CINCINNATI — First Student Inc. has been awarded a new five-year contract to provide transportation service to the St. James Parish School Board in Lutcher, La. The company will provide all fleet, routing, maintenance and management services beginning in April. First Student will also hire drivers to provide service for routes currently without a district driver.

“We are excited to partner with the St. James School Board and are committed to working with the current transportation team to provide the safest and most efficient transportation possible for the district’s students,” said Al Muglach, First Student region vice president. “We look forward to working with the students, families, administrators and current drivers in St. James Parish for many years to come.”

First Student will provide buses for the routes it is assigned by the district, and each bus will utilize the district’s current camera system.  In addition, First Student’s buses are equipped with GPS tracking systems, the Child Check-Mate electronic reminder system and crossing gates to allow children to cross in front of the bus at a safe distance.

In other news, First Student Charter Bus Rental, the charter service division of First Student, was scheduled to provide shuttle service for the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s inaugural RR Donnelley Founders Cup Tournament from March 16 to 20. More than 100 buses from the company’s Phoenix location will be used to transport spectators to the tournament at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa.

First Student has provided shuttle service for a number of sporting events, including the 2011 Daytona 500, the 2011 Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon, the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open.