For generations, the iconic yellow school bus has been synonymous with student transportation. Yet today’s transportation departments face a far more diverse set of responsibilities than simply moving large numbers of students between home and school. Special education services, preschool transportation, career and technical education, athletics, extracurricular activities, and transportation for private and parochial […]
The Leadership Check-In Before a New School Year By Molly McGee Hewitt, PhD, CAE Every school district has a process for evaluating performance for leaders and the team that reports to them. During my tenure as a district employee and administrator, I have received and given more evaluations than I care to admit and while […]
To preview the Annual Transportation Directors’ Executive Forum: Leading the Future of Student Transportation at the 2026 NAPT ACTS Conference & Trade Show, School BUSRide spoke with Christina Farinacci-Roberts, Chief Catalyst Officer of Head Heart Hands Consulting. In this conversation, she shares how transportation directors can strengthen their leadership, build more engaged teams, and […]
PART 2 By Halsey King halsey@halseyking.com A bus fire, no matter its size or origin, has a way of stopping people in their tracks. Crowds gather, phones come out, and speculation begins long before the flames are out. In Part 1, we explored the immediate issues that surface the moment a fire breaks out. In […]
AUGUST 2026 By Peter Mannella It’s an understatement to say that there is much going on in our nation’s capital. Issues affecting education, education funding, clean air, CDL rules and more have a direct or proximate impact on our work as transportation safety leaders. This update contains several items related to activity within the […]
School BUSRide recently spoke with Jerry Dixon, the new managing director of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute (PTSI), to introduce him to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) community and discuss the organization’s next chapter. As PTSI works alongside NAPT to launch a new Learning Management System (LMS) and integrate the association’s Professional Development […]
For four decades, Kenny Aronoff has built a career on performing under pressure. The legendary drummer has earned over 1300 gold and platinum records for playing on more than 300 million records sold and has toured with artists like John Mellencamp, Elton John, Smashing Pumpkins, Lady Gaga, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, John Fogerty, Rod […]
As the school bus industry navigates aging fleets, rising costs, workforce challenges and evolving technology, Blue Bird is approaching 2026 with a focus on safety, fuel choice, reliability and the next generation of school transportation. The school transportation industry is no stranger to change and challenges. For Blue Bird, those challenges are helping shape […]
Presented by Transfinder Done effectively, route optimization can reduce student ride times, improve safety, control operating costs and help transportation teams make better use of their people and equipment. Done effectively, route optimization can reduce student ride times, improve safety, control operating costs and help transportation teams make better use of their people and […]
By Molly McGee Hewitt, PhD, CAE Every profession has organizations that bring people together. I’ve found that to be especially true in student transportation. There are state and regional associations, coalitions, business partners and neighboring national organizations that serve the student transportation industry, plus those that serve the educational enterprise and adjacent transportation safety […]