Event honors man who transported African-American students during segregation

Willie Chisolm, an African-American businessman, bought two used buses to transport rural African-American children to school in the 1950s when all schools in South Carolina were segregated by race. Chisholm died in 1962, before the schools integrated in 1966.

Virginia dealership founder Sonny Merryman passes

Merryman, who died on Saturday at age 89, launched his school bus business in 1967 when Thomas Built Buses was looking for a new dealer in Virginia. Today, Sonny Merryman Inc. has three locations and more than 125 employees in the state.

Snapshots — Summer/Fall 2013

Bus driver still at the wheel, serving community at 83

Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District bus driver John Stickels has served his community for the past 55 years as a school bus driver, coach and Boy Scouts of America troop leader, and he has been named Pecos Educator of the Year twice by the city of Pecos, Texas. He retired from teaching in 1998 and tells SBF this may be the year he retires from driving.

Connecticut school bus contractor got his start at 16

In 1944, Charlie Nichols started driving a school bus as a teenager — and then bought the bus company the same year. Now, at 85, he continues to drive a bus every day.

65-year school bus driver named education 'pioneer'

Guinness World Record holder Carl Fisher began his school bus driving career when he was just 16. On Monday, he is honored as a "Pioneer in Education" for his contributions to public education in Missouri.

Carrollton bus crash survivor points to the positives

It has been 25 years since the fiery Kentucky bus crash that killed 27 people. Jason Booher, now a high school administrator and coach, recounts his narrow escape from the burning bus and discusses the safety improvements that stemmed from the tragedy.

With growth, Krapf keeps focus on people

After 70 years in operation, Pennsylvania-based George Krapf Jr. & Sons is the sixth-largest school bus contractor in the nation and extends into multiple states. CEO Blake Krapf says that building strong relationships with districts and maintaining a top-quality staff are still the keys to the business.

REI's Chris Shigley on company growth, market trends

As Radio Engineering Industries celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2013, the company’s national sales manager says customers’ needs have played a key role in its development from a radio sales and repair store to a manufacturer and distributor of transportation products. One product he sees in great demand in the industry today is cameras, both for internal surveillance of a school bus and to capture stop-arm violators.

Industry veteran Dick Fischer to retire

Fischer, owner and president of Trans-Consult, will spend this summer on the road conducting his "Train-the-Trainer" program, and he'll then hang up his keys to spend more time with his family. He reflects with SBF on his nearly 61 years in the industry.