 1997, Stock was named SCHOOL BUS FLEET’s Contractor of the Year. Then, Terry Thomas, president of Community Bus Services in Ohio, pointed to Stock’s innovative ideas as one of the major reasons for his success.

“He is in the business of doing the right things the right way,” Thomas said in an interview with SBF at the time. “He has a commitment to excellence, and he doesn’t just use it as a buzz word.”

In announcing his retirement, Stock described his career in pupil transportation as “exhilarating and rewarding” and said he is grateful for the colleagues and customers he has worked with.

“I am comfortable that the time is right to retire,” Stock said. “I know Durham School Services and Stock Transportation have a strong leadership team in place and that these companies are well-positioned for the future.”

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First Student to outfit 60,000-vehicle fleet with Zonar

SEATTLE — First Student has begun the roll-out of Zonar Systems’ electronic fleet management solution, which will be added to the school bus contractor’s entire fleet of 60,000 vehicles.

“We have been working with Zonar over the last six years, first as a pilot customer, then as a full-service solutions provider,” said Gary Catapano, First Student’s senior vice president of safety. “Zonar has proven itself to be a valuable partner, providing a unique solution that enables us to support our primary business objective of delivering the highest level of safety and security to our customers and the 4 million students we transport to and from school each day.”

The agreement includes deploying Zonar’s full suite of applications: the EVIR Inspection System for verified pre-trip, post-trip and child-check inspections; the V2J Vehicle Diagnostic Device for tracking and managing of assets and real-time transmission of vehicle subsystem data; and Ground Traffic Control, a Web-based data and fleet management application.

“We are pleased to have been chosen by First Student,” said Brett Brinton, president of Zonar. “It’s a win/win for fleet managers, drivers and riders alike because our unique solutions lead to better-maintained vehicles, improved driver and passenger safety, and more efficient operations.”

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Krapf Bus Co. announces new execs

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — George Krapf Jr. & Sons Inc., the school bus division of the Krapf Bus Companies, announced that James P. Folkes has accepted the position of vice president of operations.

Folkes served 15 years with Laidlaw International Inc. In 2008, he joined Catalyst Business Advisors, an independent consulting firm. Folkes‘ earlier experience includes roles in operations and finance for McDonnell Douglas Truck Services Inc., Penn Central Railroad, CertainTeed and Johnson Matthey Corp. Folkes is also a past board member of the National School Transportation Association.

Shawn McGlinchey has accepted the position of director of risk management for Krapf Bus Co. McGlinchey came to Krapf from Harleysville Insurance Company with 23 years of experience in the area of risk management and loss control. His responsibilities at Harleysville included on-site evaluation, risk improvement service, agency support to commercial lines, regulatory compliance, and providing risk analysis, solutions and direction to clients.

Mc­Glinchey is a retired executive officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, where he served in the areas of strategic planning, readiness preparation and emergency response for the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Defense, EPA and state resources. He also provided training in the areas of hazardous materials and OSHA/EPA.

Dean Transportation demonstrates environmental, educational commitments

LANSING, Mich. — Dean Transportation has had many new developments take place with its business in the past year.

In July 2009, Dean Transportation was awarded a $1-million grant in partnership with the Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coalition to retrofit Dean school buses throughout Michigan with emissions reduction devices. With the funding, the company is installing 228 diesel oxidation catalysts, installing 65 fuel operated heaters, and installing 48 closed crankcase ventilation systems in combination with 48 diesel oxidation catalysts.

Dean will take delivery of four Thomas Built hybrid-electric school buses this summer. These are the first of their kind in Michigan and, according to Thomas Built, the first hybrids to be produced with EPA 2010 engines. Two of the hybrids will be 71-passenger conventional buses and two will be 54-passenger lift-equipped buses. The 54-passengers are the first hybrid-electric buses Thomas has produced for special-needs transportation.

For its commitment to eco-friendly school transportation, Dean Transportation was awarded the Corporate Clean Transportation Leadership Award in September 2009. The award was presented during the 2nd Annual Michigan Clean Transportation Expo and Awards Gala.

In January 2010, Dean Transportation earned the National School Transportation Association’s Green School Bus Fleet Certification at the gold level. This certification recognizes Dean for its commitment to improving the environment through cleaner school bus fleets and company-wide practices to reduce engine exhaust emissions and conserve fuel.

On May 9, CEO Kellie P. Dean gave the keynote commencement address to Michigan State University’s College of Education, which graduated nearly 500 undergraduates. Dean talked about his commitment to education as a former special-education teacher and administrator and his commitment to the community through his company.

Cook-Illinois partners with U.K. operator

CHICAGO — Go-Ahead North America is a partnership between Cook-Illinois Corp. and U.K. transport operator Go-Ahead Group. The partnership was formed last November and has successfully secured its first contract to operate routes transporting middle and high school students in St. Louis. The joint venture will be focused on new yellow school bus contracts outside Cook-Illinois’ home market of Chicago and the surrounding area.

The Go-Ahead Group is one of the U.K.’s largest bus companies, with a fleet of more than 3,500 buses carrying around 1.6 million passengers a day.

Riteway wins clean air award

GERMANTOWN, Wis. — Riteway Bus Service Inc. was awarded the 2009 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air (WPCA) Recognition Award for its efforts to improve Wisconsin’s air quality.

The presentation was made to Ronald Bast and Rochelle Bast, president and vice president respectively, during the Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Extravaganza held on May 20.

Riteway operates vehicles that meet the new EPA guidelines. Other “green” initiatives at Riteway include a recycling program, energy efficient lighting and video conferencing for all locations.

Student Transportation to deploy propane buses in contract renewal

WALL, N.J. — Student Transportation Inc.’s Illinois-based subsidiary Positive Connections Inc. (PCI) has been awarded a contract renewal to provide transportation services to Eastern Carver County School District 112 in Chaska, Minn.

The extension will be for a two-year term with the option to renew for an additional two. PCI will replace over 20 percent of the fleet to new propane buses with the anticipation that the district will approve more during the contract.