Blake Krapf named Contractor of the Year
Also in the NSTA awards ceremony, Barry Stock of National Express Corp. and Stan Weber of First Student Canada are inducted into the association’s Hall of Fame. Industry consultant Robin Leeds wins the Meritorious Service award.
Blake Krapf (center) receives the Contractor of the Year award from SBF Publisher Frank Di Giacomo. At left is NSTA President Donnie Fowler.
ST. LOUIS — School bus contractors from across the U.S. and Canada were recognized here Tuesday night in the National School Transportation Association’s (NSTA) awards ceremony.
Blake Krapf, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Krapf Bus Companies, was named SCHOOL BUS FLEET’s Contractor of the Year.
Krapf has been an integral member of NSTA and state associations while leading his family’s bus business through significant growth in recent years.
A profile of Krapf will appear in the September issue of SBF.
Other winners in the NSTA awards ceremony were:
Golden Merit Award
Kirk Flach, Durham School Services, Warrenville, Ill.
Robert Hatchett, Durham School Services, Keller, Texas
Hall of Fame Award
Barry Stock, National Express Corp., Aurora, Ontario
Stan Weber, First Student Canada, Calgary, Alberta
Distinguished Service Award
Kellie Dean, Dean Transportation Inc., Lansing, Mich.
Outstanding Driver Service Award
Dwight Miller, Riteway Bus Service Inc., Richfield, Wis.
Meritorious Service Award
Robin Leeds, industry consultant, Noank, Conn.
Go Yellow, Go Green Award
Kickert School Bus Line Inc., Lynwood, Ill.
More Management
5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →
A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →