News

Displaying 261  -  280  of  2928
Ky. DOE receives $13M for hybrid bus purchases
January 3, 2013
The grant money for the state Department of Education will go toward project proposals from school districts to purchase approximately 213 diesel-electric-powered school buses. Public school districts in the state are eligible to apply for funding, and the deadline is Jan. 16.
Man tries to drive off in loaded school bus
January 3, 2013
Police in Palestine, Texas, say the 30-year-old man may have been involved in an altercation before he boarded a school bus and attempted to drive away. After struggling with the man, the bus driver and two bystanders were able to pull him from the bus and hold him on the ground until police arrived.
Kan. bus driver wins $10K lotto prize
January 3, 2013
Arnetta Robinson, a driver for Shawnee Heights Unified School District #450 in Tecumseh, receives the top prize in the Kansas Lottery’s $2 instant scratch game Blue Line Slingo. She says her plans with the winnings include making car repairs, buying some new clothes and filling her freezer with groceries.
Tags: Kansas
Onspot celebrates 25 years in business
January 3, 2013
The company thanks the OEMs, dealers, national account customers and end users for their business over the years. Onspot’s automatic tire chains allow the operator to engage and disengage tire chains at the flip of a switch to enhance traction and reduce stopping distance in snow and ice.
Tags: tires
Ohio’s Jeff Vrabel named 'Outstanding Transportation Director'
January 2, 2013
The chief of transportation at Youngstown City Schools is recognized for his initiatives to streamline operations and his work with industry associations. The award, given out by an Ohio Association of School Business Officials foundation, also provides a $500 college scholarship for a high school senior.
Tags: Ohio
South Carolina State Superintendent Mick Zais called a new bus purchase “the first step in modernizing the nation’s oldest school bus fleet.”
South Carolina updates aging fleet with 342 new buses
January 2, 2013
The state, which owns its school bus fleet, makes its first purchase of new school buses since 2008. They will replace models as old as 1984. State Superintendent Mick Zais calls the move “the first step in modernizing the nation’s oldest school bus fleet.”
Veteran Iowa school bus inspector retires
January 2, 2013
Owen Freese, a longtime inspector with the Iowa Department of Education, stepped down from his post on Dec. 31. He will now serve as executive director of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association.
Wash. governor proposes plan to fully fund school transportation
January 2, 2013
Outgoing Gov. Chris Gregoire proposes a wholesale excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel that would increase gradually over the next three biennia to eventually fund the entire pupil transportation budget. Gov.-elect Jay Inslee says in a statement through his spokesman that he “will lay out his own budget priorities that reflect his vision for state government and his commitment to create a lasting economic recovery with secure jobs for Washington's middle class.”
Student absenteeism spikes after rollout of transit bus program
January 2, 2013
Officials at Minneapolis Public Schools request a report on the absenteeism, but analysis has not yet been completed on whether the transit passes are responsible for the increase. Still, officials are discussing with Metro Transit whether it's possible to discourage students from skipping school by limiting the hours that they can use the passes.
Durham School Services wins first Ga. contract
December 28, 2012
Officials say the school bus contractor’s five and a half year agreement with Peach County Schools in Fort Valley is its first in the state, and that Durham now operates in 32 states. Durham operates 38 routes for Peach County Schools, transporting 3,500 students daily.
Police at Sandy Hook Elementary after the shooting on Dec. 14. Many districts across the nation have since reassessed security procedures and stepped up security personnel presence. Photo from Voice of America
After Sandy Hook tragedy, school transporters stay vigilant
December 20, 2012
The deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut last Friday brought school security back into the public eye. Here, school transportation officials from around the country talk about what their districts have done in response to the tragedy.
Mom charged in alleged assault on school bus driver
December 19, 2012
According to police in Virginia, the mother of a student allegedly accused the bus driver of threatening to kill her son, although the driver reported that she had told the boy to sit down for safety reasons. After her arm got caught in the closing bus door, the mother allegedly hit the driver in the face.
Bus drivers deliver Christmas gifts to students in need
December 19, 2012
Drivers for David Douglas School District #40 in Portland, Ore., adopt 50 children this year as part of the transportation operation’s adopt-a-family program. Driver Trainer Kathy Calkins tells SBF that all parents get a scarf and gloves or a hat, students get coats and three gifts, and babies receive warm clothing or a toy.
Tags: Oregon
NYAPT concerned about Citizens Budget Commission report
December 19, 2012
The New York Association for Pupil Transportation is concerned that the report questions the value of school transportation and challenges the financial and management decisions made by transportation and school administrators. The association proposes changes to state mandates that it believes will save school districts $200 to $250 million.
School bus hits black bear
December 19, 2012
The driver is reportedly starting his morning route when the incident occurs. No children are on the bus, and no one is injured, but the bear is later found and euthanized due to the severity of its injuries.
Teen, stepfather charged in attack at school bus stop
December 19, 2012
Jontae Dellano is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his stepfather, Jamal Shields, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and contributing to the delinquency of a child for the pre-planned assault against Raheem Davis. Police say Shields drove Dellano to the bus stop and watched as he attacked Davis with a sock filled with padlocks on Dec. 13.
Student Transportation Inc. wins its biggest contract
December 18, 2012
The school bus contractor will serve two Nebraska school districts with about 530 vehicles, including more than 400 new propane buses. Company officials say that it will be the nation's largest propane-powered school bus fleet.
North American school bus sales rose from 29,060 units in 2011 to 32,034 units in 2012.
School bus sales up 10%
December 18, 2012
SBF finds that North American school bus sales rose from 29,060 units in 2011 to 32,034 units in 2012. The increase comes after five straight years of declining school bus sales.
A new research document sheds light on the differences in states' regulations on stopping for stopped school buses. Photo by Bob Markwardt
State school bus stop laws compiled
December 18, 2012
A new research document sheds light on the differences in states' regulations on stopping for stopped school buses. Patrick Willi, director of School Training Solutions, tells SBF that the idea for the project came to him during a discussion of stop-arm running at the recent NASDPTS conference.
Dump truck falls on school bus
December 18, 2012
In last Friday’s accident in Englishtown, N.J., the truck apparently loses control and strikes an SUV before rolling over and landing on the small bus. The local fire company reports that there are no injuries.

Premium Member

Get bus sales numbers, transportation statistics, bus specifications, industry survey results, bus loading and unloading fatality statistics and more in the School Bus Fleet Research Center. Become a premium member today!
Log in Button Register Button

Newsletter

Get breaking news, industry updates, product announcements and more.