District holds safety competitions during in-service

During its week-long training, Glendale (Ariz.) Elementary School District No. 40’s transportation department not only has outside speakers come to the facility and offers sessions on a wide range of topics, the drivers and bus monitors also participate in competitions to test their skills. Here, the manager of transportation provides the details.

Customer service and travel training in special-needs busing

Sessions during the National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit in October delved into these topics, with insight from one family’s personal experiences and strategies for attendees to take back to their operations.

2013 NASDPTS and NAPT Conferences

SafeGuard changes service life policy for STAR restraints

In the past, the service life of a STAR was six years from the date of manufacture. Now, any STAR manufactured from November 2012 or later will have an option for service life to begin from the date of invoice.

New Q’Straint retractor meets WC18 standard

The QRT-360 wheelchair retractor tie-down system meets the higher-strength requirements of WC18 that take effect in December 2015. At that time, compliance with WC18 will require frontal-impact sled testing of the wheelchair tie-down system with a crash-test dummy restrained by a three-point, lap-shoulder belt with a lap belt anchored to the 187-lb. surrogate wheelchair, such that a large percentage of the wheelchair-passenger restraint forces are transmitted to the rear tie-down straps.

Big changes in store for 2014 Summit

Next year’s NAPT Summit in Kansas City, Mo., will incorporate the America’s Best school bus tech/inspect event and a new competition related to special-needs transportation. Also, the schedule will be streamlined to four days — Saturday to Tuesday. Here, NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin explains the changes.

Trans Tech, Motiv partner for new all-electric school bus

The Type A school bus manufacturer and Motiv Power Systems have developed the SST-e, which will be revealed at the National Association for Pupil Transportation trade show on Tuesday and Wednesday. The bus is built on a Ford E-450 chassis, utilizing the all-battery, all-chassis compatible Motiv electric Powertrain Control System, and has a capacity of 30 students, or 24 students and one wheelchair, according to company officials.

Utah’s Murrell Martin named NCST chair

The state director will officially assume the role at the conclusion of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., later this week, and in the role, he will preside over the 16th National Congress on School Transportation in 2015. Martin replaces West Virginia state director Ben Shew, who is retiring at the end of this month.

2 contractor managers complete special-needs program

Glenn Brooks of Student Transportation of America and Luis A. Rodriguez Vazquez of Transporte Sonnell are the latest to earn the Special Needs Transportation Training Endorsement.

Special-needs students help assemble restraints

About 60 students from a Florida school have been participating in the production of Q'Straint restraints, performing pre-assembly and packaging. The program has helped the students develop job skills and contribute to their own safety in transportation.