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SEARCHIn school bus tech and vendor updates, check in on news from EverDriven, Gatekeeper, Fleetio, Transfinder, RIDE, and new district partnerships.
School Bus Business Briefs covers EverDriven’s school grants, Gatekeeper video contracts, Transfinder and Fleetio revenue growth, Cummins earnings, and new district partnerships.
School Bus Fleet
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This regular installment covers the latest supplier and OEM news in the school bus industry.
Last month, alternative transportation provider EverDriven announced the recipients of its 2025 Driving Access Forward micro-grant initiative, awarding $20,000 in total funding to 30 schools and districts to help remove barriers to education for students and families facing instability.
This initiative was created to support students, families, and school staff nationwide by addressing community-identified needs. Awards were determined through applications submitted by school representatives, with funding being used for food, clothing, school supplies, emergency rides, and essential resources, including support for students experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations.
Award recipients span 13 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, highlighting the breadth of need across school communities nationwide.
“I am tremendously grateful to the EverDriven team for making this opportunity possible!” said Sara Landrum, social worker and McKinney-Vento liaison, Huntington County Community School Corporation. “Funds from the Driving Access Forward grant will go to transportation, first and foremost. That was a game-changer for us last year. We have a number of students who qualify for McKinney-Vento but not for health insurance, so the remaining funds will go toward eye exams and dental work support for those students in need.”
“Every day, we see how transportation and access to essential needs can stand in the way of a student’s education,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven. “Through our Driving Access Forward initiative we launched on Giving Tuesday, our goal with this micro grant initiative was to provide tangible support directly to school districts, empowering them to meet immediate needs and keep students connected to school, no matter the circumstances.”
Gatekeeper Systems Inc. has a school bus video contract with an unnamed Canadian bus manufacturer and a corresponding subscription contract with a student transportation provider who is providing services to a school district in California. Under the contract, approximately 175 school buses will be factory-equipped with interior video, mobile data collectors, and subscribe to its video management software. The contract is valued at approximately $575,000 CD plus monthly recurring subscriptions.
On Feb. 4, the company also announced approximately $600,000 USD in school bus video and subscriptions contracts in Georgia and California. In Georgia, an existing school district customer is conducting a full fleet upgrade to replace existing mobile data collectors and interior video. The upgrade provides for a greater number of video devices per bus, with increased video resolution and additional video storage capacity per bus. The contract is valued at approximately $350,000 USD.
In California, an existing school district customer is upgrading its internal and external video systems and will subscribe to the company’s Health Check service for system monitoring. The contract is valued at approximately $250,000 USD and includes the prepayment of five years of monthly recurring Health Check subscriptions.
President and CEO Antonio Civitella shared highlights from across the company’s departments and outlined ambitious plans for the year ahead during his annual “State of the Union” presentation, which included employees from every department.
Transfinder
Transfinder Corporation’s record-breaking growth continued in 2025, as the company closed the year with $50.15 million in revenue, a 19% increase over the prior year and the 28th consecutive year of annual revenue growth, it announced in late January.
Transfinder added 180 clients in 2025. Of those new clients, 64 left competing systems.
“We hit the goal I set at the start of 2025: $50 million in revenue,” Civitella said at the company’s employee State of the Union-style update. “It was a total team effort.”
For 2026, Civitella has set an even higher target, projecting $60 million in revenue.
Several factors contributed to Transfinder’s record-setting year. Hardware sales increased 22% to $11.5 million. Along with Transfinder’s flagship Routefinder PLUS routing solution, Wayfinder ranked among the most-purchased products in 2025, along with the Stopfinder parent app and Servicefinder maintenance solution.
The company also saw a significant rise in procurement activity, participating in 217% more Requests for Proposals than in 2024. Transfinder won 51% of those RFPs, generating more than $2.2 million in revenue. The number of client references increased 244% in 2025.
Perhaps the most meaningful growth isn’t revenue-related at all — it’s student-related,” Civitella said. “At the end of the day, what matters most is the safe transportation of every student.”
Transfinder’s 2025 Highlights
A central focus of Fleetio’s momentum was reducing the time fleets spend on managing operations.
Fleetio
On Feb. 3, Fleetio announced performance milestones for the second half of 2025. Its momentum reflects the company’s shift toward an operating system built to support real execution through practical intelligence, automation, and connected maintenance workflows.
Fleet professionals continued to leverage Fleetio’s Maintenance Shop Network, with more than 110,000 trusted national and local shops across the United States and newly expanded support in Canada. Surveyed customers reported an estimated 12% reduction in maintenance spend through the Maintenance Shop Network.
A central focus of Fleetio’s momentum was reducing the time fleets spend on managing operations. Artificial intelligence-powered automation showed strong adoption, with Smart Uploads reducing service entry time by up to 90%. Surveyed customers also reported saving an average of 4.39 hours per week through digital inspections, strengthening accountability and asset readiness across daily functions.
Fleetio's acquisition of Auto Integrate in March 2025 strengthened its commitment to delivering outsourced maintenance as a customer-focused, end-to-end solution.
As collaboration scaled, the company invested in more than 60 product enhancements in 2025, turning alignment into coordination. Fleetio also expanded integrations and partnerships, including an expanded integration with Motive.
By the end of 2025, Fleetio supported more than 8,000 fleets globally.
On Feb. 5, Cummins Inc. reported fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results.
Highlights include:
“2025 marked a historic year for Cummins as we made significant progress in advancing key strategic priorities while continuing to raise performance cycle over cycle,” said Jennifer Rumsey, chair and CEO of Cummins. “I am tremendously proud of our employees for their resiliency and commitment to delivering for our customers amid persistent market uncertainty and change. Our disciplined cost management, diversified portfolio and effective execution allowed us to deliver strong results despite this challenging environment.”
Durham School Services and Glenbard Township High School District 87 started the calendar year on a strong note with their newly formed partnership and successful start to the semester. The partnership will extend through July of 2027, and Durham will service a total of 50 regular routes and nine special education routes for the school district.
Durham and its sister brands currently provide student transportation for 15 communities across Illinois, and this partnership with Glenbard Township High School District 87 will expand transportation services. Further, through its Partners Beyond the Bus, its team looks forward to supporting the Glenbard community and its students beyond providing transportation through community activities and events.
"We appreciate the partnership we’ve established with Durham School Services with an emergency contract for transportation for Glenbard Township High School District 87,” said Jessica Santee, superintendent, Glenbard Township High School District 87. “While changes of this scale and in this short timeline are extremely difficult, our shared commitment to student safety, reliability, and clear communication has helped us to start the semester off smoothly. Durham has worked closely with our district to address our needs, support drivers, and strengthen day-to-day operations. We value their responsiveness and commitment to our greater school community. We look forward to our continued partnership in providing dependable transportation services for our students and families."
Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) has selected Zūm to modernize district-wide transportation services beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. With this seven-year contract, Kansas becomes Zum's 15th state as the company continues national expansion.
Following a rigorous procurement process, SMSD selected Zum to replace legacy operating models with a modern, technology-led transportation experience.
"We treat student transportation as an extension of the classroom here in Shawnee Mission School District. It is a foundational component of educational access," said Dr. David Stubblefield, deputy superintendent at Shawnee Mission School District. "Zum's mission goes beyond simply moving students from Point A to Point B, and their commitment to keeping students at the center of their service aligns seamlessly with Shawnee Mission's guiding theme. This is the modern, safe, and transparent experience our community deserves."
ESB manufacturer RIDE is proud to join the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) in celebrating Love the Bus Month.
“Love the Bus Month offers a great opportunity to celebrate the people that make school buses so special to our children,” said senior director of communications Frank Girardot. “We join NAPT in celebrating and honoring student safety and those who make it their priority.”
This month, RIDE will be sharing stories and moments of appreciation for the trusted yellow school bus and the professionals who make student transportation their daily mission. Images and video are available upon request.
School bus drivers and monitors in New York joined Teamsters, while others in Alaska and Ontario face ongoing strikes over wages and contracts.
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After a recent merger and another acquisition, Zonar looks to the future with its four new executive team leads.
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In the wake of federal funding cuts to the e-rate program and on-board WiFi, Kajeet offers a new option for Internet connectivity where it matters most for students.
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The Bus Center was named a Top 4 Dealer for Forest River Bus & Van for 2025, marking its second consecutive year receiving recognition from the manufacturer.
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The dealership's new Elgin location will serve commercial fleets across the Chicago area.
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Two separate school districts in Illinois and Ohio have rolled out Transfinder's Routefinder and Tripfinder solutions, respectively.
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Struggling with late buses? GPS data can help fleets cut delays, fix route bottlenecks, and improve on-time performance without adding routes.
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Zonar received CARB certification allowing fleets with factory-installed V4 telematics devices to automatically submit emissions data for Clean Truck Check compliance.
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As the software company caps a year of record growth, the promotion recognizes Laseter's impact with doubled revenue and two large district partnerships.
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The redesigned app gives parents and school districts real-time trip tracking, multilingual access, and improved communication tools.
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