School BUSRide spoke with Chad Carpenter, director of pupil transportation for the state of Alabama, about the most pressing issues in his state; how the Alabama Department of Education responded to 2020’s challenges, and his thoughts regarding the best path forward. What are the most pressing issues facing student transportation in Alabama? Driver shortage is […]
School BUSRide recently spoke with Charlie Hood, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS). Hood will retire in March after a career spanning almost 40 years. How did you first get into the school bus and school transportation industry? I started out in education, having graduated from Florida […]
By Tim Ammon and Tom Platt The turning of the calendar means that we are all getting settled into a new year and, in this year, a new presidential administration. While it seems unlikely that, to turn a phrase, the new boss will be the same as the old boss, a core set of challenges […]
By Daniel Thompson School buses are largely safe – but until every single child gets to school and back unharmed, we have to keep innovating. Nearly 15 students die each year in school transportation-related incidents in the U.S., with about five of those fatalities caused by passing motorists, according to The National Association for Pupil […]
School BUSRide spoke with Kevin Moore, CEO of SOBRsafe™, about touch-based alcohol detection and the difference it can make for school transportation Kevin Moore, Chief Executive Officer, said that for he and SOBRsafe™, child safety represents a chance to make a societal difference with breakthrough technology. Originally formed by venture capital firm First Capital Ventures, […]
CalAmp, a global technology solutions pioneer transforming the mobile connected economy, and its subsidiary Synovia Solutions, introduced Bus Guardian in summer 2020, a suite of digital solutions designed to help schools more safely and confidently return students to their classrooms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made contact tracing one of the government’s […]
This month, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) co-launched an educational streaming service with the Center for Effective School Operations’ (CESO) RethinkEDU platform – NAPT ACTS! School BUSRide spoke with Lance Libengood, president, and Luke Frederick , director of innovation, of CESO about the new service, its aim to put NAPT members back in […]
As a new president transitions to the Oval Office, many pieces must be put in place by the new administration in a coordinated fashion. One of the critical steps that must be handled effectively and efficiently is the appointment of key staff members, including Cabinet Secretaries and other agency leadership. While school transportation is not […]
With the responsibility of moving more than 24,000 students each day in Maryland, safe and reliable communication is of paramount concern to transportation officials at Carroll County Public Schools. This year, despite COVID-19, the district’s transportation department began a major initiative to upgrade its communications system – which previously relied on drivers using traditional consumer […]
By Richard G Tackett In March 2020, when the nation braced for the impact of COVID-19, school bus ridership plummeted as parents became fearful of contagion and public viral spread. Almost immediately after lockdowns began, the United Safety & Survivability Corporation began exploring technologies which could help combat the ridership losses and restore public faith […]