DENVER — School Bus Logistics (SBL) is now working with consultant Lance Osler, who will provide route operations support and software consulting services to current SBL customers and prospects.

Osler has a combined 17 years of Edulog (Education Logistics) and Versatrans experience, which officials said increases opportunities for SBL to provide professional routing services and consulting in terms of startup, mid-level and advanced routing operations support for almost any school district in North America.

"Lance is a great addition to our team," SBL founder and CEO Rob Jacobus said. "With his industry knowledge and high-level user experience using both Versatrans and Edulog in the operations of several school districts in North America, Lance will be of great value to the pupil transportation industry that SBL serves."

Osler started his career in the industry in 1997 with Education Logistics. In 1998, he joined Versatrans Solutions Inc., where he was a training specialist and a regional account manager.

Officials said Osler gained most of his knowledge of the Edulog system working for Laidlaw as a sales executive and then as manager of routing services when FirstGroup acquired Laidlaw.

"This is a demanding time in student transportation, and I think that our team here at SBL is positioned to meet any challenge brought before us and exceed all customer expectations," Osler said.

He also brings to SBL project management and GIS routing systems experience he gained while working at First Planning Solutions for several years. First Planning Solutions is First Student’s in-house team of experts on school bus routing.

Osler is skilled at motivating team members within a school's transportation department and helping them achieve goals, all while working alongside routers and schedulers in the field, according to SBL.

"Not only does Lance have extensive experience in routing systems, he also brings transportation operations management to the table — something SBL has not been able to offer in the past," Jacobus said. "Now we have a valuable resource on the team to do so."

"I have worked with Rob in the past, so it is exciting to bring our synergies back together to provide a new level of solutions here at School Bus Logistics," Osler added. "I personally love working with the customer and client  — to guide and lead them through change."

SBL provides consulting, support and routing software to school districts and bus companies. For more information, visit the company’s website, www.schoolbuslogistics.com.