2012 Contractor of the Year

First Student names location manager, wins new contract

Dave Chappell will oversee all transportation operations in Greensboro, N.C., including safety and maintenance for Guilford County Schools. In other news, the company will provide school transportation for the Nebraska panhandle under a four-year agreement with Gering and Scottsbluff Public Schools.

First Student to provide shuttle service to high schoolers

The school bus contractor will transport these students within Lorain (Ohio) City School District for the upcoming school year following the district’s decision to eliminate high school busing due to budget cuts. The cost for the service is $20 per student for the entire school year, and it is being provided free of charge to the district.

Kobussen named Contractor of the Year

The Wisconsin school bus contractor delivers exemplary service to its school district customers — one of which Kobussen has been serving for nearly 75 years. Members of the Kobussen family have also served as key contributors to school transportation associations, and they are known for lending a hand to colleagues.

IC Bus completes 100,000th school bus at Tulsa

The school and commercial bus manufacturer and parent company Navistar Inc. celebrate the production milestone on Tuesday at the Tulsa, Okla., bus plant. Officials say the bus will be presented to school bus contractor Student Transportation Inc.

First Student awards $8K in scholarships

Four high school seniors at Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Palmer, Alaska, receive the money from the school bus contractor, which will help cover the cost of college or vocational school tuition. In other news, First Student is providing shuttle service at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Wash., through Labor Day.

Transporte Sonnell brings 40 new buses to Puerto Rico

The company replaces older buses in its fleet with new Trans Tech Bus units. Hernan Burgos, vice president of operations, tells SBF that Transporte Sonnell is "the first school bus contractor company that brought new buses here in Puerto Rico."

Barker Bus to turn over fleet every 5 years

The school bus contractor will replace 20% of its fleet with new buses each summer. Don Bickel, interim operations manager, tells SBF that after five years of replacing older buses, the company expects to save nearly $250,000 per year in maintenance costs.

Petermann deal ups National Express fleet to 20K buses

With the merger now complete, the Cincinnati-based school bus contractor will join National Express' Durham School Services brand. Petermann CEO Pete Settle calls National Express "the perfect home for Petermann."