School BUSRide spoke with Terry Tippin, executive director of the Student Transportation Association of Indiana. He reflected on his career in student transportation, and offered his thoughts after attending last year’s NAPT ACTS event. Please tell us about your history in pupil transportation. Well, I’m actually retired now. I grew up on a dairy farm, […]
By Courtney Pallotta For decades, managing a school transportation fleet has centered around the yellow bus. And while the school bus remains a critical piece of the transportation landscape, today’s student needs call for more. Modern student transportation is more complex, more diverse, and far more urgent than ever before. Modern fleet management is about […]
By Spencer Sydorko As electric vehicles (EVs) gain traction in student transportation, many directors and maintenance professionals are beginning to ask a crucial question: What does it actually mean to maintain an electric school bus? As someone who oversees school bus sales for RIDE along the East Coast, I’ve had countless conversations with garage supervisors […]
By Terry Moran Managing a school bus fleet today is about long-term financial planning. Whether you’re responsible for a single-bus operation or a 500-bus fleet, understanding how financing strategies support fleet decisions can make a measurable difference in safety, reliability, and cost control. Financing as a Planning Tool Fleet management begins with knowing your district’s […]
Presented by RTG Fleet Maintenance For many school districts, maintenance is a logistical tightrope: balancing cost, minimizing downtime, and ensuring every school bus safely transports its most precious cargo. Traditionally, districts either operate in-house maintenance departments or contract with off-site vendors—both of which come with limitations in terms of responsiveness, recordkeeping, and continuity. But a […]
From left: Janice Cooper, Jamie Lynch, and Operations Manager Cory Lynch. Presented by Transfinder Managing a fleet of over 150 school buses is no small feat, especially when that fleet includes a variety of vehicle types and models, from wheelchair-accessible minibuses to full-sized, 56-passenger coaches. At Lynch Bus Lines, which serves the greater Vancouver […]
This month, On the Road continues the visual story of NAPT’s vibrant spring and summer momentum. We feature Executive Director & CEO Dr. Molly McGee Hewitt in three powerful events where she shared dynamic leadership insights and brought regional voices into the national transportation conversation: May 17–18 | NAPT Professional Development Weekend Kicking off at NAPT’s own […]
Welcome to the inaugural edition of “Stats and Trends,” your monthly snapshot of key data shaping the school transportation landscape. Each month, we’ll spotlight timely statistics and insights from authoritative sources like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to help industry professionals, policymakers, and educators stay informed and proactive. This month, we focus on […]
Every five years, the pupil transportation industry convenes for one of the most consequential events in student safety and operations: the National Congress on School Transportation (NCST). Held in Des Moines, Iowa, the 2025 Congress marked the first session in a decade following the cancellation of the 2020 meeting due to COVID-19. The extended […]
In Perrysburg, Ohio (a growing suburb of Toledo) the Transportation Department at Perrysburg Schools has turned to Transfinder’s suite of solutions to manage the complex and ever-expanding needs of its school bus operation. With approximately 6,000 students in-district and another 600 attending out-of-district non-public schools, Perrysburg’s transportation team handles over 160 in-district routes and eight […]