MENU
SEARCHAfter its unionized drivers voted down a new contract offer, the nearly 50-year-old school bus operator says it will close the business. “We gave the union our best offer, which was significantly better than what the new companies in the industry are providing,” Atlantic Express officials say in a statement. “Without this labor contract, we have no choice left but to proceed with the sale of all of the company’s assets and contracts.”
Atlantic Express has operations in New York, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania, with a total of more than 5,000 school buses.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After nearly 50 years in the school transportation business, Atlantic Express Transportation Corp. is set to close down at the end of the year.
On Wednesday, unionized drivers with Local 1181-1061, Amalgamated Transit Union, voted down a new contract offer from Atlantic Express.
“We are very disappointed with the outcome of the union vote,” Atlantic Express officials said in a statement. “Our goal was twofold: to enable Atlantic Express to continue our operations in a competitive and financially stable structure to ensure we continued our leadership in the school bus industry while preserving jobs and our company.”
With a fleet of more than 5,000 school buses, Atlantic Express is the fourth-largest contractor in North America. The company, founded in 1964, has operations in New York, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.
In early November, Atlantic Express announced that it had filed for bankruptcy, citing its union battle, bidding issues and challenging earnings as key factors. Officials said at the time that the company would use the Chapter 11 process to explore the availability of additional debt or equity financing, market its assets for sale, and continue what they described as “challenging labor negotiations” for a new collective bargaining agreement with Local 1181.
On Wednesday, with the union having voted down a new contract, Atlantic Express officials said that they “gave the union our best offer, which was significantly better than what the new companies in the industry are providing. Without this labor contract, we have no choice left but to proceed with the sale of all of the company’s assets and contracts.”
Atlantic Express officials added in their statement that the company “has had the great privilege and honor of serving many great school districts, municipalities and regions for over four decades. As we begin the process of closing our business, we will work closely with all of our customers on contingency plans to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for everyone concerned.”
Stop bidding everything and try a simpler way. Here's how cooperative purchasing can streamline purchases while maintaining compliance. Sourcewell breaks down the process in this episode of The Route, sponsored by IC Bus.
Read More →
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.
Read More →
Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Read More →
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Read More →
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Read More →
Kramlick, 30, runs operations for TransPar in Hawaii, where he also showed dedication while helping Maui recover from the recent wildfires.
Read More →
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Read More →
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Read More →
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Read More →
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
Read More →
