DVD trains on school bus trespassing response

“Unauthorized Rider,” produced by the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association (MSBOA) and the Annandale Police Department, demonstrates the need to plan ahead when confronted with an attempt by an unauthorized person to board the school bus, and what to do if these situations arise. MSBOA Executive Administrator Shelly Jonas tells SBF how production of the video came about.

TV show spotlights Minnesota fleet's switch to propane

According to a recent segment on MotorWeek, Eastern Carver County Schools has started a "slow but steady process" of replacing more than 100 diesel school buses with propane-powered units. The show's host reports that although the new propane buses cost more, they yielded fuel cost savings of $60,000 last year.

Minneapolis district builds mobile command center

Minneapolis district builds mobile command center

Minneapolis Public Schools’ plant operations and transportation services team spent four years converting an older school bus into the mobile command center. It’s outfitted with such equipment as a flat-screen TV, two-way radios and laptops, and it’s designed to be used as a command post in a major emergency that prohibits the district’s buses from successfully transporting students.

$300K grant to go toward training for Thermo King staff

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development grant will be used to develop and implement lean process improvement training for more than 560 employees of Thermo King, which supplies temperature control systems for buses and other vehicles.

Student absenteeism spikes after rollout of transit bus program

Officials at Minneapolis Public Schools request a report on the absenteeism, but analysis has not yet been completed on whether the transit passes are responsible for the increase. Still, officials are discussing with Metro Transit whether it's possible to discourage students from skipping school by limiting the hours that they can use the passes.

Bus driver has student pick up gun

The driver asks the student to disembark the bus on the way to school to check out an object on the side of the road, and when it’s discovered that it’s a weapon, the driver asks the student to bring it to him. School officials report that the driver, who's now out of a job, allegedly said that he was going to take the weapon to his bus company’s dispatch office.

Minn. pupil transporters honored for service, dedication

The Minnesota School Bus Operators Association recognizes six school bus drivers with the Transportation Specialist Award. Betty Jeanne Trobec, owner of Trobec’s Bus Service Inc., receives the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Bruce Dischinger, an owner of Monarch Bus Service, receives the Jim DeVeau Award.

Crossing arms mandated on new school buses in Minn.

All Minnesota school buses built after Jan. 1 of next year will have to be equipped with crossing arms, which deter kids from crossing too close to the front of the bus. State pupil transportation director Lt. Brian Reu discusses the bill that was passed and how it will impact school bus operations.

Durham School Services wins R.I., Minn. contracts

Under a three-year agreement with the Burrillville School Department in Harrisville, R.I., the company will operate 27 home-to-school routes and 34 buses beginning with the 2012-13 school year. Durham’s contract with Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191 in Burnsville, Minn., is reportedly the company’s first in the state, and it will operate 100 buses for the district.