LISLE, Ill. and MIAMI, Flo. – Mobico Group has announced that it has reached an agreement for the sale of its School Bus division, National Express School (NEXS) to I Squared Capital, a specialist global infrastructure investor. The acquisition, which is anticipated to close in the third quarter of this year, will involve all brands associated with NEXS, including Durham School Services, Petermann Bus, and Stock Transportation.
As one of the largest student transportation companies in North America, NEXS is a transportation leader with over 100+ years of experience in the industry with a renowned history of safe and reliable transportation service. With its high-visibility contracting model and sticky revenue streams, NEXS looks forward to embarking on a new chapter of growth in partnership with I Squared while retaining our market-leading safety record and brand heritage.
Tim Wertner, CEO of National Express School, said, “This transfer of ownership will allow us to stand on a much stronger financial foundation for a wider spectrum of new opportunities and growth to benefit our stakeholders, valued partners, and prospects, as well as reinforce our position as a transportation leader and flourish to even greater heights. With I Squared Capital’s strong reputation and support of our Company, we firmly believe they will be an outstanding steward for us, and we look forward to furthering our footprint in the student transportation industry together.”
Gautam Bhandari, Global Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner at I Squared, said: “School transportation is more than just a daily commute. It’s a vital link to education, which underpins a functioning society regardless of the economic cycle. As infrastructure specialists, I Squared has specific expertise in providing vital public services, including public transport. Our investment will provide the capital needed to upgrade equipment and maintain safe, efficient transportation for children using this essential service so parents can rest assured each time their family member travels. We are proud to add this critical business to our portfolio and look forward to continuing to support its growth in North America.”
About National Express School
National Express School (NEXS) is the North American subsidiary of Mobico Group, one of the premier global mobility firms. We operate across 34 states and two provinces. Our organizations share a strong commitment to provide the highest level of safety, quality, outstanding customer service and positive employee relations. National Express School serves more than 400 school districts and contracts in 30 states and two provinces, and transports more than 1.2 million students on a daily basis.
About I Squared Capital
I Squared Capital is a leading global infrastructure investor managing over $40 billion in assets. We build and scale essential infrastructure businesses that deliver critical services to millions of people worldwide. Our portfolio includes over 90 companies operating in more than 70 countries and spanning sectors such as energy, utilities, digital infrastructure, transport, environmental and social infrastructure. Headquartered in Miami, our team of over 300 professionals is based across offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Munich, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Taipei. Learn more at www.isquaredcapital.com.
JACKSONVILLE, Flo. –Durham School Services celebrated more growth and expansion with the grand opening of its new bus yard facility in Duval County today, which will serve students from Arlington to the Beaches. Team members, school district transportation staff, and local media attended the event.
“Today was a day to have fun and recognize those who transport our most precious cargo safely, on time, and ready to learn. It was also a chance to recognize the people who keep the buses running. We have been extremely excited about the opening and what it means for our drivers, monitors and community,” said Nicoll Conden, General Manager at Durham School Services.
More than 100 drivers will operate out of the new bus yard. Durham School Services has been part of the Jacksonville area since 2009 and has almost 400 service routes in the Arlington, Southside, Mandarin and Beaches areas. As a dedicated community partner and as part of its Partners Beyond the Bus community outreach program, Durham’s team members have participated in several community events such as Wreaths Across America, back to school events and the city’s Christmas party.
About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and people. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our customers and the communities we serve.
School bus driver Pat King received the “Frontline Hero Award” from Durham School Services for saving a colleague.
King, a Durham School Services employee who drives routes for Duval County Schools in Jacksonville, Florida, preformed life-saving CPR for 20 minutes on a school bus monitor when they experienced a sudden medical emergency on Feb. 10. She reportedly continued performing CPR until medical staff arrived, ultimately saving the life of her co-worker.
Frontline Hero Award
A spokesperson for National Express explained the Frontline Hero Award. “Frontline Hero Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, dedication and selflessness in the face of adversity. It honors those who go above and beyond to make a significant impact on the lives of others, whether through acts of bravery, leadership in times of crisis, or consistent efforts to inspire positive change within our organization. Further, this award serves as a reminder that heroes come in many forms, whether through quiet, everyday acts of kindness or extraordinary feats of bravery.”
“That’s the first thing I saw, it was that dummy that we have to do the training on,” recalled King in a statement. “Her chest wasn’t moving. I listened for her heartbeat and heard nothing. She’s my friend, you know. She wasn’t breathing. I had to do something. I couldn’t just let her lay there.”
Durham explained that its school bus drivers are required to participate in various safety training, and team members must be certified in CPR every two years. Florida requires school bus drivers to take courses that result five safety certifications: CPR/first aid, identifying and reporting child abuse, seizure training, human trafficking training, and the Florida Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect course.
“We are glad Pat is getting the recognition she very much deserves. She is a hero, and we were extremely proud to present her with an award and witness her gain further recognition from the community for her life-saving actions,” said Brad Kerrigan, area general manager for Durham School Services. “Instances like these prove the importance and need for safety trainings such as CPR/First Aid and further demonstrates our company’s commitment to safety.”
New Poll: American Voters Support Federal Investments in Electric Vehicles Broad, Bipartisan Support for EV Investments and Incentives that Lower Costs, Expand Access, and Help the U.S. Beat China in the Race for Auto Manufacturing WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bipartisan national poll conducted by Meeting Street Insights and Hart Research finds broad public support …
Two major hurricanes swept through the Southeast last year, causing catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and devastation.
These weather events greatly disrupted the educational system in several states, but student transportation departments did not go on hiatus. At the STN EXPO East Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, transportation directors from the areas affected by severe 2024 hurricanes last fall discussed their responses to the historic natural events and where they are on the road to recovery.
The panel was facilitated by Derek Graham, an industry consultant who has over three decades of experience. He was state director of pupil transportation with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for 21 years as well as a past president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. He was joined by Jeremy Stowe, director of transportation for Buncombe County Schools in the Asheville, North Carolina, area, and Laura Hill, general manager of transportation at Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida.
Hill opened with her experiences, first with Hurricane Helene and then with Hurricane Milton 11 days later. She oversees transportation for a large district, where 80,000 students are transported every day over 800-plus routes.
Hurricanes are nothing new for Florida, which Hill said routinely can include evacuations using school buses and using school campuses as shelters. However, Helene was called the “100 Year Storm” for the upper Gulf Coast of Florida, with historic levels of flooding, power outages and infrastructure damage.
School closures for weather events, she explained, normally lasted three to four day. But in the aftermath of Helene, Hillsbourough schools were closed for two weeks.
She explained that because of Florida’s experience with heavy winds, the school buses had already been parked close together to minimize wind damage. She said her staff also had scheduled fuel deliveries before Helene, but because of the damage didn’t have an opportunity to refuel before Milton hit. Infrastructure damage, mainly from trees falling on power lines and road closures due to sinkholes created a prolonged school closure for the Florida district.
Buncombe County Schools did not have a hurricane plan, said Stowe. On Sept. 26, when Helene began, Stowe said eight school buses were on standby to aid with evacuations. By 4 a.m. the next day, the fire marshal called and said he needed more buses and that first responders didn’t realize how bad this storm would be. Stowe continued that this began an extended effort on his part and that of his team to work side by-side with first responders and emergency management personnel.
“We had an opportunity to show up,” he said of the transportation department. “We’re the ones who show up when no one else does.”
He continued that four “R’s” that come into play with any catastrophic natural disaster: Response, Recovery, Reopening and Relationships.
Even Stowe’s college-aged son joined the response team, having recently acquired his school bus driving endorsement. He drove fuel trucks to fire departments. Stowe explained that unlike some other districts, Buncombe does not have a central fueling station. Instead, fueling trucks drive directly to school buses to refuel them. Stowe said he “became very popular” with emergency management teams as he had a store of fuel in supply.
One important process to remember, said Stowe, is that during rescue and response efforts make sure to track all activities with photos and thorough documentation. This is often needed soon after the initial response phase to receive reimbursement from FEMA via other aid organizations.
“When my CFO calls, I have the receipts of everything we did, who asked for help, why I sent it and what we did,” he added.
Stowe also noted that with many homes destroyed, the number of displaced students needing transportation soared to 1,200 from the normal list of 80 to 100 students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. He continued that he meticulously tracked what resources were used to transport the additional displaced students (which included hiring contractor EverDriven), since only storm-related costs were to be reimbursed.
Meanwhile, the standard McKinney-Vento students remained the district’s budgetary and operational responsibility. For students with special needs or disabilities, he said transportation made sure to transport them to and from critical appointments, such as medical needs.
Creating relationships with first responders and key district personnel was crucial, said Stowe.
“Be that shining face of your department, know who you need to know,” he said.
To create seamless cooperation with emergency management teams, he advised transportation directors to all take the FEMA ICS-100 course, which is an “introduction to the Incident Command System.” He explained that any federal or local government agency will follow this protocol exactly, and knowing how the command structure works can allow transportation to smoothly join process.
The recovery process included crucial input from transportation, as Stowe, Hill and Grant each noted that there is constant pressure to reopen schools and give students a return to normalcy as soon as possible. With many families still without power or low on food, those resources can be provided at school.
Stowe said his drivers were recruited and paid to drive their routes and identify roads and bus stops that were not serviceable, as well as provide visual inspections of damage from flooding and downed power lines.
“You don’t realize how much a part of the community you and your school buses are,” said Stowe. “You are the backbone of the community.”
Buncombe County didn’t have a protracted recovery, but rebuilding is ongoing, as many roads are still not drivable. Stowe said that has led to routing complications and subsequent parent requests for routes that cannot be safely done.
“For a road to be open for a school bus route, the bus must be able to travel in its assigned lane without crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic,” he explained.
Graham said that in his experience with North Carolina storms, administrators often want a book afterward that is filled with an exact plan of what to do when a storm hits. But as he and Stowe both stated, response is a moving puzzle. Instead of trying to create a detailed plan for every scenario, Stowe said his mindset for transportation is to, “Stay in our lane and know who I need to move and how I need to move them. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a shooter or a gas break, we just need to move them.”
Transportation accomplishes this by keeping track of how many people are in any given school building and how many buses would be needed to evacuate those individuals, Stowe shared.
Attendees in the audience shared their experiences with hurricane response, which also included similar experiences of extended school closures, power outages and damages. One attendee from Colorado also recommended the ICS-700 course, as that is what the National Guard also uses, and knowing how it works can help transportation sync communication with emergency management.
As Stowe explained, “Run the same models within the district so we’re not speaking two different languages. Cut and paste your team into those larger structures.”
Bill Wen, senior director of transportation services at Orange County Public Schools in Orlando Florida, said his district created a District Incident Management Team that includes leadership from different district departments to coordinate emergency management responses.
All three panelists and many of the attendees noted that before disaster struck, they thought it would never happen to them or in their area. To be equipped for a natural disaster, preparations can be made, training can be done, and directors can start building relationships with local support systems.
From left: Jeremy Stowe, Laura Hill and Derek Graham pose together at the 2025 STN EXPO East Conference
JACKSONVILLE, Flo. – Pat King, school bus driver for Durham School Services, has been recognized as a heroine for performing life-saving CPR on her fellow bus monitor during a sudden medical emergency. Pat performed CPR for approximately 20 minutes while waiting for medical staff to arrive, and it was thanks to her quick thinking and CPR training that her fellow bus monitor and friend is recovering. As a result of her heroic actions, Pat received the “Frontline Hero Award” from Durham School Services and was also recognized and interviewed by local media.
“That’s the first thing I saw, it was that dummy that we have to do the training on,” said Pat King during an interview with local news media outlet, Action News JAX. “Her chest wasn’t moving. I listened for her heartbeat, heard nothing. She’s my friend, you know. She wasn’t breathing. I had to do something. I couldn’t just let her lay there.
All Durham School Services school bus drivers are required to participate in various safety trainings, and specifically in the state of Florida, take courses to obtain five safety certifications. The certificates include CPR/ First Aid, Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse, Seizure Training, Human Trafficking Training, and Florida Mandated Reporter Course Training. Team members are re-certified for CPR Training every two years.
“We are glad Pat is getting the recognition she very much deserves. She is a hero, and we were extremely proud to present her with an award and witness her gain further recognition from the community for her life-saving actions,” said Brad Kerrigan, Area General Manager, Durham School Services. “Instances like these prove the importance and need for safety trainings such as CPR/First Aid and further demonstrates our Company’s commitment to safety.”
About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.
A school bus is approaching a school bus stop and the driver notices law enforcement personnel mingling with the waiting children. Upon the school bus doors opening, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ask to enter because there might be some undocumented students on board. Maybe the agents want to ask some of the students about their family members.
While such a scenario has yet to occur, many people fear it could. In areas with significant migrant communities, children and parents are fearful of becoming separated because of an ICE raid.
In Florida, a state with many undocumented immigrants, school superintendents and their legal staffs have issued statements on how their personnel including school bus drivers should respond to potential ICE raids or federal law enforcement visits to their campuses and buses. Their children are attending schools, and they have a right to a public-school education, ruled the U.S. Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe.
On Feb. 26, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a Task Force Model to encourage street-level immigration enforcement. This will give local law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their regular work. All 67 Florida counties have entered into agreements with federal authorities so they can engage in street level enforcement.
A memo sent by Broward Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn to all campus principals noted the anxiety regarding the current immigration situation. He said current developments are being monitored for their implications for schools and communities. The district will provide updated guidance and additional information as it becomes available.
Hepburn added that immigration-related issues can create uncertainty and anxiety among students, families and staff. He encouraged school leaders to continue providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all students.
Since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, all public schools and most private schools have taken security to a much higher level. Anyone —including the governor or a U.S. president — who wants to visit any campus within the Broward County School District must pass a thorough two- or three-layer security check before entering a building. This is even true for all athletic and music performance events.
An ICE agent could also not enter any school building or ball field without permission from an administrator and would have to show their ID before entering a school facility.
Still, students and teachers have been instructed by Broward County school officials that they do not have to answer any questions from an ICE or federal law enforcement agent. They have all been instructed on their rights regarding any interaction with a federal agent.
Also, all school personnel including bus drivers or bus attendants have been told to contact their school district’s legal department if approached by an ICE agent. The position of school leadership is not to violate the law but to not cooperate with ICE agents, according to a statement from Broward Schools.
Teachers’ unions are also looking for ways to fight immigration actions. During a joint press conference on Feb. 6, the United Teachers of Dade and the Broward Teachers Union said teachers, students and parents are afraid and uncomfortable about the possibility of federal raids. Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union, said she is opposed to any ICE enforcement at previous sensitive areas and said schools must be safe places for students.
Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of the United Teachers for Dade, said that any person who enters a school campus or school bus must have a warrant signed by a judge and that school district attorneys will review the warrant. She said she believes a final decision will be made by the school district’s superintendent and that no raids have taken place on school property or buses.
While ICE agents may not be targeting schools and children directly, a growing number of students who have undocumented family members have said they are anxious that they or a family member could be detained and deported, explained Fusco
Meanwhile, the Palm Beach County School District issued a statement that said it remains dedicated to the mission of educating and inspiring students to reach their full potential. The statement continued that the district adheres to strict protocols for all campus visitors and complies with all relevant state and federal laws and regulations. The district will monitor any federal or state policy changes that impact schools.
A statement issued by the Monroe County District said the district will follow the law. However, it has policies in place to make any interactions with students by outside agencies least disruptive to schools.
MIAMI, Fla. This month, BusPatrol, the nation’s leading provider of automated school bus stop-arm camera technology, teamed up with local school districts in Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties to highlight stories shared through an online portal of school bus drivers going above and beyond in service to student safety and wellbeing. The “Love the Bus Month Report Card” as BusPatrol and the school districts in Miami Dade and Hillsborough Counties are calling it features an online form where students and parents can submit the name of a bus driver and any stories of them helping students as they travel to and from school.
As part of “Love the Bus Month” all throughout February, BusPatrol and the school districts will post the stories that highlight the kindness and helpfulness of school bus drivers on their “Love the Bus Month Report Card” webpage at info.buspatrol.com/love-the-bus, starting on Friday, February 14th.
BusPatrol’s Chief Growth Officer, Steve Randazzo, said, “For many families, school bus drivers are more than just transportation providers—they have the enormous responsibility to keep their children safe on their journey to and from school. Every day, reckless drivers place students at risk by speeding around school buses and illegally ignoring school bus stop-arms. Bus drivers play a critical role in protecting children’s safety. These violations aren’t just illegal but can cause fatal accidents. BusPatrol is committed to ensuring those who put children at risk are held accountable.”
BusPatrol partners with school districts to raise awareness on school bus safety practices and deploy quality technology that is designed to empower bus drivers and safeguard children. When BusPatrol technology captures the video of a stop-arm violation it is shared with local law enforcement who ultimately make the decision to issue a ticket or not. BusPatrol isn’t in the business of writing tickets, it’s in the business of protecting students’ safety and changing motorist behavior.
In Florida alone, more than 2,000 buses are equipped with BusPatrol technology, providing an added layer of protection for both students and bus drivers from reckless motorists. Bus drivers have the ability to leave a lasting positive impact on students. Bus drivers don’t just steer vehicles, they both literally and figuratively open doors for students giving them the opportunity to succeed by providing a safe path to education.
About BusPatrol:
BusPatrol is a safety technology company with the mission of making the journey to and from school safer for children. BusPatrol’s safety programs change driver behavior and create a culture of awareness and responsibility around school buses. In addition, they provide accessibility for school districts and municipalities to modernize their entire school bus fleets by outfitting them with the latest stop-arm, route planning, and route execution technology.
A Volusia County school bus driver is being hailed a hero after helping a young boy that was choking on a piece of candy while on the bus, reported Fox 35.
The school bus driver, identified as Mayrelyn Lopez, said there was a disturbance in the back of the bus shortly after arriving at her first afternoon stop. The disruption, which was unrelated to the choking incident was quickly resolved.
However, as Lopez made her way back to her driver’s seat, she noticed a boy turning light purple. The boy, identified as Levi Holder, had reportedly just eaten a piece of candy, and it got stuck in his throat.
Lopez told local news reporters that she grabbed Holder and performed the Heimlich Maneuver, which is a first aid technique school bus drivers are trained on to dislodge a blockage in the airway. The action cleared the candy from Holder’s throat. Surveillance footage shows Lopez springing into action to help the student.
According to the article, Holder fully recovered and told local news reporters that Lopez was very nice and thanked her for saving his life. Additionally, Holder’s mother expressed gratitude for Lopez’s willingness and her attentiveness in the situation.
The surveillance video is not being shared with the public due to privacy concerns. Most school districts have no eating policies on board the school bus for this very reason.
As the 2025 year commences, students were hit — and one was killed — while walking to their bus stops in Florida communities.
On Jan. 10, a teenager later identified as Maslin Mooney was a victim of a hit and run while walking to his bus stop, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. The Sheriff’s office stated that Mooney was discovered by a passerby at approximately 6:45 a.m. Lifesaving efforts were immediately initiated, and he was transported to a trauma center by air ambulance.
The Sheriff’s Office added that the preliminary investigation revealed Mooney was walking to his bus stop — the scheduled pick up was at 6:08 a.m. — but never made it to the location. As of Jan. 12, the Sheriff’s Office stated investigators identified and interviewed the suspect and seized the vehicle.
First Baptist Church of Hastings stated via its Facebook page, that Mooney was on the ground unconscious until a citizen discovered him and called first responders. His injuries included two broken legs, the right tibia and left femur, that required surgery, a broken right wrist, extensive dental damage, and a brain bleed. He is expected to remain in the hospital for four to six weeks with a recovery window of four to six months.
As of Jan. 16, the church posted Facebook update that Mooney was making remarkable progress and is improving by “leaps and bounds.” He has since moved out of the ICU and was scheduled to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
Meanwhile, about 32 miles North in Jacksonville, Florida, an Atlantic Coast High School student died on Jan. 17, after being struck by a vehicle while trying to get her school bus stop. A GoFundMe page created for the family of Alondra Martinez, 16, said the girl was crossing the street toward her school bus stop when a speeding car struck her. The motorist who hit Martinez reportedly stopped and took her to a nearby medical facility, then stayed there and called the police.
Martinez reportedly died in the hospital from her injuries.
No information had been posted on the Duval County Public Schools website or the Sheriff’s Office regarding the incident. However, local media reported that it was unknown if Martinez was walking in a marked crosswalk.
Jacksonville.com reported that the night before Martinez was killed, First Coast News spoke with Superintendent Christopher Bernier about a new safety campaign, “Be safe, be seen,” which was launched due to the number of motorists hitting students as they made their way to and from school.
“We’ve had three fatalities this year with young people being hit to and from school,” Bernier stated via the article.
Earlier this week in Tampa, Florida, an 11-year-old died after being hit by a car while getting off a school bus. A local news article states the girl had just exited the school bus and was walking alongside the road when she was hit. The unidentified student was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and died Tuesday night.
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