Bethany Vaale shows off the company's on-site fueling system for its diesel and gasoline vehicles. They use FuelCloud, which is a smart fueling tool that simplifies refilling and tracks usage with touchscreen management.
Photo: Amanda Huggett
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Moving on from Palmer's former temporary Princeton location, they hosted an open house for its brand-new building on August 13.
Photo: Amanda Huggett
Today, Minnesota-based school bus contractor Palmer Bus celebrated its new location for its Princeton office with a grand opening and open house, and School Bus Fleet was on site to see the new digs.
Previously, the team worked out of a rented temporary location with its office in a work trailer. They moved into the new building mid-July and is gearing up for the soon-to-start new school year.
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"We are very excited to have a drive-through wash bay and on-site fuel," said Jenna Fromm, CEO and co-owner. "We can be more efficient and have our vehicles be shiny and represent the Princeton Tigers! We can also have all of our vehicles strategically staged in our indoor storage for optimized flow during route times."
Jenna Fromm, CEO and co-owner, poses at the front desk, welcoming drivers and visitors with a nod to the yellow bus.
Photo: Amanda Huggett
The 8,300 square foot office and shop space features:
Room for its 59 vehicles: 26 regular route buses, 10 trip buses, five SPED buses, and 15 vans.
An attached 30,000 sq ft cold storage.
A break room and space for its 80 drivers.
A 2-bus wash bay.
A 3-bay maintenance shop with dedicated restrooms.
4 acres of land for room to grow if needed.
On-site fuel station for diesel and gas with a smart system called FuelCloud.
"We are excited for the new year to start and all the things that come with it," said Bethany Vaale, Princeton location manager. "The kids' smiles and stories and having our fleet back on the road, the kids laughing and having a good time going to and from school."
Palmer Bus has been partnering with Princeton Schools since around 2012. With district growth, Palmer Bus is providing transportation for over 3,000 students for the 2025-26 school year.
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(L to R) Sandy Gaslin, assistant manager, stands with Connie Duff and Bethany Vaale. Duff is Palmer's longest driver with an impressive 52 years behind the wheel!
Photo: Amanda Huggett
The city's mayor and the district's leadership attended the open house to support the partnership and see the new space up close.
Palmer's Princeton office runs 59 vehicles in total, including buses and vans.
Photo: Amanda Huggett
See more and hear from a local driver in this video!
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.
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.
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.
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
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.
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).
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.
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
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.
