Check Out: Precious Cargo: Safety Comes Standard
First Student Acquires Safety Bus, Expands in New Jersey
Safety Bus is based in Pennsauken, with a fleet of 106 vehicles managed by a team of 140 employees, serving school districts and charter customers.

Since 1960, Safety Bus has served New Jersey customers in the school transportation and motor coach markets.
Image: Canva
First Student, a provider of student transportation to school districts across North America, is expanding its operations in the Northeast. The company has acquired Safety Bus, a trusted provider of school bus and motor coach transportation in New Jersey.
“We respect Safety Bus’ operations and admire the dedication they have shown to serve their communities over the past 60 years,” said First Student CEO and President John Kenning. “Their team is a great fit for First Student. We both continually seek a better way to do things with innovation, sustainable practices and operational excellence. We are excited to work together, leveraging our insights to deliver an extraordinary experience for all our customers and bus riders.”
Safety Bus is headquartered in Pennsauken, N.J. The company operates 106 vehicles with a team of 140 employees. Safety Bus was founded in 1960 and has steadily grown over the years to serve both school districts and charter customers. First Student will continue to operate all the company’s existing services.
“My family is proud of what we have accomplished over the past six decades, always focusing on providing high-quality transportation service,” said Jim Dugan, Safety Bus owner. “By combining operations, we can better serve our customers and passengers for generations to come. They will benefit from First Student’s commitment to invest in cutting-edge technologies and their fleet, including electric vehicles, ensuring a safer and cleaner ride to school or an event.”
Terms and conditions of the transaction were not disclosed.
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 →
