BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, England — A new conference to held here in June is designed to bring together school transportation professionals from around the world to share ideas and best practices.

Interchangeability 2014, to be held June 15-18 at Latimer Place in Buckinghamshire, is the creation of Sian Thornthwaite and Kirsti Robinson, both of whom have been involved with school transportation and children’s travel for many years in the U.K. and other countries.

Thornthwaite and Robinson said in an announcement about the conference that they dubbed it Interchangeability "because we want it to be about the exchange of global cross-sector ideas, exploring change and innovation, and about education, learning and skills. ... All countries are facing school transport challenges — whether it is improving safety standards and quality, forging meaningful working partnerships, managing with ever diminishing budgets, dealing with rising parental expectations, providing for the increasingly complex needs of students, addressing concerns about congestion or childhood obesity, or encouraging attendance and participation at school."

To tackle those types of topics, the conference program includes general sessions, facilitated workshops, hands-on seminars, technical tours and an exhibition. The event's lineup features speakers from Malta, Italy, the U.S., Canada, South America, the Middle East and the U.K.

For more information on Interchangeability 2014, go to www.interchange-ability.com.