Cook-Illinois Corp. debuts hybrid bus at NASCAR event
School bus contractor Cook-Illinois Corp. debuted its new hybrid school bus in a parade lap before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Life Look 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., in July.

Cook-Illinois Corp. ran the vehicle with other hybrid vehicles as part of a “green” campaign by NASCAR’s sponsor, Coca-Cola.

“We were happy to participate in the parade lap with other companies that care about the future of our environment, and hopefully it raised some awareness about the simple things one can do to help,” said Cook-Illinois Regional Manager Jeffrey Barnes.

The company first unveiled its hybrid bus on April 22 — Earth Day.

Johnson Matthey opens new emissions-control catalyst plant
In August, Johnson Matthey opened a new emissions-control catalyst manufacturing plant near Smithfield, Pa.

The facility is located on an 11.5-acre site in the Fayette County Business Park. (The company also purchased 17.5 additional acres in early 2009 to accommodate future expansion.)

The plant, which will be used to manufacture selective catalytic reduction catalysts, has 40 employees who engage in commissioning and production activities.

Johnson Matthey is expected to increase the number of employees over a three-year period, creating a total of 110 advanced manufacturing jobs at the site.

Seon offers lease financing; partners with Hewlett-Packard
Mobile video surveillance technology provider Seon Design Inc. is providing its clients with the option of lease financing.

The company’s program offers fixed-rate financing and provides flexible options to renew, buy or return assets. Flex payments are also available to match cash flow requirements.

In other news, Seon has partnered with Hewlett-Packard Co. to offer Smart-Reach, a Wi-Fi solution that allows users to view video from a vehicle wirelessly when it enters the yard.

The system finds the strongest signal and then automatically switches to a stronger signal if the vehicle moves closer to another access point.

Seon also recently launched its revamped Website, www.seon.com.

Durham takes delivery of hybrid-electric school bus
Durham School Services received the first of two NEXBUS hybrid-electric school buses from Collins Bus Corp. in August.

The bus, configured for 20 seats, was delivered to Durham’s Rosemead, Calif., location. It is built on a Ford E-450 chassis with Azure Dynamic Corp.’s parallel drive system.

Durham is piloting hybrid-electric buses to better understand the specific characteristics of the vehicles and to determine real-world economics ahead of any broader applications, the company said.

The bus reportedly can achieve an up to 40-percent increase in fuel economy, reduce maintenance costs by 30 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent.

85 percent of transportation staff signs on with new contractor
Student Transportation of America (STA), the school bus contractor for Duval County Public Schools in the Arlington/Beaches area, announced in August that 85 percent of the former drivers, monitors, and maintenance and administrative personnel have accepted offers to join the company.

The buses that will carry students in the Arlington/Beaches area are brand new. STA purchased a new fleet of 275 vehicles from Jacksonville-based Rivers Bus Sales.

In similar news, more than 40 former employees of Williamsport (Pa.) Area School District have signed on with STA, which was selected in June to provide busing for the district.

Remy wins supplier excellence award, DOE grant
Remy International Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of Delco Remy heavy-duty starters and alternators, recently received the Masters of Quality Award from Daimler Trucks North America.

To receive the award, suppliers must meet or exceed Daimler’s quality standards and commit to continuous improvement to their quality of products and processes.

Remy provides starters and alternators to Daimler, as well as the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. and Thomas Built Buses dealership networks.

In other news, Remy announced that it will receive a $60.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to produce a standardized platform of hybrid-electric motors and controls.

Michigan environmental agency awarded EPA grant
Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities (GLACC) has been awarded a $1.07 million EPA grant to reduce school bus emissions in mid-Michigan.

The money will be used to retrofit more than 400 Dean Transportation Inc. school buses with diesel oxidation catalysts and replace six Grand Ledge Public Schools buses with newer, low-emission buses.

Competition for funding was stiff. More than 81 grant applications requesting $211 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects were submitted to the EPA’s Region 5. GLACC was among only 12 applicants selected for $26.5 million in total funding across the region.

Arsenault-NAPA software solution enhances shop productivity
Arsenault Associates has partnered with parts distributor NAPA to offer a software solution that simplifies workflows and automates parts management.

Dossier software users who also employ NAPA’s Integrated Business Solution program can experience an increase in shop productivity. The Dossier-NAPA integration streamlines parts management; because parts data is automatically applied to the appropriate repair orders, data entry is eliminated.

The NAPA integration will be available in Dossier 5.1, which was scheduled for release in September.

New emissions-control system now available nationwide
Environmental Solutions Worldwide Canada Inc. has launched its ThermaCat Active Level III Plus catalyst system for school buses in the retrofit market.

In June, the California Highway Patrol approved the ThermaCat installation on a First Student Inc. bus in Los Angeles.

ThermaCat monitors engine exhaust temperature and pressure and creates a diesel fuel-based exothermic temperature increase into the particulate filter. This maintains optimized emissions reduction in cold or inconsistent duty cycle applications.

Natural Gas Vehicle Institute celebrates 20-year anniversary
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Natural Gas Vehicle Institute (NGVi).

The company was founded by Leo and Annalloyd Thomason. It provides a wide range of services, including technical training, consulting, policy development, asset evaluation, fleet assessment and expert testimony before public and private governing bodies.

In its 20-year history, NGVi has equipped more than 14,000 employees with skills to safely implement, operate and maintain a natural gas vehicle fleet.

Leo Thomason provides training in station design, maintenance, operation and cylinder inspection, as well as driver and technician vehicle safety.

NSTA launches revamped Website
The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) in September unveiled its updated Website at www.yellowbuses.org.

New features on the Website include the ability to search, rate and comment on the association’s newsletter articles, as well as the ability for users to update their contact information online.

There are also resources on the site for school districts to find contractors and learn about the benefits of outsourcing school bus transportation services.

Zonar donates 10 scholarships to attend NAPT Summit
Pupil transportation telematics service provider Zonar Systems recently donated 10 scholarships for attendance to the 2009 National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Annual Summit, to be held in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 31 to Nov. 5.

NAPT said that each scholarship would cover the cost of one conference registration. Any NAPT member in good standing was encouraged to apply.

If applicants were not current members, Zonar also covered the cost of NAPT membership.

Eligible individuals could apply for the conference scholarship online from Sept. 1 through Oct. 1. A formal announcement of the scholarship winners is scheduled to be made on Oct. 5.

Propane Vision will continue after GM engine plant shutdown
Blue Bird will continue to offer its Propane-Powered Vision after the closure of a GM engine plant.

The school bus manufacturer said that sufficient quantities of 8.1L engines have been bought to ensure an uninterrupted supply of the Propane-Powered Vision until a successor engine is available.

Blue Bird also said that GM has taken a proactive stance in building thousands of 8.1L engines to meet their requirement to support warranty and aftermarket replacement of the engine for years through its service parts operation.

The NAPA Integrated Business Solution program reduces inventory investment, lowers the cost of transactions and provides single-source billing.