LISLE, Ill. — Student transportation provider National Express has acquired New York state-based Quality Bus Service.

Quality Bus Service, located approximately 90 miles northwest of New York City, provides transportation for Port Jervis City School District, Marlboro Central School District, and Chester Union Free School District, as well as special-needs transportation throughout the Hudson Valley region of the state.

“We are pleased to add Quality Bus Service to our team,” said Gary Waits, CEO of student transportation for National Express. “Our focus on safety and service is aligned with Quality’s outstanding reputation, making this an ideal acquisition to expand our operations in the state of New York.”

As SBF previously reported, Michael Martucci, the previous owner and founder of Quality Bus Service, began his career in pupil transportation as a school bus salesman soon after he graduated college in 2007. Spotting a need for more affordable busing alternatives, he got a startup loan, bought three school buses and procured three student transportation contracts, and established Quality Bus Service the same year he graduated. He was the company’s first school bus driver.

Martucci will stay on with the company, National Express told SBF.  

National Express, the second-largest school bus contractor in the U.S., according to SBF’s 2017 Top 50 Contractors survey list, transports more than 1 million students across North America every day. The company began managing operations for Quality Bus Service in April.

Quality Bus Service, which held spot No. 40 in the Top 50 Contractors survey, currently operates 315 buses. The company transports a total of 8,200 passengers daily. In addition to transporting more than 6,750 students from home to school each day to surrounding districts, the company runs a route to and from a junior college as part of a shuttle bus program, and transports students from 13 districts attending technical programs mid-day.

“We’re looking forward to providing the safest, highest-quality transportation for our Hudson Valley students by expanding upon Quality Bus’s already proven safety performance and operations record,” said Brett Wester, regional manager for National Express.  

“We are pleased to continue our long-standing history in safe student transportation by serving the families of the Hudson Valley region,” Waits added.  

In the state of New York, National Express services more than 30 partners and transports more than 23,000 students every school day. Hiring efforts to expand the company's staff of drivers and bus attendants are underway. To apply, go here.