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Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

Newsby Thomas McMahonJuly 1, 2014

$378K allotted for busing district’s rural students

The one-time funding allocation from the Peace River Regional District in British Columbia will go toward the cost of transporting students in rural areas during the 2014-15 school year. The funding eliminates the need for those rural families to pay a transportation fee.

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Articlesby Thomas McMahonJune 30, 2014

McKinney Sees Longer Bus Life, Diesel Dedication

IC Bus President John McKinney says that school buses now have an average life cycle of nearly 15 years, which means that product durability and customer support are especially critical. He also points to diesel as the “backbone of the industry” and discusses the decision to offer the Cummins ISB engine.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 30, 2014

School bus driver award brings crowd to tears

Don Puetz was among five recipients of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association’s 2014 Transportation Specialist Awards. His dedication to his students, even amid personal sorrow — he lost both his wife and his daughter in the past year — made for an emotional ceremony.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 27, 2014

Man charged with road rage against school bus

In Aptos, California, a school bus driver and his 3-year-old passenger escape injury when a Toyota Corolla driver forces the bus off the road and then intentionally backs into it, police say. The motorist leaves the scene but is arrested three days later.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 26, 2014

Longtime school transportation director switches gears

Michael Dallessandro, who has worked in pupil transportation for more than 25 years, takes on a new role as a human resources manager for Rural/Metro Medical, a private ambulance and fire protection services provider. He will continue to offer his school bus expertise as a consultant.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 26, 2014

District aims to cut costs in busing with hub transfers

Starting next year at Quakertown (Pa.) Community School District, private and charter school students will be transported to hub locations and will then transfer to another bus for the rest of the trip. The district superintendent calls the move "an important cost-saving measure."

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 26, 2014

Top pupil transporters, bus techs honored in Colorado

The Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association holds school bus roadeo and technician contests at its annual conference. Also awarded, posthumously, is a Colorado school bus driver who was fatally struck by a pickup truck last winter.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 19, 2014

Associations asked union not to misuse school bus in campaign

The three national pupil transportation groups wrote to the Labors' International Union of North America, requesting that the union not negatively represent the yellow bus in its highway bill reauthorization campaign. But on Monday, the union launched a tour featuring a school bus that appears to have been smashed by a fallen piece of bridge.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 16, 2014

Study: Total cost of auto crashes topped $800 billion

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2010 resulted in economic costs of $277 billion and $594 billion in societal harm.

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Stop-arm incident photo is worth 1,000 words

One interesting detail in the journey of a South Carolina stop-arm camera measure through the legislative process is the role that a photo played. Bill sponsor Sen. Thomas Alexander showed the shocking picture to other legislators to help galvanize support for the bill.

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