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NewsMay 8, 2013

Michigan district to privatize school bus service

Contractor Dean Transportation will provide the service to Walled Lake Consolidated School District beginning with the 2013-14 school year, a move that will save the district more than $1.428 million annually over the three years of the contract. Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Gutman notes in a letter to district parents and staff that the company was selected after “a rigorous interview process, reference checks with other districts, and after interviewing the owner.”

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Newsby StaffMay 3, 2013

Special-needs student stops breathing on bus, dies

Police say the student appears to have passed away from complications from cerebral palsy. Two bus aides noticed a problem when they were trying to unload the boy from the bus. The bus driver called 911, and a police officer attempted to perform CPR on the boy until emergency medical personnel arrived.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonApril 19, 2013

Veteran school transportation manager ends career with one last trip

When Louk Markham got behind the wheel of a school bus recently, it wasn't just any field trip — it was his final journey in a pupil transportation career that began nearly 40 years ago. Markham, who concluded his tenure as transportation supervisor at Merced (Calif.) City School District, discusses the highlights and challenges of his time in the yellow bus industry.

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Newsby StaffApril 18, 2013

Hoekstra Transportation celebrates 85-year anniversary

The Michigan-based company has been a dealer for Thomas Built Buses since 1980, and it also provides new and used school, child care and commercial vehicles. Officials say this year also represents a new beginning of growth and opportunity for the company.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonApril 15, 2013

Michigan district spotlights transportation supervisor

Jill Fons has worked for Hartland Consolidated Schools for 23 years, beginning as a school bus driver, then a dispatcher and then supervisor. The district recognizes her as its April "Person of the Month."

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Newsby StaffMarch 12, 2013

Another transit agency ordered to halt school bus routes

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) directs a Michigan agency to halt several routes that were introduced in 2010 to transport about 300 students. The ruling comes a month after the FTA issued a similar order to a South Dakota transit agency.

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Newsby StaffFebruary 28, 2013

Bus driver loses her legs following accident

Police in Flat Rock, Mich., say that the victim, who was not named, was helping another driver plug a bus into a battery charging system when the bus accelerated uncontrolled, hitting the victim. She sustains severe trauma to her lower extremities and has to have both legs amputated above the knee.

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Newsby StaffFebruary 12, 2013

Driver credited with saving boy from illegal bus passer

Michigan school bus driver Jayce Dempsey spots an SUV approaching his bus on the right as 9-year-old Casey is preparing to disembark, so he grabs him and pulls him up the stairs as the motorist passes the bus. Casey’s mom, Robin Dunn, tells news outlet mlive.com, “I just want as many people as possible to know this man saved my son’s life.”

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 22, 2013

How hazard lights can be used for Mich. bus stops

Some Michigan districts are making use of hazard-light school bus stops, which can keep traffic flowing in cases where children don’t cross the street. State law allows the hazard-light stops when certain conditions are met.

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NewsDecember 11, 2012

Overturned bus training an ‘eye-opener’ for staff

More than 80 people in Van Buren County, Mich., participate in an emergency training event that shows them what it feels like to be in an overturned school bus as well as one filled with smoke. Transportation Supervisor Mark Niewoonder shares details on the hands-on event and how it changed staff members’ perceptions.

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