CINCINNATI — First Student Inc. has been awarded a five-year contract to provide student transportation to the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) in Hartford, Conn.

CREC manages the regional transportation system for the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office in response to the Sheff v. O’Neill desegregation efforts. First Student will provide student transportation as needed during the summer before providing transportation for 360 routes at the start of the 2011-12 school year.

The company is seeking more than 450 safety-oriented, qualified drivers, as well as technicians and management staff, to fill newly created positions to serve CREC’s contract. First Student currently provides transportation for 20 of CREC’s routes.

Within five years, the company expects to transport students on 400 routes for CREC’s member districts throughout the Hartford area.

“We have worked with CREC for four years and understand the challenges they face in transporting students from multiple locations to districts across the region,” said Linda Burtwistle, president of First Student. “We are pleased the district has chosen to expand our relationship, allowing us to provide safe and secure transportation to even more of their students.”

First Student will bring in additional buses in a variety of sizes to complement its existing fleet. Each bus serving CREC will be equipped with a number of safety features, including cameras to monitor all onboard activities and the Child Check-Mate electronic reminder system.

The buses will also be equipped with Zonar Systems’ electronic and satellite-based tracking system that provides the location and speed of the buses at any given time. The system also includes a vehicle inspection component that can track the buses’ fuel efficiency and alerts staff to any maintenance issues during the driver’s daily safety inspections.

Moreover, First Student will open three new facilities in East Hartford, Hartford and Suffield to accommodate the new routes and buses. The company currently seeks to fill a number of driver, technician and management staff positions at these locations.

For information on the open positions, go to www.firststudentinc.com.