On April 1, WE Transport shared news that was far from an April Fool’s. The school bus contractor announced the retirement of Bart Marksohn, its chairman emeritus, who has led the family-owned company for over 50 years. His last day was April 1, 2025.
“My parents founded WE Transport in the late 1950s with one vehicle and the vision of providing safe and reliable transportation services to Long Island families with special needs children, and it has been a privilege to spend my career supporting our family founded business to reach new heights and serve a growing number of students and communities,” Marksohn said. “It is the dedicated employees and strong community we have built over the years that makes this company special, and I have no doubt that our wonderful culture will continue to make a positive impact.”
Marksohn is the son of WE Transport’s founding partners Walter and Edie Marksohn. He started helping grow the family business at an early age. Instead of spending his weekend on sporting fields, he was often in the maintenance shop working on vehicles. He started changing brakes and tires, making vehicle repairs, and working his way up to head mechanic. As the business grew, he transitioned into overseeing fleet management, banking, insurance, safety, contracts, bidding, customer liaison, and real estate.
Along with Bart’s brother, Jerry, they pursued cutting-edge technologies to add to the business. In the early ‘90s, WE Transport became the first school bus company to utilize GPS tracking technology.
Marksohn also oversaw significant expansions, including the introduction of motor coaches, and he grew the vehicle fleet by 30% in just one year in 2003. In 2010, WE Transport landed a contract with Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut to further diversify its business.
“Bridgeport was a challenge, which was handled by our family of employees with real excitement,” Marksohn continued. “We had to hire over 300 employees and be up and running in 60 days, and we pulled it off. This positive experience encouraged us to expand into new markets in New York City and Westchester, where we hired over 350 employees and 100 employees, respectively, to successfully expand operations and create a positive customer experience.”
“Bart’s contributions to WE Transport have been invaluable to the development and success of this business for decades,” added Judith Crawford, CEO of Beacon Mobility. “Throughout Bart’s lifetime career in transportation, he has channeled his passion for transportation to introduce new technologies, provide reliable transportation to schools and communities, and expand the company’s footprint from a Long Island-based carrier to serve Connecticut and New York City. We extend our deepest gratitude to Bart and wish him the very best in retirement.”
Marksohn has received state and national recognitions for his contributions to the industry. As the president and CFO of WE Transport, he was recognized as the 2018 New York School Bus Contractor of the Year at the New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA) 64th Annual Convention alongside his colleague, Carmen Tomeo, CEO of WE Transport. In 2024, Marksohn was inducted into the National Student Transportation Association (NSTA) Hall of Fame.
