PHOTOS: Animals and Insects Go Yellow

The trouble with cutting bus service

Previously, I discussed the notion that districts have a responsibility to be “in the transportation business,” which some disagree with. Here, I want to draw attention to issues that arise when districts decide to cut school bus service. As shown in the Etiwanda (Calif.) School District example, increased traffic around schools is one of the key problems. ...

District’s operations division honored for performance excellence

The operations division for Florida’s Orange County Public Schools receives the Governor’s Sterling Award, as does the Walton County Tax Collector’s Office. Within the school district’s operations division, the transportation department has sustained on-time arrival of buses of better than 98% from 2010 to 2013, and the transportation cost per student has been reduced from $914 to $869.

Driver hailed for response to school bus fire

Fire officials in Mesa, Ariz., praise a school bus driver for her decisive actions to keep her special-education passengers safe when her bus caught on fire. The driver had reportedly noticed a small amount of smoke while she was driving, and she quickly pulled over and helped her passengers evacuate.

REMINDER: Enter <I>SBF</i>’s Photo Contest

SCHOOL BUS FLEET’s annual competition is open to any kind of shot related to school transportation. Three winners will receive a $100 cash prize. The deadline is Friday, May 23.

Collins Bus Corp. launches new CNG Type A school bus

The school bus manufacturer has partnered with Westport on the bus, which features the Westport WiNG Power System, a dedicated natural gas fuel system. The bus also features a large passenger-side cab view window, an exterior storage compartment, and it provides an estimated 250- to 300-mile range. Collins Bus is accepting orders for the bus, and delivery to customers will begin in the fall, according to the company.

Associations support bus safety campaign, legislation

The New York School Bus Contractors Association joins the New York Association for Pupil Transportation in supporting Operation Safe Stop, which promotes school bus safety education and enforcement in New York state. The contractors association uses the occasion to support a New York senator’s bill that calls for increased illegal bus-passing penalties.

Texas district awarded for transportation performance

The Council of the Great City Schools honors the Houston Independent School District transportation department for exemplary use of technology, staff development and training, quick and efficient service, and resource stewardship.

District expects activity buses to save $4,000 per trip

Southern California's William S. Hart Union High School District specs the Blue Bird Type D buses to turn them into activity buses, outfitting them with coach-style seating, overhead open storage compartments and ducted air-conditioning systems. Director of Transportation Richard Varner estimates that using these buses will cost around $2,000 per trip on the longest trips, compared to $6,000 for a charter bus.

District honored for school bus routing after tornado

The transportation department at Missouri's Joplin Schools receives the 2014 Public Sector Excellence Award from Tyler Technologies for its creative use of the Versatrans transportation management system following a May 2011 tornado, including identifying students affected by the disaster and creating new routes around the damaged areas. Two more school districts are among the seven other award recipients.