The fifth annual STN EXPO Innovation Choice Awards program returns to STN EXPO 2026 in Reno, Nevada.

The STN EXPO Innovation Choice Awards program is open to any individual, organization or authorized agent that exhibits at STN EXPO West 2026 Trade Show and promotes school transportation products. The product entered must be initially available in the market between Jan. 1, 2025 and July 20 of this year.

The four categories include: Best Hardware, Best Software/AI Solutions, Best Safety Technology and Best Green Technology. Attendees will have the option to vote on-site, starting July 13 during day two of exhibits.

Each participating exhibitor will have a QR code at their booth attendees can scan to vote during the Wonderland of Ideas Tradeshow + Networking Reception July 13 and the Trade Show + Lunch July 14. Voting will be open at 5 p.m. July and closes at 3 p.m. July 14. Exhibitors and sponsors are not eligible to vote.

View the list of 33 exhibitor products below. Five entries were submitted for the best green technology and four were submitted in the best hardware category. Sixteen entries were submitted for best safety technology, while 11 were submitted for best software/AI solutions.

Exhibitors submitted their own product descriptions that have been edited for space and clarity. Winners will be announced at a later date.

AlphaRoute
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: Alphie AI
Alphie AI is AlphaRoute’s built-in AI assistant that transforms complex transportation data into instant, actionable insights. Using simple, conversational questions, transportation professionals can access real-time and historical performance metrics, visualize operational trends, identify inefficiencies, and generate reports, maps and charts in seconds. Designed to improve decision-making, streamline workflows and reduce training time, Alphie helps agencies and school districts unlock the full value of their transportation data securely and effortlessly.

 

 

 

 

AngelTrax
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Vulcan Series BEV360 Bird’s Eye View 360-Degree Camera System
Using AI detection technology, the BEV360 Bird’s Eye View 360-Degree Camera System identifies students near the bus in real-time and warns the driver when students enter the danger zone. Providing a panoramic view of the bus surroundings, the BEV360 features four 1080P cameras, a 7-inch monitor and a system control box for storage, stitching and AI technology. The system captures clear video and stitches all views together, forming a 360-degree view displayed on the monitor for the driver’s real-time reference. The system control box is a dedicated MDVR with two microSD card slots for recording BEV360 views only. For simultaneous recording to a separate Vulcan Series MDVR or MNVR, the system includes a connection to one HD port on the MDVR/MNVR.

AssetWorks
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: FleetFocus
FleetFocus by AssetWorks is a web-based fleet management solution built to help student transportation departments keep buses safe, compliant and on the road. The platform centralizes vehicle and equipment data, automates preventive maintenance scheduling, and tracks every work order from open to close, so nothing slips past its service window. Automated PM notifications alerts drivers, supervisors and shop technicians before a bus becomes overdue, replacing manual follow-up with a system that does the coordination for you. Fuel management is integrated directly, giving transportation directors a complete picture of operating costs without toggling between disconnected systems.
FleetFocus supports EV charge management and tracks electricity consumption alongside traditional fuel, so you can compare true cost-per-mile across your entire fleet and satisfy grant reporting requirements. Mobile-friendly tools let technicians manage assigned work, record labor and request parts from the shop floor, while robust reporting gives district leadership and school boards the data they need to justify maintenance budgets and plan for vehicle replacement.

BusPatrol
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: To be announced
BusPatrol will launch its product during STN EXPO.

BraunAbility
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: BraunAbility LiftSentinel
The LiftSentinel is an automatic wheelchair lift barrier system designed to support more controlled and consistent passenger loading and unloading. It works in sync with the lift cycle to create a physical barrier on the platform, helping reduce unintended movement and supporting operators during real-world conditions where attention may be divided.

 

Bytecurve/busHive by Transit Technologies
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: Bytecurve/busHive
Bytecurve/busHive helps school transportation providers simplify and modernize daily operations by improving scheduling, dispatch, payroll, compliance, billing, communication, and visibility across the full trip lifecycle.

 

EverDriven
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: EverDriven Safety Suite
The EverDriven Safety Suite includes TripCentral for planning and tracking student trips, the SafeRoute driver app with Google Navigation, GPS tracking, driver notes and telematics, the RideAware app for caregivers and school staff to monitor rides in real-time, and the SafeView dual-facing AI camera system. TripCentral supports individualized transportation needs, recurring schedules, alternate pickup and drop-off locations, consistent driver assignments and trip status tracking. RideAware provides real-time trip visibility, driver and vehicle information, and customizable notifications. SafeView records interior and exterior video, uses telematics to identify driving events, and stores encrypted footage in the cloud for authorized district access.

 

 

 

 

 

First Student
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions, Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: HALO – The AI Operating Platform for Student Transportation
HALO is First Student’s AI operating platform that integrates routing, dispatch, navigation, analytics, maintenance, safety and family communications. AI-enabled dash cameras detect pedestrians, cyclists and signs of driver distraction while providing in-cab alerts. Predictive analytics identify driver behavior patterns for coaching, and predictive maintenance analyzes vehicle data to identify maintenance needs before failures occur. Connected telematics provide fleet visibility, while the First View app allows families to track rides in real-time. The platform is deployed across First Student’s fleet and supports daily transportation operations through a single system.

Freedman by Lippert
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: SeatLink Passenger Monitoring System
Freedman’s SeatLink system, powered by InterMotive, represents a transformative advancement in student transportation safety and accountability. SeatLink delivers real-time visibility into passenger presence and seatbelt usage, empowering drivers and transportation administrators with actionable insights that enhance student safety on every route. At the core of the system is an intuitive head unit display mounted within the driver’s field of view. This interface provides instant visual and alert-based notifications, enabling drivers to maintain focus on driving while staying informed of passenger status. The system automatically alerts the driver when a student is seated without a fastened seatbelt, a student is properly seated and belted, a seatbelt is fastened before the seat is occupied (potential misuse), and a seat module is malfunctioning or has low battery. This real-time feedback promotes immediate corrective action, reducing risk and enforcing consistent safety compliance.

Geotab
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Geotab Vitality
Geotab Vitality improves driver behavior with positive reinforcement and behavioral science. Vitality translates insights into driver behavior from our telematics platform to a total driver rewards program that lets them pick the gift card of their choice. It’s simple, the driver is given a view of what looks like a fitness tracker, but instead of steps it fills up with safe driving. When they reach their weekly goal, points are issued that can be turned into instant electronic gift cards at the online or brick and mortar store of their choosing. The best part is that the cost is capped and the driver can earn significantly more in rewards than the program costs with consistent, safe driving. Vitality automatically raises the bar as time goes on to challenge drivers to be more safe while earning rewards.

HopSkipDrive
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: In-App Ride Recording
Ride Recording: In-App automatically records audio and video using a CareDriver’s phone without additional hardware. Recording is enabled by default, tied to each trip, and cannot be stopped by the driver during a ride. Encrypted footage is stored securely and becomes available through RideIQ within 24 hours for rides completed within the previous 30 days. Districts can opt out for specific riders.

Category: Best Software/AI Solutions / AI Solutions
Product/Solution: RideIQ – Track my Ride Update
RideIQ is a ride management platform for schools, districts and government agencies that supports scheduling, canceling, tracking and reporting for individualized and small-group transportation. Features include recurring ride scheduling, precise pickup and drop-off location pins, real-time ride status, reporting on rides and spending, shared billing across districts, and the Daily Queue dashboard for school staff. The Track My Ride update automatically sends caregivers and riders a text message with a live tracking link at the start of each trip without requiring an app download.

IC Bus
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Fusion 3.0 on IC Bus
Fusion 3.0 integrates radar, cameras and braking technologies to provide driver alerts and automated braking assistance on IC Bus vehicles. Features include autonomous emergency braking, stationary vehicle braking, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, brake hold, following-distance alerts, lane departure warnings, overspeed alerts, and highway departure braking. The system is integrated into new IC Bus models.

Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: My International
My International is a connected fleet management platform that supports mixed fleets by providing vehicle health monitoring, maintenance alerts, service management and dealer communication in one dashboard. The platform offers real-time vehicle status, proactive maintenance insights, diagnostics sharing, and operational reporting across multiple vehicle manufacturers.

 

 

IMMI/SafeGuard
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: 4Front
4Front is the first steering wheel with an airbag in the school bus industry. This enhances driver protection to reduce injury by 82 percent in frontal collision events when used in accordance with applicable instructions and safety standards. Your drivers drive to school with air bags in their car; ensure their daily routes are protected too with 4Front’s frontal airbag safety system. Keeping school bus drivers safe is essential – an injured driver can’t help students when it matters most.

Innovative Products, Inc.
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Magnetic Mic
Magnetic Mic is an accessory that is installed on radio microphones that makes it easier and safer for the driver to pickup and return their radio microphone to its base, allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road. It reduces distracted drivers and increases student safety.

InterMotive Vehicle Controls
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: MobiliSafe
MobiliSafe provides an audible and visual warning and tracking for wheelchairs and passengers being secured in place. The head unit displays visual warnings as red and green and audible warning tones. MobiliSafe detects when an object is in a wheelchair position, requests verification that the tie-downs have been applied and monitors the seat belt buckle. When all conditions are met, the head unit turns that position green. Each step of the process is tracked and stored for future retrieval in case of an injury claim (e.g. seat belt buckled at 11:31:22 am and unbuckled at 12:04:05pm). Live status can be transmitted to a dispatcher.

Lincoln Electric
Category: Best Green Technology
Product/Solution: Velion 50kW Mobile DC Fast Charger
The Velion 50 kW Mobile DC Fast Charger is a portable charging solution with selectable 12.5 kW, 25 kW and 50 kW outputs, CCS1 and NACS compatibility, and optional wheeled or roll-cage configurations. It is intended for fleet charging, pilot programs, maintenance operations, overflow charging, roadside support and emergency backup charging. The charger includes remote monitoring and is backed by a three-year warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lippert
Category: Best Hardware
Product/Solution: Safe-Ride Essentials
Lippert Safe-Ride Essentials school bus safety system uses illuminated exit guidance to direct passengers to every available exit during an emergency. This self-powered safety solution activates roof hatches, rear doors, side windows, and front entry points simultaneously to help students and passengers quickly identify the safest way out when visibility and time are limited.
Safe-Ride Essentials is designed for school bus manufacturers, fleet operators, and safety-focused transportation programs looking to improve emergency preparedness.

Netradyne
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Netradyne Driver•i D-810
The Driver•i D-810 brings Netradyne’s edge AI capabilities to one of the most complex safety environments on the road: the school bus. With support for up to eight cameras, the D-810 gives districts and contractors expanded 360-degree visibility across the areas where student transportation risk is highest, including the driver area, side zones, rear views, loading areas, stop-arm activity and student movement around the bus. Unlike systems that rely only on limited views or triggered events, the D-810 analyzes 100 percent of drive time and delivers real-time alerts to help drivers respond when risk appears. An optional in-cab display provides live blind-spot views during turns, lane changes, reversing and loading-zone activity, helping drivers make more informed decisions in the moments that matter most. For school districts and contractors the D-810 helps identify risks involving students, pedestrians, cyclists and nearby vehicles. It provides safety teams fuller event context for coaching, faster incident review and clearer video evidence when parents, schools, insurers or community stakeholders need answers. The result is a more proactive approach to student transportation safety, built to protect students, support drivers and reduce the time required to understand what happened around the bus.

Q’Straint
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Q’STRAINT ONE
Q’STRAINT ONE is an all-in-one wheelchair securement platform that replaces the many parts and obstacles of traditional four-point securement with a simplified single platform system. For students and drivers, it makes the complete securement process 4x-5x faster when compared to traditional four-point systems, often taking less than one minute. At the same time, it makes securement safer by: Facilitating the proper use of the occupant securements, eliminating the errors involved in having to anchor the securements to the school bus floor, providing more usable securement space for students with larger mobility devices, and providing auditory and visual indicators that the securement system is locked and the student’s wheelchair is secure and safe to transport.

 

 

 

 

 

RIDE
Category: Best Green Technology
Product/Solution: Blade Battery
RIDE’s Blade Battery is a breakthrough in battery manufacturing that provides an excellent combination of safety, energy density and cycle life. We’re solving pain points of the EV industry. RIDE’s LFP batteries remain stable during destructive testing — impact, puncture, crush, and external fires. After 10,000 cycles, the battery retains 70 percent of its original capacity which enables us to provide an industry-leading battery warranty.

 

SafeGuard/IMMI
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: SafeGuard Aftermarket Digital Catalog
SafeGuard offers a complete range of safety solutions designed to upgrade and enhance school buses which can now be easily found on our new aftermarket-focused website that was launched earlier this year (safeguardseat.com). This new site allows users to quickly identify all serviceable parts for their SBR and BTI seats. Potential upgrades can also be found for lap-shoulder belts, integrated child seats and more. In addition to identification by part number, it also allows users to identify their seats by selecting their OEM and the seat’s features. The website also has brand and educational assets to support OEM, dealer, and school district needs.

Safety Vision
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: VisionCloud
VisionCloud is a cloud-hosted enterprise video management and AI fleet telematics platform and intelligence platform — allowing fleets to select the level of visibility, safety intelligence and operational control that best fits their needs. At its core, VisionCloud delivers live fleet tracking, GPS telematics, live video streaming, centralized event management, video playback, and remote device management — giving operators instant access to vehicles, footage and system status from one centralized dashboard.

Stone Mountain Ltd.
Category: Best Hardware
Product/Solution: UVox USB C Push to Talk Speaker Mic
Rock-solid communication saves time, money, and lives. That’s why Stone Mountain designs and manufactures the world’s most rugged, reliable Push-to-Talk (PTT) speaker microphones. The UVox series speaker microphone was developed as a next-generation solution to fleet communications. With traditional radios only getting more expensive, UVox leverages rapidly expanding PTT over cellular networks to bring nation-wide communication at a fraction of the cost of land mobile radio systems. The USB interface is compatible with a wide range of Android, iOS, and Windows devices, seamlessly integrating with your existing tablet-based routing and student tracking systems. UVox combines Stone Mountain’s rugged, user-friendly interface with a full-fledged serial interface for unprecedented functionality. In situations where every second counts, UVox’s dedicated emergency button allows drivers to call for help at a moment’s notice, and its programmable buttons support additional functionality, such as channel selection, last message replay, and more. Stone Mountain’s PTT speaker microphones and NuDock tablet mounting systems create a truly plug-and-play communication system. When safety is the top priority, reliable communication is a necessity.

Thomas Built Buses
Category: Best Green Technology
Product/Solution: Saf-T-Liner eHDX2 Wattson
The Saf-T-Liner eHDX2 Wattson helps school districts accelerate the transition to zero-emission student transportation by combining an advanced 800-volt electric powertrain, integrated eAxle technology, lower-maintenance operation, flexible charging options, and vehicle-to-grid capability in a proven Type D school bus platform.

Transfinder
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: Atlas & Intelligent Tools
Atlas is Transfinder’s proprietary intelligence platform that brings AI-powered assistance and smart automation directly into student transportation operations — leading to smart times and smart maps. Atlas helps transportation professionals find information faster, make better decisions and reduce manual effort while working with routing, planning and operational data. In combination with tools like intelligent analytical tools that can glean real routing speeds from actual school buses and real stop times from your actual stop information, the quality of maps is improved and stop times are more precise. Combined with innovations such as intelligent categorization, advanced calendar-based routing, and continuously improving transportation insights, Routefinder PLUS and Atlas deliver a smarter transportation management experience.

Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Live Share
Live Share is Transfinder’s proprietary real-time collaborative mapping and incident response tool that allows transportation teams to instantly share interactive maps, drawings and operational information with trusted stakeholders. Through secure text-based access, recipients can view live updates without requiring specialized software or accounts. Live Share improves coordination during incidents, events, emergency response situations, and day-to-day transportation planning.

Category: Best Green Technology
Product/Solution: Transfinder Ride Impact Metrics
Transfinder’s proprietary Ride Impact Metrics (RIM) helps families and school districts understand the environmental and personal benefits of school transportation. The solution calculates estimated carbon emissions avoided, household driving time saved and transportation savings generated by the yellow school bus system. By turning transportation data into meaningful sustainability insights, Stopfinder highlights the positive impact school transportation has on communities every day.

Category: Best Hardware
Product/Solution: Wayfinder Hardware Suite (Push-to-Talk, Scanner, Reader & PIN Pad)
The Wayfinder Hardware Suite modernizes the driver experience by combining RFID reading, barcode and QR scanning, push-to-talk communication and PIN-based student identification into a single integrated platform. The solution gives drivers more flexibility when identifying students and communicating with dispatch while reducing operational friction. By consolidating multiple functions into an intuitive hardware ecosystem, Transfinder delivers a more efficient and connected transportation experience.

 

 

 

 

 

Tyler Technologies
Category: Best Software/AI Solutions/AI Solutions
Product/Solution: Rider AI Assistant
Rider AI Assistant brings artificial intelligence (AI) directly into Tyler’s Student Transportation solution, helping transportation teams find answers faster in an easy-to-use chat interface. From questions like “Who can cover the AM run?” to plain-language prompts that quickly build reports like ridership by school, Rider AI reduces time spent looking for information, so staff can stay focused on keeping transportation operations running smoothly. It is designed to support transportation professionals – not replace their judgment. Rider AI checks system-defined tools and knowledge sources to return accurate, structured responses. By reducing manual navigation and lookups, Rider AI Assistant makes everyday work faster, easier, and more efficient.

Zonar
Category: Best Safety Technology
Product/Solution: Zonar Bus Suite
Every school day, transportation leaders are tasked with ensuring students arrive safely and ready to learn. But the 2026 State of Student Transportation Report, conducted by Zonar and School Transportation News, found that school transportation departments nationwide are doing so amid driver shortages, lean teams, tighter budgets and increasing operational complexity. The report also found that student safety, parent communication and operational accountability remain among the industry’s top priorities. Those challenges point to a growing need for more connected transportation systems. In many districts, routing, fleet management, GPS tracking, student ridership, driver workflows, dispatch operations, vehicle inspections and parent communication still operate through separate tools or processes. That can make it harder for transportation teams to maintain visibility across each route and respond quickly when issues arise. Bus Suite, developed by Zonar, is one example of how technology providers are attempting to address those gaps by combining multiple transportation functions into one platform. The goal is to give districts a clearer view of daily operations, from pre-trip inspections and route tracking to student boarding verification and parent updates. As school transportation becomes more complex, districts are increasingly looking for systems that improve visibility, reduce manual processes and support safer, more reliable service.

Zum Services, Inc
Category: Best Hardware, Best Software/AI Solutions, Best Safety Technology, Best Green Technology
Product/Solution: Connected Mobility Experience (Zūm CMX)
Zūm CMX is an integrated transportation platform that combines routing, dispatch, workforce management, safety systems, communications and operational dashboards into a single system. The platform is used in multiple states and supports more than 5,000 schools. Reported capabilities include real-time coordination of vehicles and staff, parent communications, AI-supported operations and electric fleet management with vehicle-to-grid support. The company reports improvements in on-time performance, ridership, attendance and transportation-related absences among participating districts.

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