RENO, Nev. — Transfinder swept the 2026 STN EXPO Innovation Choice Awards, taking first place in each of four product categories after main conference attendees cast ballots July 13 and 14 during the STN EXPO West trade show.

The program, in its fifth consecutive year, recognized a winner and two finalists in the categories of Best Green Technology, Best Hardware, Best Safety Technology and Best Software/AI Solutions. A tie in the safety category expanded that group, with three products sharing third place. The results reflected attendees’ evaluations of technology presented on the show floor for use in school transportation operations.

Only STN EXPO West main conference attendees who are employees of school districts, bus contractors or consultants were eligible to vote.

Best Green Technology

Transfinder won Best Green Technology for Ride Impact Metrics, or RIM. The tool helps school districts and families quantify the broader effects of yellow school bus service by estimating avoided carbon emissions, household driving time saved and transportation savings. Attendee Sandy Dillman, this year’s winner of the Peter J. Grandolfo Memorial Award of Excellence, praised Transfinder’s “great products” and “even better customer service.”

RIDE earned second-place honors for its Blade Battery, a lithium-iron phosphate battery designed for electric vehicles with an emphasis on safety, energy density and cycle life. Attendee Denise George said, “Our best EV is from RIDE.”

Thomas Built Buses was the third-place finalist for the Saf-T-Liner eHDX2 Wattson, a Type D electric school bus that combines an 800-volt powertrain, integrated eAxle, flexible charging and vehicle-to-grid capability.

Best Hardware

STN EXPO West trade show attendees voted the Wayfinder Hardware Suite from Transfinder as Best Hardware. The integrated suite combines RFID reading, barcode and QR scanning, push-to-talk communication and PIN-based student identification, giving drivers more options to identify students and communicate with dispatch through one platform.

Zum Services took second place for its Connected Mobility Experience, or Zum CMX, which integrates routing, dispatch, workforce management, safety systems, communications and operational dashboards. Stone Mountain Ltd. received third-place honors for the UVox USB C Push to Talk Speaker Mic, which connects to Android, iOS and Windows devices over push-to-talk cellular networks and includes a dedicated emergency button.

Best Safety Technology

Transfinder’s Live Share won Best Safety Technology. The real-time mapping and incident-response tool allows transportation teams to share interactive maps, drawings and operational information with trusted recipients through secure text-based access. The company said the tool is designed to support coordination during emergencies, events and daily transportation planning.

Zonar’s Bus Suite was the second-place finalist. The platform brings routing, fleet management, GPS tracking, student ridership verification, driver workflows, dispatch, vehicle inspections and parent communication into one operational view intended to improve visibility and response time.

A three-way tie for third place honored Q’Straint, IC Bus and Geotab. Q’Straint ONE simplifies wheelchair securement through an all-in-one platform with visual and audible locking indicators. Attendee Christine Campoli-Silva called the Q’Straint system “very impressive.”

IC Bus was recognized for Fusion 3.0, which integrates radar, cameras, driver alerts and automated braking assistance. Geotab earned its place with Vitality, a program that uses telematics data, positive reinforcement and rewards to encourage safer driving behavior.

Related: Transfinder, RIDE Win Big with STN EXPO Innovation Awards
Related: Transfinder Scores Hat Trick with STN EXPO Innovation Choice Awards
Related: Gallery: Best Moments from STN EXPO West
Related: (STN Podcast E315) Onsite at STN EXPO West, Pt. 2: Oregon District Tackles Driver Shortages, Student Behavior
Related: (STN Podcast E314) Onsite at STN EXPO West, Pt. 1: Hear From Repeat Top Transportation Team Winners

 Best Software/AI Solutions

Transfinder completed its four-category sweep with Atlas & Intelligent Tools. The platform applies AI-assisted search and automation to routing, planning and operational data, including the use of actual bus speeds and stop times to improve maps and schedules. Attendee Jose Cruz cited its potential to provide “help with routing.”

Tyler Technologies earned second place for Rider AI Assistant, a chat interface within Tyler’s Student Transportation solution that answers operational questions and builds reports from plain-language prompts. IC Bus received third-place honors for My International, a connected platform that provides mixed-fleet vehicle monitoring, maintenance alerts, service management and dealer communication in one dashboard.

By placing the decision with eligible main conference attendees on the trade show floor, the Innovation Choice Awards highlighted the products that resonated most with the school transportation professionals who could evaluate them in person. Recognizing the top finishers in each category also broadened the spotlight on the range of new technology supporting safer, cleaner and more connected student transportation.

Article written with the assistance of AI.

The post Transfinder Sweeps 2026 STN EXPO West Innovation Choice Awards appeared first on School Transportation News.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Thomas Built Buses (TBB), a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America and a division of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles, recognized Carolina Thomas as its 2025 Dealer of the Year during its annual dealer meeting, where top-performing dealers from across the network are honored each year. The distinction celebrates the dealership’s exceptional customer support, operational excellence and ongoing commitment to student transportation.

Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Carolina Thomas has been a long-standing partner within the Thomas Built Buses dealer network, serving customers across the region with a strong focus on service and support. This marks the dealership’s second Dealer of the Year honor, having previously earned the distinction in 2016, continuing a legacy of consistent, high-level performance across the Thomas Built network.

“Carolina Thomas continues to set the standard for excellence across our dealer network,” said Daoud Chaaya, vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing for Thomas Built Buses. “From delivering a best-in-class customer experience to investing in technician training and service capabilities, their team consistently demonstrates what it means to uphold the full Thomas Built value proposition. We congratulate Carolina Thomas on earning their second Dealer of the Year recognition. We appreciate the partnership.”

“Carolina Thomas is truly honored to be named the Thomas Built Buses 2025 Dealer of the Year,” said Kelly Rivera, General Manager of Carolina Thomas. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team—across sales, service, parts, and support—who work each day to deliver for our customers and the communities they serve. We are proud to play a role in supporting safe, reliable transportation for students, and we’re deeply grateful to our customers for the trust they place in us. To be recognized among such an outstanding network of Thomas Built Buses dealers makes this achievement especially meaningful.”

Each year, Thomas Built Buses evaluates dealers across its network based on key performance metrics, including customer service, parts availability, training participation and sales performance. The Dealer of the Year award represents the highest level of achievement among all TBB dealers in North America.

Thomas Built Buses also recognized additional top-performing dealers at the annual dealer meeting:

2025 Honors Class:
Carolina Thomas, LLC – Greensboro, North Carolina
Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc. – Orlando, Florida
Hoekstra Transportation, Inc. – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thomas Bus Texas – Dallas, Texas
Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. – Silver Lake, Indiana

2025 President’s Club Platinum:
Carolina Thomas, LLC – Greensboro, North Carolina
Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc. – Orlando, Florida
Hoekstra Transportation, Inc. – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thomas Bus Texas – Dallas, Texas
Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. – Silver Lake, Indiana
New England Transit Sales, Inc. – Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Mid-South Bus Center, Inc. – Murfreesboro, Tennessee
American Bus Sales & Service – Annapolis, Maryland
Sonny Merryman, Inc. – Evington, Virginia
Interstate Transportation Equipment, Inc. – Columbia, South Carolina
Nelson’s Bus Service, Inc. – Whitewater, Wisconsin
Transportation South, Inc. – Pelham, Alabama
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Shawnee, Kansas
Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia – Forest Park, Georgia
Matheny Motor Truck Company – Mineral Wells, West Virginia

2025 President’s Club:
Rohrer Bus Sales – Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Van Buren, Arkansas
H.A. DeHart & Son, Inc. – Thorofare, New Jersey
W.C. Cressey & Son. Inc. – Kennebunk, Maine
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – El Reno, Oklahoma
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Litchfield, Illinois
Complete Bus & Specialty Vehicles – Clarksburg, Ohio
Empire Truck Sales, LLC – Richland, Mississippi
Matthews Buses, Inc. – Ballston Spa, New York
Gordon Truck Centers, Inc. – Pacific, Washington
Schetky Northwest Sales, Inc. – Portland, Oregon
Premier Bus Group of Manitoba – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Autobus Thomas Inc. – Drummondville, Quebec
Warner Industries – Regina, Saskatchewan

In addition to Dealer of the Year recognition, Thomas Built Buses also announced its newest class of Platinum Support dealers for 2025. The Platinum Support Dealer Program recognizes dealerships that go above and beyond in customer service, parts availability and service capabilities, demonstrating a strong commitment to delivering an exceptional ownership experience.

2025 Platinum Support Dealer Program – New Additions:
Kent Mitchell Bus Sales & Service, LLC – Louisiana
NOVA Enterprises Limited – Nova Scotia
Premier Bus Group – Manitoba
Truck Center Companies East, LLC – Iowa
Gordon Truck Center – Alaska
Premier Truck Group – Ontario
I-State Truck, Inc. – Montana/Wyoming
I-State Truck, Inc. – North Dakota/South Dakota

Established in 2015, the Thomas Built Buses Platinum Support Dealer Program is focused on improving the customer experience through continuous operational improvement and advanced service training. Today, 96% of Thomas Built dealers are Platinum Support-certified.

About Thomas Built Buses:
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at thomasbuiltbuses.com or facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.

Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive products and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp and Detroit brands. Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. together form Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

The post Thomas Built Buses Names Carolina Thomas as 2025 Dealer of the Year appeared first on School Transportation News.