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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 McMahonJanuary 8, 2013

Va. bill would allow ads on school buses

"Age-appropriate" advertisements could be placed on school buses under a bill introduced for the state's new legislative session. Revenue from the bus ad sales would have to be devoted to the cost of providing pupil transportation.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 4, 2013

Iowa study probes stop-arm safety measures

The report, required by last year's "Kadyn's Law," analyzes ways to potentially reduce illegal passing of school buses, including stop-arm cameras. Researchers find that home-side loading should be encouraged as a best practice but not required.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 3, 2013

Man tries to drive off in loaded school bus

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.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 3, 2013

Congress passes alt-fuel tax credit extensions

The fiscal deal passed by Congress this week includes provisions that benefit fleets that use alternative fuels. The bill, expected to be signed into law by President Obama, extends tax credits for such fuels as propane, compressed natural gas and biodiesel — all of which power many school buses.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 2, 2013

South Carolina updates aging fleet with 342 new buses

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.”

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Newsby Thomas McMahonDecember 20, 2012

After Sandy Hook tragedy, school transporters stay vigilant

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.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonDecember 18, 2012

State school bus stop laws compiled

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.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonDecember 18, 2012

School bus sales up 10%

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.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonDecember 14, 2012

Top News: The Year in Review

In 2012, bullying was again in the limelight as video of a school bus monitor being harassed went viral. Also, the U.S. pupil transportation community made connections abroad to help other countries safely transport their students.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonDecember 10, 2012

First Observer security program on hiatus

HMS Co., which has administered First Observer since 2008, stops receiving funding, but the Transportation Security Administration has reportedly said that the program will be active again in the near future. Meantime, classroom training and other program functions have been placed on hold.

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