Superintendent cites benefits of natural gas school buses

Lee’s Summit (Mo.) R-7 School District has launched an initiative to transition its fleet over the next 10 years to buses powered by natural gas. Here, Superintendent Dr. David McGehee shares details on the plan, including a projection of cutting transportation costs by about $10.5 million over the course of the decade.

New York’s RFP law for school bus contracts now permanent

The state’s request for proposal law on school transportation contracts will no longer have to be approved every five years by the Legislature. Robert Pape, president of the New York School Bus Contractors Association, hails the move as “a big win for student safety.”

PHOTOS: A look back at a California district

1,100 school bus drivers, attendants train in ‘Safety Expo’

Houston Independent School District’s back-to-school transportation training program includes hands-on drills in railroad crossing safety, gang awareness, student management, hurricane preparedness and other topics. As Transportation General Manager Nathan Graf puts it, “It was not your typical training.”

Durham sales team raises over $11K for Special Olympics

In addition to raising $11,194 through duck sales, the team donates $5,000, which will help support year-round athletic training and competition for almost 21,500 Special Olympics athletes.

Bus driver takes special-needs student to wrong school

A Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools driver did not conduct a sweep of the bus after transporting students to their elementary school, and didn’t see the 9-year-old child sleeping on one of the rear seats when the bus stopped at the school. The driver continued on to pick up more students and transport them to their school, and, 40 minutes later, noticed the child and took her back to her school. The district is conducting an investigation.

New York association to hold 60th annual convention

The New York School Bus Contractors Association will hold its 60th annual convention Oct. 17-19 in Port Jefferson, New York. The convention, open to anyone who wishes to attend, will provide information about school bus safety, counterterrorism initiatives in pupil transportation, school bus fleet telematics, and legislative and regulatory developments.

Pupil transportation in pictures: Spring/Summer 2014

Bus driver begins 42nd year behind the wheel

What started out as a joke turned into a long, fruitful career for Dorothy Skala, a bus driver for Rosebud-Lott (Texas) Independent School District. Having grown up on a farm, Skala started driving at a young age, and last spring, she was presented with the Bus Driver of the Year award from the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation.

For Gallagher, Commitment to Customer Fuels Great Growth

In 17 years, Student Transportation Inc. leader Denis Gallagher has built his company into the third-largest school bus contracting firm in North America. Along the way, he has embraced alternative fuels and new technologies, focused on recruiting good people, and maintained a 95% contract renewal rate.