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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 McMahonOctober 5, 2012

Longtime N.Y. contractor Larry Pierce passes

Pierce ran school transportation provider Pierce Coach Line for more than 60 years. He served as president of both the National School Transportation Association and the New York State School Bus Contractors Association, and he was named SBF's Contractor of the Year in 2008.

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Articlesby Thomas McMahonSeptember 27, 2012

Thomas Built CEO sees permanent shifts in school bus market

Kelley Platt, the company's president and CEO, says that transportation changes many districts are making — from running buses longer to increasing walking distances — have reduced the need for new buses and aren’t likely to be reversed. In turn, the OEM is focused on becoming more cost-effective in its manufacturing while maintaining quality. Platt discusses the market shifts, cost of ownership and product developments with SBF.

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Articlesby Thomas McMahonSeptember 25, 2012

State directors: Why we do it this way

State pupil transportation directors discuss their states’ school bus specs and procedures that stand out, from fluorescent driver seat belts to buffer zones at the back of the bus.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonSeptember 25, 2012

Longtime Kan. state director Larry Bluthardt retires

Bluthardt steps down from his post after 24 years as state pupil transportation director for Kansas. He tells SBF that health issues were a key factor in his decision, but he also was frustrated by some developments that he said he feels aren't in the best interests of the state's school bus riders.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonSeptember 25, 2012

Ore. district revises bell times, cuts road calls

The Salem-Keizer Public Schools transportation department has adjusted all school bell times, which director Michael Shields says reduced the number of routes without causing problems or service interruptions. In other news, road calls were reduced for all vehicles by 38.4% compared to the previous year.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonSeptember 20, 2012

Saudi Arabia to hold 1st school transportation conference

The event comes as the Middle Eastern nation plans to increase its number of school buses from 12,000 to 60,000 over the next five years. The Ministry of Education says that more female students will have access to school transportation, and service will be expanded to male students and female teachers.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonSeptember 18, 2012

Driving 'school bus' car, Stenhouse wins NASCAR race

With Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech as his primary sponsors, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is first across the finish line at Saturday’s Dollar General 300. The design on his car was meant to resemble a school bus, with its yellow paint, Blue Bird logos and even black “rub rails” on the sides.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonSeptember 18, 2012

NHTSA updates school transportation crash stats

There were 1,236 fatal school transportation-related crashes from 2001 to 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. That’s 0.34% of the total 363,839 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes during that time period.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonSeptember 17, 2012

New (school) year’s resolutions

At this point in the calendar year, many of us have fallen behind on — or maybe even forgotten about — our New Year’s resolutions. But since you work in pupil transportation, do you set new school year’s resolutions? If not, here are a few ideas.

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Articlesby Thomas McMahonSeptember 17, 2012

New (school) year’s resolutions

Are there some functions that only you know how to perform but that you could teach other members of your staff? What do you hope to achieve before summer suddenly rolls around again?

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