As students nationwide return to school, the work completed on school buses throughout the summer helps ensure they start classes with a safe, reliable ride.

Harley Pinson, assistant director of transportation fleet maintenance for Paulding County Schools in Georgia, said each summer mechanics inspect all areas of school buses to establish a baseline of their condition and identify aspects that drivers might not be aware of.

“We try not to prioritize one area over another,” added Pinson, an instructor for the STN EXPO National School Bus Inspection Program and a co-developer of the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation inspector certification. “This gives us an overall view of the condition of the bus, not just safety-related items, although safety remains our highest priority. We also complete mileage-related maintenance, such as replacing spark plugs and fuel filters, along with oil changes that are due or will become due shortly after the school year begins.”

While noting the importance of checking HVAC, battery, tires and brakes, he said those are not simply summer tasks. “I feel it is important to check these items every time a bus comes in for service, not just during the summer,” he said.

Pinson added that mechanics and technicians also use the summer to update supplemental systems, such as DVR firmware, onboard mapping systems and two-way radios. “In addition, we schedule fire extinguisher inspections, fueling site inspections, and complete any other tasks that are easier to perform while the buses are not in daily route service.”

Meanwhile, in Texas, Duran Hargest III, director of fleet services for Dallas Independent School District in Texas, said during the summer vehicle repairs are their top priority.

“We focus on multiple departments within our fleet, ensuring that everything runs smoothly,” he said. “This includes making sure the air conditioning is functioning properly on our school buses, servicing the reefer units on our refrigerated trucks for food delivery to campuses and maintaining the ground equipment to keep the campuses in good condition.”

Gary Harlow, the shop manager of Coffee County Schools in Tennessee, said the work he prioritizes over summer is safety. “Anything we got to do to be safe for transporting children: The precious cargo,” he said. “We got to make sure safety first and foremost over everything. Whether it be tires, freight shoes, alarm buzzers.”

He said shop technicians aren’t doing their job if they’re not looking for potential mishaps. He said summer is an essential time for catching any problems, especially as during the school year many members of his maintenance team are driving routes.

“I’m big on brake lining, brake wear, drums,” he said, adding techs check all the windows, door buzzers and eight-way lights. “We need to make sure we’re doing our job to the utmost high standard it can possibly be.”

Detailing Summer Maintenance

Georgia’s Pinson said taking care of known issues during the summer allows the team to be better prepared to handle unexpected issues that arise when drivers and students return to school.

“Summer can be a challenging time because many systems are finishing one fiscal year budget while beginning the next,” he said. “If the work is not planned properly, you can run out of funds while still having plenty of work left to complete. Planning work around employee vacations, training and conferences can also be a challenge.”

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Hargest in Texas said that regardless of summer or winter, the maintenance team services the vehicles continuously throughout the year, every 3,000 to 6,000 miles. He noted that fleets could make mistakes when planning summer service, if they don’t have maintenance software to track repairs and alert for overdue services.

Tennessee’s Harlow said catching problems during the summer prevents bigger issues later down in the school year. He said the district does a lot with their buses, including all the fueling on site. So, a common practice when drivers are fueling their buses, the mechanics will be at the fuel island checking oil, brakes and tires.

He said common mistakes are not checking belts, batteries and alternator outputs.

“I come from the trucking world. I got into the [student] transportation side, and I’ve only worked in one shop as far as transportation,” Harlow said. “I really don’t know how other transportation mechanics vibe, but we have discussed, me and my guys, going to other shops and seeing how they operate to see if there’s something we can take away from that.”

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The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services reiterated its support of the use of lap/shoulder seatbelts for the safety of student passengers by calling for the occupant restraints in all new school buses.

NASDPTS, the first industry association to openly support the use of the safety restraints on school buses, evolved its stance from first recommending the equipment in 2008 to requiring enforceable use in 2014.

In May 2020, NASDPTS consolidated that record into policy. It supported requiring the installation and use of lap/shoulder belts in all new school buses, accompanied by student training, evacuation drills that include unbuckling, trip safety briefings and enforcement. The paper emphasized that lap/shoulder belts supplement compartmentalization, which National Transportation Safety Board investigations have concluded provides limited protection in rollovers, side impacts and secondary collisions. It also cited NHTSA’s estimate that universal installation and proper use on large buses could prevent 1,898 injuries and 2.13 fatalities annually. At the time, NASDPTS considered retrofitting seatbelts on legacy school buses to be a local decision dependent upon technical, legal and compatibility reviews.

The update announced Monday states that “lap/shoulder belts provide the safest form of occupant protection inside a school bus.” NASDPTS recommends installing and using the belts in all new school buses. Additionally, states and local jurisdictions are encouraged to establish enforcement policies and procedures, NASDPTS adds, noting that all students must use the belts and must be trained on how to use them properly.

Training, NASDPTS noted, must include proper use and adjustment of passengers. All students transported via a school bus must participate in regular evacuation drills, including unbuckling exercisers.

“Prior to every field or activity trip, the school bus driver or other designated personnel must provide a safety briefing to all students and adult passengers that includes the required use of the belts, the location and use of the exists and the location of the emergency equipment,” NASDPTS states. “Jurisdictions must adopt and implement related policies, notices, training and appropriate enforcement.”

NASDPTS also clarified that school bus drivers are only expected to make reasonable efforts to enforce seatbelt usage.

Related: NASDPTS Responds to Latest NTSB Safety Recommendations for School Buses
Related: School Districts Look for Innovative Approaches to Recruiting and Training
Related: As New School Year Starts, Fall Conference Agendas Announced
Related: Watch: Michigan Association Releases Lomas Brown PSA for Back to School

The position adds that retrofitting existing school buses with lap/shoulder seatbelts should only be considered after consultation with the original equipment manufacturer for that specific school bus. The state director’s association adds that retrofits could be considered unsafe, “as not all buses are built to specifications needed to support seatbelts. In addition, any change to a school bus could be in violation of the manufacturer warranty.”

“NASDPTS fully supports required installation and use of lap/shoulder belts in new school buses,” the paper concluded. “When school buses are equipped with lap/shoulder belts, a mandatory usage policy must also be in place, along with necessary training of employees and students on the importance of wearing and using the belts properly. Training and procedures must include effective evacuation training and drills.”

The association recommends that state directors and industry leaders should work together to ensure that legislators and other state policy makers “are educated on the existing safety record of school buses. Their discussions should emphasize the added safety benefits provided by lap/shoulder belts and the need to ensure that funding levels and service requirements support the availability of school buses to serve parents’ and students’ needs.”

NASDPTS also commented on commonly cited reasons from seatbelt opponents why school buses should only rely on compartmentalization to protect passengers. The paper states that modern seat and belts designs now largely maintain bus ridership capacity and minimize the risk of the belts being used by students as weapons. Additionally, NASDTS said buckles are designed for easy release to aide in fast evacuation in the case of an emergency.

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“Every mile and every stop has a cost,” pointed out Kacy L. Davis, Sr., the transportation director for St. Louis (Missouri) Public Schools (SLPS) transportation director.

The return on investment in routing analytics is the ability for a transportation department to identify factors that are central to creating fuel efficiency practices in the wake of identifying waste.

Routing analytics is the foundation of fuel efficiency for school transportation vehicles, and fuel efficiency has been top-of-mind in recent months for school transportation departments against the backdrop of rising fuel costs.

Until routing analytics came upon the scene, transportation departments may have focused on driver behavior to identify fuel inefficiencies to the exclusion of other factors.

Through a transportation department’s use of routing analytics, fuel efficiency is no longer viewed as a driver-only issue but is instead becoming increasingly recognized by districts as a product of routing design, operational planning and continuous route analysis, among other factors.

“When a district is operating routes with ghost stops, duplicated coverage between two buses serving the same corridor, or bell times that force buses to idle between runs, no amount of driver coaching recovers those losses,” pointed out Craig Berndt, Geotab business segment manager of people transportation, on the value of using routing analytics.

Routing analytics provide visibility to a wide range of school transportation inefficiencies, Berndt said, adding, “Once you can see it, you can address it.”

Creating route optimization through data and routing analytics is a significant driving factor in mileage — and thus fuel — reductions, transportation directors noted.

Related: Helping First-Time Riders Approach the School Bus with Confidence
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“At current diesel prices, that’s a meaningful budget line,” Berndt said. “And unlike one-time capital purchases, route efficiency compounds over time as the district builds the discipline of comparing planned routes versus actual routes continuously.”

Jason Hibbard, supervisor of transportation for the Chenango Valley Central School District in Binghamton, New York, concurred that school transportation routing analytics are critical to fuel efficiency by highlighting route efficiency issues that had previously been behind the scenes.

Those issues might include multiple drivers assigned to the same neighborhood or area, or students being added to certain routes. Drivers can easily be asked to double back and travel unnecessary mileage. Another factor is a rapid student load change over the school year, drastically affecting the timing of buses reaching schools, said Hibbard.

Kathy Calkins, North Clackamas (Oregon) School District transportation director, agreed with other directors in that using routing analytics helps to address the challenge of deadhead miles when buses travel without students, among other challenges.

“Analyzing ridership patterns helps us align routes with actual student counts rather than outdated historical data,” she pointed out. “Maximizing the efficiency of every mile driven directly reduces daily fuel burn, driver labor hours and cumulative wear and tear across the entire fleet.”

Routing analytics as the foundation of creating fuel efficiency also is embraced by Jackson County Schools in West Virginia where transportation supervisor Rich Castro praises it for offering an “eagle’s eye view of mapping and routing.”

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Industry conferences are gearing up for the fall season, and agendas are being released with the latest and greatest information for student transportation professionals who are heading back to work for the new school year.

The National Association for Pupil Transportation’s 49th Annual Conference and Trade Show, NAPT ACTS 2026, will take place Oct. 3–7, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s theme, “Building Leaders for the Route Ahead,” emphasizes leadership development, professional learning and stronger connections across the student transportation community.

The five-day program is designed for transportation directors, fleet and maintenance professionals, trainers, routers, safety specialists and other school transportation leaders. It includes more than 40 sessions and workshops, over 10 NAPT Professional Development Series courses, and four certification pathways. Topics cover operational safety, crisis communication, data-driven decision-making, strategic and facility planning, student behavior, transporting students with disabilities, workforce retention, preventive maintenance, regulatory compliance and transportation technology.

Specialized programming includes workshops for new directors and maintenance teams, a national transportation briefing, recertification sessions and a Transportation Directors Executive Forum.

The trade show takes place Oct. 5, where attendees can explore school transportation products, technology and services and connect directly with industry suppliers.

Networking is built throughout the event through a first timers’ breakfast, marketplace sessions, receptions, regional assemblies, social events and sponsor demonstrations. The keynote, “Achieving Rock Star Status in Your Profession,” will be delivered by drummer and leadership speaker Kenny Aronoff, drawing lessons from high-performance music environments about teamwork, communication, creativity and collaboration.

Nearly a month later, the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference kicks off, hosting a Transportation Director Summit for the first time. Hosted by School Transportation News, the event will take place Nov. 4–10, 2026, in Frisco, Texas, and brings together school transportation and special-education professionals from across the country to improve the safety, accessibility and quality of transportation provided to students with disabilities and preschool-age children.

The conference is intended for transportation directors, fleet managers, driver trainers, school bus drivers, aides and monitors, special-education professionals, Head Start and childcare staff, superintendents, executives, manufacturers and industry suppliers. Its program combines educational sessions, hands-on training, product demonstrations and networking opportunities focused specifically on the operational and legal challenges of specialized student transportation.

Educational topics include individualized education and transportation plan development, funding amid the U.S. Department of Education moving IDEA to Health and Human Services, student-data protection, positive behavior support, transporting medically fragile students, wheelchair securement, school bus aide and monitor training, updated national specifications, and the use of artificial intelligence in transportation operations. The program also includes American Sign Language training, child-passenger safety instruction and sessions addressing accessibility and inclusive transportation practices.

A major component of the event is its specialized training. Attendees can participate in a national course on child-passenger safety aboard school buses, including hands-on practice with child safety restraint systems for preschoolers and students with disabilities. Other experiences include wheelchair-securement training, a special-needs transportation roadeo and workshops that allow participants to practice procedures rather than learning exclusively through classroom presentations.

New for 2026 is the two-day Transportation Director Summit, held Nov. 4–5. This limited-capacity program is designed for qualified transportation directors and fleet leaders and focuses on leadership, trust, innovation, peer problem-solving and collaboration with manufacturers and suppliers. Participants will take part in expert presentations, small-group discussions and structured networking before the main conference begins.

The TSD Trade Show will feature dozens of exhibitors presenting specialized buses, wheelchair and occupant-restraint equipment, safety systems, fleet software, video technology and other products developed for transporting students with additional needs. A trade-show reception provides attendees with an informal setting to meet suppliers, examine equipment and discuss potential solutions for their local operations.

Related: New Date Set for NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Training at TSD
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Related: School Bus Driver Shortages Create Wider Consequences for Students

Later that week, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services Annual Conference kicks off, Nov. 14-17 at The Ritz-Carlton, in Arlington, Virginia. The members-only event brings together state pupil transportation directors, state agency staff, transportation association leaders, federal officials, manufacturers, suppliers and other industry professionals.

The conference focuses on policy, regulation, safety and operational issues affecting school transportation at the state and national levels. Its location near Washington, D.C., gives attendees the opportunity to hear directly from federal transportation and safety partners. Invited agencies include the National Transportation Safety Board, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Transportation Security Administration.

Educational sessions address training, transportation for students with special needs, school bus crash investigations and emerging trends in pupil transportation. State directors will also lead discussions about the most significant challenges facing school transportation programs, allowing attendees to compare policies, share practices and examine how different states are responding to common safety and operational concerns.

The event also includes keynote presentations, group meals and networking opportunities intended to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, state transportation leaders and private-sector partners. Unlike a traditional trade show, NASDPTS hosts a smaller Supplier Showcase and Networking Session, scheduled for Nov. 15. The tabletop format allows suppliers to present products, services and industry innovations while meeting directly with state directors and other transportation decision-makers.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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DENVER, Colo. — National Association of School Transportation members saw the installation of a new board as well as several awardees during its July 19-22 annual meeting.

The event at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel introduced three new at-large board of directors: Scott Burkoth, vice president of mergers and acquisitions at First Student; Denis Gallagher, Jr., senior vice president of operations at Student Transportation of America; and Jacob Iverson, senior vice president of Landmark Student Transportation as the new. Michael Ahern, CEO at Karpf School Bus was elected Region I Director and David Duke, chief development officer at Beacon Mobility, was elected Region 4 Director.

The Blake A. Krapf Distinguished Service Award went to Bobbie Harman of First Student, the school bus contractor’s senior director of customer and community engagement, in recognition of “recent, significant, substantial and special contributions to pupil transportation contracting.” NSTA memorialized Krapf’s name on the award last year following his death.

B.R. Williams Inc., of New Jersey took home the Contractor of the Year Award, presented in by NSTA in partnership with School Transportation News. Cameron Wood, the 2026 STN Innovator of the Year, was also acknowledged during the annual meeting.

Related: Historic Year for Minnesota School Bus Contractor Punctuated by NSTA Award
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John Elliott, Jr., senior vice president of customer operations at Summit School Services, was awarded the Golden Merit Award for his exceptional dedication to service excellence in the student transportation industry. The Golden Merit Award, introduced in 1969, recognizes school bus professionals who have demonstrated excellence and dedication in service and safety in student transportation. Award recipients are also selected based on their contributions to the industry and their exemplification of outstanding leadership, innovation and decision-making throughout their careers.

AMF-Bruns was announced as the NSTA Vendor Partner of the Year. The award goes to a vendor who has offered superior support to NSTA through committee service, financial commitment and educational contributions to the organization, as well as student transportation as a whole.

Finally, Pat Regan, president of Minnesota Coaches that has been in business serving school districts since 1959, was inducted into the  NSTA Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes excellence in long-term efforts on behalf of the pupil transportation industry.

The post NSTA Announces Awardees, New Board Members at Annual Meeting appeared first on School Transportation News.

RENO, Nev. — STN EXPO West 2026 took place July 9-15 in Reno, Nevada, offering a week of professional development, leadership training, technology demonstrations and networking for student transportation professionals.

The conference began with registration, a kick-off reception and a poolside welcome event. Friday and Saturday featured specialized training on school bus inspections, active-threat response, mobility securement, reasonable suspicion and transportation supervision. The Transportation Director Summit kicked off that night with leadership discussions and an interactive session at Lake Tahoe the next day.

Main conference programming began Sunday with the Innovator of the Year Award, Green Bus Summit and Bus Technology Summit. Sessions explore alternative fuels, electric school bus infrastructure, artificial intelligence, routing, cameras, illegal passing and student safety. The day concludes with the Ride & Drive and live technology demonstrations.

Monday opened with the Peter J. Grandolfo Memorial Award of Excellence and a keynote presentation by Bruce Turkel. Breakout sessions address fleet management, communication, employee fatigue, artificial intelligence and safety technology. Attendees can later visited the “Wonderland of Ideas” Trade Show and networking reception.

Tuesday included a state-of-the-industry presentation, a leadership-focused general session with military veterans and the second day of the Trade Show. Afternoon sessions covered dispatch, budgeting, fleet operations, personnel productivity and practical uses of artificial intelligence.

The conference concluded Wednesday with an executive training session led by NAPT Hall of Fame members Dick Fischer and Pete Baxter. The session focused on safety leadership, emergency preparedness and recognizing warning signs before incidents occur.

Throughout the event, attendees connected with industry peers, explored new products and gained practical strategies for improving student transportation safety, efficiency and leadership. (Photos by Vincent Rios Creative.)

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DENVER, Colo. — Despite a decline in the number of illegal passers, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) said the problem is far from resolved.

In the most recent one-day count of illegal passers, announced Tuesday at the National School Transportation Association Annual Meeting and Convention, NASDPTS Executive Director Ronna Weber said 101,334 participating school bus drivers, accounting for 26.2 percent of the nation’s school bus drivers throughout 39 states and the District of Columbia, reported that 56,024 vehicles passed their buses illegally on a single day during the 2025-2026 school year.

Adjusting for 100 percent of the school bus drivers in the U.S., NASDPTS extrapolated just over 213,800 illegal passings each day. Projected across a 180-day school year, the agency noted that these sample results point to more than 38.4 million violations per year among the motoring public.

“As the projected violations for the 2024-2025 school year were 39.3 million, and the projected violations for the 2023-2024 school year were 45.2 million violations, we are noticing a trend in the reduction of the number of illegal passings,” NASDPTS said via a press release. “The problem of illegal passings, however, is far from resolved.”

NASDPTS President Mike Stier of the Illinois State Board of Education noted that while the state directors are pleased to see another reduction in the number of illegal passings, “38.4 million illegal passings is still entirely too many.”

He added that NASDPTS “continues to encourage each state to raise awareness on this important safety issue and to do everything possible to ensure motorists put the safety of school children first.”

Illegal Passing Survey Indicates Latest Violation Trends

When looking at the data, on average, the survey recorded about one violation for every two bus drivers participating in the voluntary survey. Afternoon routes accounted for the largest share of violations, with 28,596 illegal passes reported, representing 51 percent of the total. Morning routes accounted for 25,707 violations, or nearly 46 percent. Midday routes represented just over 3 percent with 1,721 incidents.

Most violations involved motorists approaching from the opposite direction. Plus, nearly 64 percent of illegal passes occurred from the front of the school bus, compared with about 36 percent from the rear.

Florida reported the highest overall number of violations, followed by California, Georgia and Texas. Together, those four states accounted for roughly 60 percent of all reported incidents. However, state-by-state comparisons should be viewed cautiously because participation levels varied and the survey did not account for route mileage, traffic volume, number of stops or roadway type.

The 11th annual survey began in 2014 and since has only missed 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 and the resulting school closures across the country.

“In recent years, several states have increased penalties for violations, authorized the use of photo evidence for issuing citations, or enacted other measures designed to deter this dangerous practice,” NASDPTS said.

Related: WATCH: West Virginia Releases Illegal Passing Awareness Video
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At STN EXPO West last week, Michael Hout, Ph.D., the associate dean for research at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, delivered a comprehensive scientific perspective on the persistent problem of illegal school bus stop arm passing. Collaborating with Ward Leber and the Child Safety Network, Hout drew on his expertise in psychology and kinesiology, focusing on visual attention, perception, memory, decision making, and the phenomenon of “look but fail to see errors.”

During his session he emphasized the limitations of violation counts, advocating for more comprehensive data that include legal stops, routes, communities, time of day, and baseline denominators. He referenced the NASDPTS one-day survey, noting that while it’s a start, it’s not a full representation of the problem. Because drivers are counting these instances themselves, he added, there is a margin of error.

He recommended supplementing human observation with video cameras and other assistive tools. Behaviors such as reaction times, fixations, braking, steering, and eye movement control are where recording errors can occur, he noted.

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RENO, Nev. — Longtime school transportation director and certified driver trainer Sandy Dillman was named the 2026 Peter J. Grandolfo Memorial Award of Excellence winner at STN EXPO West.

“It meant a lot to me. Linda and Peter meant a lot to me,” Dillman told School Transportation News after the award ceremony Monday morning. “I only had the pleasure of meeting Peter once, but safety is so important to me with students and the yellow school bus that is this award. I’ve had a rough year, and so, this award came at a perfect time for me. It’s humbling, but also an honor at the same time.”

The award, sponsored by Q’Straint/SureLok, was presented to Dillman during the day’s STN EXPO West opening session by Linda Grandolfo, Peter’s widow. Linda keeps Peter’s legacy alive by telling his story every year, enlightening newcomers and reminding frequent attendees of his impact on school transportation.

Linda Grandolfo described Dillman as a friend who has made amazing strides in the transportation of students with special needs. She is also someone who is very known in the industry for her work toward student safety.

“It was an incredible honor to give my dear friend Sandy Dillman the Peter J. Grandolfo Memorial Award for her many many years of hard work in the industry, her kindness and her dedication,” Linda Grandolfo said.

Dillman logged more than three decades at Apple Valley Unified School District in California, where she started as a substitute school bus driver in 1988. She became a state-certified driver instructor, a transportation manager and in 2001 the district’s director of transportation. Dillman retired in 2019 to move with her husband Greg to Texas so they could spend more time with their children and grandchildren.

Her retirement lasted seven months, when she began working for consultant TransPar Group, and filled the director role at a couple of local school districts. She worked as the full-time director of transportation for Tomball Independent School District until her resignation earlier this year to start her own consultant business.

Among Dillman’s most notable accomplishments was developing a long-term school bus replacement program at Apple Valley in California. After managing what was once reportedly the oldest fleet in California, Dillman replaced the entire fleet over five to six years and established a process for replacing three to five buses annually. She also secured grants for diesel particulate filters, electric school buses and charging infrastructure.

It was at Apple Valley that she also implemented an electronic child reminder system for post-trip inspections before the state mandated the technology.

She was active in the California Association of School Transportation Officials, served in various leadership roles including president, and received the organization’s Arnita Moon Memorial Service Above Self Award. She also advocated for California’s student-crossing procedures and spoke nationally about illegal passing and school bus safety.

Related: Long-Time California Transportation Director Retires, Heads to Texas for Family

In Texas, she continued to serve the industry, both through her district and with the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation as well as the National Association of Pupil Transportation. She continues to help with registration and speaks at the STN EXPO and TSD Conference.

Dillman added she was surprised to hear that the award was based on a nomination.

“The thought that somebody took the time and cared enough to address what I’ve done in this industry, that has been my whole life,” she said. “I started driving a bus in 1987, and still going strong in [the industry in] 2026, which is crazy to me.”

She added that both of her children rode school buses, and now her grandkids do.

“It makes me feel good when my grandsons and my granddaughter come home from field trips and say, ‘I wore a seatbelt on my bus,’ and they’re proud of it,” Dillman continued. “So, it means a lot, and the whole STN family is very important to me, and I’m glad to be a part of it,” she concluded.

Related: Michigan’s Morris Presented with 2025 Grandolfo Award at STN EXPO
Related: Mulder Presented with Annual Grandolfo Award at STN EXPO
Related: Texas Transportation Director Receives 2023 Grandolfo Award

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RENO, Nev. — Branding expert Bruce Turkel ended and started his keynote presentation July 13 the same way. He pulled his harmonica from his pocket and played a tune.

The National Speaker Association Hall of Fame member and former ad agency executive as well as creative expert began his keynote at STN EXPO West by comparing composers Johann Sebastian Bach and blues musician Sonny Boy Williamson. Although their styles, backgrounds and eras were dramatically different, both created music using the same seven notes.

He connected that idea to student transportation, explaining that school districts, contractors and suppliers often use similar buses, technologies, spreadsheets and operational tools. Those tools are necessary, but they are not what make the organizations memorable.

“The people who are successful are not the people who know how to use the tools, but they are people who create value from the tools,” said Turkel, who is also a best-selling author, adding that successful operations know how to communicate their value by understanding what resonates with current as well as prospective customers.

Much like musicians distinguish and express themselves through the way they arrange notes in a key, transportation organizations stand out through the value and emotion they create. Turkel encouraged attendees to move beyond statistics about fleet size, routes and years of service and instead communicate the peace of mind, opportunity and confidence they provide to students, families and communities.

He related a story of a conference organizer asking him how long he and his wife had been married. Instead of providing a numeral value, he answered with the phrase “not long enough.” In that moment, he added value to his marriage and created value for the conference organizer and her husband. Instead of quoting a number or a fact, he verbalized the importance of his relationship with his wife.

“The facts don’t matter,” he said. “Feelings are what matters.”

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Using pre-conference survey results from STN EXPO West conference attendees, he grouped individuals into what he called the five tribes: Protectors, problem-solvers, invisible heroes, culture builders and quiet professionals.

Protectors are driven by student safety, trust, compassion and the responsibility they feel toward children and parents. Problem solvers take pride in finding solutions despite limited resources, staffing challenges and other operational constraints. Invisible heroes work behind the scenes to ensure transportation systems function, often without recognition from the public. Culture builders view their organizations, employees and communities as families and emphasize purpose, relationships and belonging. Quiet professionals value reliability, consistency and calm execution, finding satisfaction in making sure the job is done correctly every day.

Turkel explained that these groups may approach their work differently, but all are motivated by the people they serve. Understanding which tribe best reflects an individual or organization can help transportation leaders communicate their purpose more clearly to employees, parents and community stakeholders.

You Had It in You All Along

Like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz,” who always had it in her the power to go home to Kansas, Turkel said transportation professionals already know what they do and why it matters. The challenge, he said, isn’t discovering your value. It’s communicating it. He said it’s not about becoming something different but letting one’s authentic purpose shine through in how they present themselves to the world.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Turkel distributed harmonicas to attendees. He taught the audience a simple sequence of notes before revealing that they were playing along with the famous Beatles’ song, “I Should Have Known Better.” The exercise revealed to the attendees that they did not need years of musical training to create something recognizable and meaningful. They simply needed clear direction, confidence and a willingness to participate.

The harmonica served as a metaphor for leadership and branding. Transportation professionals already have the necessary tools, experience and purpose. Their challenge is to arrange those elements in a way that resonates with the people they serve, he said.

Turkel concluded that good organizations make people feel good, while great organizations make people feel good about themselves. Like a memorable song, the strongest transportation brands are not defined only by their technical performance but by the feelings they create and the lives they influence.

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RENO, Nev. — Cameron Wood, the lead electric vehicle performance analyst for school bus contractor Student Transportation of America, accepted the sixth annual Innovator of the Year award July 12 during the opening session of STN EXPO West.

Wood is highlighted on the cover and a feature article in the July issue of School Transportation News. He joined STA in 2024 after working as a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin. His background in engineering, algorithms and data analysis helped him bring a new perspective to student transportation.

He is recognized as Innovator of the Year for creating a machine-learning system that determines the appropriate state of charge for individual buses. The program combines real-time information from electric school buses, chargers and local weather with historical performance data. It then automatically recommends charging levels and adjusts charging times based on operating conditions, route needs and expected energy use.

The technology addresses challenges that can make electric school bus charging more complex than conventional fueling. Charging sessions can fail because of dirty connectors, improperly inserted plugs or communication problems between the vehicle and charger. Cold weather also increases energy consumption because heating systems draw power from the battery. These factors are especially important when buses must recharge between morning and afternoon routes or share sequential chargers.

Related: Sharda Presented with Innovator of the Year Award at 2025 STN EXPO West
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Related: Innovator of the Year Talks School Bus Charging Solutions
Related: 2023 Innovator of the Year Drives Technological Advantages Needed for Fleet Growth
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Before launching the automated program, Wood developed a calculator that required employees to enter charging and scheduling information manually. While useful, that approach could not easily scale as STA added more electric buses and chargers. Wood’s updated system, which is patent pending, now manages charging sessions throughout the day with minimal intervention, reducing work that could take employees several hours to a process completed in seconds. The automation also minimizes human error and gives drivers greater confidence that buses will be ready for their routes

During STN EXPO West conference, Wood was joined by his mother and her partner, as well as Rachel Lane, the company’s vice president of electrification and sustainability, and Thomas Yessman, the executive vice president of shared services at STA.

Tony Corpin, the president of STN Media Group and publisher of School Transportation News, introduced Wood as a passionate, intelligent and articulate individual.

“To say that I’m honored is an understatement,” Wood said on stage Sunday morning. “I want to thank Tony and the team at STN and along with NSTA for giving out this award every year. I want to thank Rachel Lane and Thomas Yesman for coming out from STA to support me. Especially Rachel, she’s a great boss. And thank you to my family, my mom and her partner came out all the way from Pennsylvania to support me and it means a lot. Thank you everyone.”

Related: School Bus Drivers Need Active Threat Training as Security Evolves, Experts Say
Related: Leadership Strategies Shared at STN EXPO West
Related: TD Summit Shares What the Business World Can Teach Student Transporters

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RENO, Nev. — A total of just over 1,010 years of student transportation experience sat in the “So, You Want to Become a Transportation Supervisor,” four-and-half-hour session July 11 during STN EXPO West.

Not only transportation experience but education experience as well, consultant Alexandra Robinson said, adding that everyone in the room is an educator. Also, among the presenters were industry veterans Timothy Purvis of Pupil Transportation Information, consultant Pamela McDonald, and Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, executive director of enrollment and student services at Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma.

Vann-Jackson started the first quarter of the seminar by explaining because the school bus serves as an extension of the classroom, employees have opportunities to positively influence students, colleagues and communities. As individuals advance into supervisory roles, however, their responsibilities and challenges often increase, particularly when managing adults, building trust and navigating organizational change, she said.

A central theme of her portion was “level setting,” or creating a shared understanding of expectations, priorities, values and workplace standards. Effective supervisors should establish common language, clearly communicate what employees can expect from leadership and connect operational decisions to the department’s central purpose: safely transporting students.

Healthy Leadership

Vann-Jackson stressed that successful leaders listen before attempting to solve problems. By learning why employees stay, what motivates them and what challenges they face, leaders can develop more effective recruitment, retention and workplace improvement strategies. She shared how employee feedback helped her district target retirees who enjoyed working with children, contributing to significant staffing improvements.

Trust was described as the foundation of a healthy workplace culture. Supervisors build trust gradually by keeping promises, admitting mistakes, listening, giving employees credit, remaining consistent, and working alongside their teams. Trust can be quickly lost through favoritism, poor communication, broken commitments or unexpected demands.

The presenters also encouraged attendees to build relationships beyond their departments, including with unions, district administrators, school leaders and financial officers. Strong internal and external partnerships help transportation leaders advocate for employees, secure resources and create a culture that continues to succeed even when the supervisor is not present.

Building Culture

McDonald continued, discussing the importance of creating relationships. The retired director of transportation for Orange Unified School District in Southern California, noted that leaders should remain visible and available to employees rather than managing exclusively from an office. Regular briefings, informal conversations and opportunities for staff input can improve communication and reduce burnout. Employees should also be included in decisions that directly affect their work, such as selecting new buses, equipment or technology.

She emphasized that transportation departments benefit from the varied backgrounds, languages and experiences of their employees. Recognizing those strengths can improve service across an entire school district.

Successful transportation leaders must also build relationships with students, parents, teachers, principals, special education staff, district administrators, neighboring districts, contractors and community members. These partnerships can provide critical support during staffing shortages, operational changes and emergencies, McDonald said.

Departments should actively promote their accomplishments through awards, employee recognition, team events, professional development and public outreach. Positive visibility can strengthen employee pride, improve morale and demonstrate transportation’s value when district leaders consider budgets. Above all, employees should understand that their work reflects the department and supports the safe transportation of students.

Kristy Flick, operations supervisor for Poway Unified School District in California, said in 1991 her first child was born and she was looking for work that was part-time, allowing her to choose her schedule. She became a sub driver for Poway for two years before becoming a permanent driver and then continued to move up the ranks – from training, to dispatching to routing for students with special needs.

“Then eventually a supervisory job came open, and I thought, oh, why not? I’ll just go for it and try it, and here I am,” she said, adding that the supervisor class gave her suggestions on how to boost morale.

She noted that after COVID-19, bringing camaraderie back to the department has been a challenge. “So that’s something that I want to take back and hopefully go forward with what I learned from here to help with our morale in Poway,” she said, adding it’s all about listening and being a positive person.

Data-Driven Decisions

Purvis continued, addressing data driven decisions. The retired director of transportation for Poway Unified and founder of PTI said transportation supervisors can use data to make stronger operational and budget decisions. Leaders do not need to be experts in spreadsheets or statistics, but they should understand how measurable information can confirm—or challenge—the assumptions made about their departments.

He distinguished between observations and key performance indicators. Statements such as “that bus is always late” or “drivers struggle with backing” may identify a concern, but they do not provide enough information to guide a decision. A key performance indicator uses a measurable number to show whether performance is improving, declining or remaining consistent.

Transportation departments already generate valuable data through routing systems, maintenance records, safety inspections, accident reports, training programs and employee attendance. However, that information is often kept in separate operational silos. Supervisors should connect data across departments to better understand the causes of delays, vehicle problems, accidents, staffing challenges and inefficient routes.

Useful measures may include on-time performance, preventable accidents, driver absenteeism, fleet availability, cost per mile, student ride times, bus capacity and the number of students transported, Purvis explained. These figures become especially important when district administration request budget reductions without reducing service.

He encouraged supervisors to begin with one operational area, select a meaningful measurement and review it consistently. Data should support practical decisions, not be collected simply for the sake of creating reports.

Ian Moter, assistant transportation director for Converse County School District #2 in Wyoming, noted Purvis’ section was of particular interest to him. Moter lost his full-time job and started driving a school bus because he had a CDL. He drove a bus for one full school year, and when he returned several staff members quit for personal reasons, and his superintendent provided him to step in to help in the interim. Since then, he was hired to be the assistant director, a move he described as stressful.

“Mostly just because of learning the business side of things,” he said. “I find that 90 percent of these issues, doesn’t come from bus driving specifically. It’s more so learning people and process, and I’m a big proponent of people over process.”

He added the district has implemented Tyler Technologies and Geotab, which have been instrumental in their program. “Just optimizing, finding the data that we need to find our inefficiencies with just maintenance as well as routing and safe student pickup,” he said, adding that they’ve been able to reduce routes from seven to four. “… All of our office staff is brand new to the office staff side of things. My dispatcher is a retired bus driver. She worked for our district for 24 years on one single dedicated route, and so none of us had any of the office experience. And Tyler Tech has helped us be able to just move straight through seamlessly.”

He said he resonated with the section on KPIs. “I really took a lot from this last session about KPIs, and rather than trying to find a people source of ongoing issues, trying to see if there’s an overarching problem that could be used across the board to help efficiencies.”

Being a Good Leader

Robinson concluded the seminar with information on how to lead in not only good times but bad. She explored how workplace culture, accountability and self-awareness affect transportation departments. Employees should feel motivated, respected and comfortable communicating with supervisors, said the veteran transportation professional who had stints as director of San Diego Unified in California and as executive director for the New York City Department of Education.

In unhealthy organizations, even a request to meet with a manager can create anxiety, physical stress and fear. Leaders must recognize warning signs such as bullying, passive-aggressive behavior, apathy, poor follow-through and persistent negativity before they spread throughout the department.

Related: School Bus Drivers Need Active Threat Training as Security Evolves, Experts Say
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Related: Reasonable Suspicion Training Sharpens Supervisors’ Eye for Impaired School Bus Drivers
Related: Gallery: Leadership Training, Networking at STN EXPO Wes

Robinson noted that supervisors cannot continually excuse harmful behavior because of staffing shortages, seniority or a lack of documentation. Allowing unsafe or disruptive employees to remain without accountability damages trust and signals that standards are optional. Leaders should ask whether they would confidently allow an employee to transport their own child, said the former National Association for Pupil Transportation president, adding that any hesitation should prompt immediate action. Staffing gaps should not be managed by routinely pulling dispatchers, mechanics, supervisors or directors away from essential responsibilities, as these short-term solutions can create larger safety and liability risks.

Supervisors should also evaluate whether employees are serving in roles that match their skills, Robinson said. Some individuals excel at managing systems, technology or routing but may not be suited in leading people. Cross-training, reassignment and thoughtful organizational planning can help employees contribute successfully without forcing everyone onto the same career path.

Robinson’s section also addressed professional growth. Hard work alone is not enough if results are invisible, and loyalty should not keep employees in unhealthy environments. Leaders should seek meaningful feedback, avoid treating burnout as an accomplishment and focus on progress rather than perfection. Networking and stepping outside one’s comfort zone she described as essential to advancement.

When hiring future leaders, supervisors should look beyond technical experience and consider enthusiasm, curiosity, honesty and willingness to learn, she said. Strong leadership potential often appears in candidates who care deeply about the work, understand their limitations and demonstrate a genuine desire to improve student transportation, Robinson concluded.

The post Leadership Strategies Shared at STN EXPO West appeared first on School Transportation News.

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.

The post Fifth Annual Innovation Choice Awards at STN EXPO West   appeared first on School Transportation News.

In less than a year, the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation will release its second illegal passing awareness campaign, this time catered to the NFL audience.

Katrina Morris, executive director of MAPT, said the association recently filmed its latest public service announcement with former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown. The PSA is expected to be released in early August, timed with the start of the back-to-school season.

The video follows MAPT’s 2025 illegal passing campaign featuring NASCAR driver Ryan Preece, which was filmed in partnership with ROUSH CleanTech. Morris said the goal of these PSAs is to reach more audiences than those in school transportation.

“The last one, it [had]125,000 views,” Morris said of the Preece PSA. “So, you know that’s not transportation people. The NFL has a huge voice, too, and so we’re hoping to get more than that.”

Related: WATCH: Michigan Association Releases Illegal Passing PSA for School Bus Safety Week
Related: Michigan Association Films Illegal School Bus Passing PSA with NASCAR’s Preece

The new campaign came together after Morris said she mentioned wanting to connect with someone in the Detroit Lions organization. An MAPT board member helped make the connection through his father-in-law, who is retired from the NFL and the Detroit Lions.

The PSA was filmed over two days, with scenes shot in Ludington and Detroit. Brown also visited students in Ludington through an educational program that helps students regulate, cope and reintegrate into their general education districts. Morris said the students had learned about Brown before his visit and were excited to meet him.

“He was phenomenal with their kids,” Morris said. “Signed autographs on shirts … and took pictures with the kids, so it was really neat and amazing.”

PSA Blends Football Humor with Seriousness of Illegal Passing Issue

The PSA uses humor and football references, as well as a nod to the NFC North Division. For instance, in one scene, a child asks for a green and yellow mohawk, a nod to the Green Bay Packers. In another, a man asks for a bear tattoo, ala the Chicago Bears. In another, a couple appears to be rushing into marriage while wearing Minnesota Vikings purple and gold.

Brown responds to each scenario with, “I wouldn’t rush into that.”

The lighthearted banter turns serious at the school bus stop. “But here’s where it really matters: No rushing when the red lights are flashing, there’s no passing,” Brown says in the PSA.

Morris added that a combination of humor and urgency is intentional. Like the video with Preece, she noted that the goal is to create a message that people will want to watch, while also reinforcing the most important safety rules for motorists, to stop for school buses when their reg lights are flashing and stop arm is extended.

Morris said Brown understood the importance of the campaign after seeing a recent news story about a close call involving a student.

“He and his wife were watching TV a couple days before we film, and one of our school districts had a really close call where this car just came flying past and this kid was going to cross the road,” Morris said. “He said it really resonated and obviously made it a little bit more important to get this done.”

Related: Florida Officials Stress School Bus Stop Safety After Illegal Passer Hits Student
Related: ‘If You Pass’ Campaign Drives Awareness, Engagement on School Bus Safety
Related: (STN Podcast E305) It’s Your Job: Industry Legend Dick Fischer Talks School Bus Safety, Training

Illegal Passing PSA Builds on Racing-themed Video

MAPT’s first illegal passing PSA with Preece was released during National School Bus Safety Week in October 2025 and can only be run through the end of this calendar year. The new PSA with Brown, however, does not have the same restrictions.

Morris said sponsors again helped make the latest PSA possible, including several that also supported the racing campaign. The current PSA was sponsored by the National School Transportation Association, the National Association of Pupil Transportation and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, as well as state organizations such as New York, Texas, and Indiana. First Light, IC Bus and Dean Transportation also sponsored the PSA.

She said some sponsors also committed funding specifically for airtime, which could help expand the campaign’s reach beyond social media.

The campaign’s momentum may not stop here. Morris said MAPT is already looking toward the music industry as the next avenue for reaching a broader audience.

“There’s obviously a need for this, and there’s a want for it, which is good,” Morris said. “And hopefully there won’t be a need or a want for it after a while. But right now, we have to do something for the kids.”

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STN EXPO attendees have the opportunity to vote on their favorite hardware, technology and software products made for the pupil transportation industry at the upcoming STN EXPO West.

The STN EXPO Innovation Choice Awards program is open to any individual, organization or authorized agent who exhibits at STN EXPO West 2026 conference and promotes school transportation products. The product entered must be available in the market for the first time between Jan. 1 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.

Each 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.

Winners will be announced at a later date.

Related: Innovation Awards Returns to STN EXPO, Vote on Site
Related: Feeling Super About Transportation Technology?
Related: How Technology Can Assist the 2026 State of Student Transportation
Related: How Technology Powers Daily Student Transportation Operations

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The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on school districts to take extra precautions when selecting motorcoaches, small buses or vans for charter trips.

In a new safety alert released June 3, the NTSB stated that districts when scheduling charter trips should choose passenger carriers with a strong safety record, proper licensing and insurance, and vehicles equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts for seating position. NTSB added that drivers should provide pre-trip safety briefings, including how to use seatbelts, where emergency exits are located and what passengers should do in an emergency.

The agency noted that past crash investigations have shown that serious injuries and deaths can occur when seatbelts are not available or worn. It highlighted past crashes, one of which took place in Orland, California in April 2014. ​A truck-tractor was traveling south when it crossed the center median and collided with a passenger vehicle traveling north. It continued south in the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a bus that was chartered to transport high school students and adult chaperones to a local university.

A post-crash fire ensued. The truck-tractor driver, the bus driver and eight bus passengers died. The remaining 37 bus passengers sustained injuries of varying degrees, and the two occupants of the passenger vehicle sustained minor injuries. The bus driver did not play the bus company’s prerecorded safety briefing, which showed where to find the bus emergency exits and fire extinguishers. The passengers were also not informed of the available lap/shoulder belts. Only one passenger was wearing a lap/shoulder belt.

Related: Alcohol Detection Systems in School Buses Among Latest NTSB Recommendations
Related: NTSB Preliminary Report Details Fatal Tennessee School Bus Crash
Related: From Taxis to Trusted Rides: Alternative Transportation Benefits Illinois Students
Related: Virginia School District Uses Unique Transportation Solutions to Meet Island Needs

In Wawayanda, New York in September 2023, a bus chartered by a New York school district to transport students to a band camp had a tire failure, causing the bus to cross the left-hand land and shoulder, penetrate a roadside cable barrier, traveled down into the median, and roll before coming to rest on its left. The charter trip bus was occupied by the driver, 40 high school students, and three adult chaperones, two of which were ejected and died.

The driver was ejected and seriously injured. Fourteen other occupants sustained serious injuries, and 27 had minor injuries. The 2014 bus was equipped with lap/shoulder belts in all seating positions, but only one passenger was belted at the time of the crash. The driver, who was also not belted, stated that she did not provide a pre-trip safety briefing and that the school had not requested one, NTSB relayed.

Then in Etna, Ohio in November 2023, a tractor-trailer rear-ended a car in traffic, causing a chain reaction of collisions. A school bus chartered by a school district for a field trip carrying 52 school students and three faculty members was among the vehicles involved in the crash. As a result of the crash, three bus occupants died, three were seriously injured, and 36 had minor injuries. Three occupants of other vehicles also died. The bus was not equipped with passenger seatbelts (lap or lap/shoulder belts) because at the time it was built, these belts were not required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. NTSB added the bus driver did not conduct a pre-trip safety briefing as required by the bus company’s driver handbook.

The checklist is aimed at helping schools make safer transportation decisions for athletic events, field trips and other off-campus activities. View the full list.

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There are always opportunities to share thoughts and help the industry move forward including serving as a committee chair or vice chair of the National Congress on School Transportation. Interested parties are invited to apply for open seats for the 18th NCST, scheduled for May 6-9, 2029 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The NCST, now meeting every four years, seeks to establish a national consensus on school bus standards, best practices and operational procedures. The 18th National Congress is ramping up with the formation of writing committees, and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services extended the deadline to serve on a committee to June 30.

“Writing Committee Chair or Vice Chair positions are not overly daunting,” NASDPTS said in an email to members. “If you have experience in one of the committee areas, you are welcome to apply.”

The email states that the position requires a commitment of around 10 hours per month in 2026 and 2027 with a “slight increase” in years 2028 and 2029 in formalizing proposals for new or updated standards.

“It should be noted that committees do not rewrite sections but only edit existing sections,” the email adds. “We will help walk you through the process, so if you’re new to the NCST or to being a chair or vice chair, we will set you up for success.”

NCST Develops Vehicle and Operational Standards

The National Congress is categorized by Vehicle Specifications and Operational Procedures Committees. The Vehicle Specifications Committee includes school bus specifications, specially equipped school buses, school bus inspections, emerging technologies, and alternative fuels.

Meanwhile, the Operational Procedure Committees consists of general operations, transportation for students with disabilities and special heath care needs, infants, toddlers and preschooler operations, school transportation security and emergency preparedness, activity bus operations and alternative transportation. Alternative transportation is the latest writing committee that was formed for the 17th annual NCST, which was held in Des Moines, last May.

Learn more about the selection criteria for the writing committee chairs and vice chairs in the NCST Manual of Operations. Questions can be directed to NCST Chairman Mike Bullman.

Related: NHTSA Rulemaking at Heart of NCST Resolutions Focused on Safety
Related: St. Louis to Host 2029 National Congress on School Transportation
Related: 2025 National School Transportation Specs, Procedures Manual Released
Related: National Congress Finishes Early After 10-Year Hiatus

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General says lessons from the first Clean School Bus rebates and grant rounds should inform future funding, especially as $2.37 billion remains available.

EPA is expected to announce the next CSBP funding rounds later this month or in June.

Ask a transportation director what makes a clean school bus project successful, and the likely answer goes beyond the bus itself. Directors share the importance of coordinating with utilities, ensuring charging infrastructure is ready, managing vendor timelines, or tracking federal and state funds.

A new summary report from the EPA Office of Inspector General, released April 1, points to that same balancing act. The report stated that the EPA has made improvements to the CSBP since its first rebate round in 2022. Earlier weaknesses in application review, recipient verification and fund management should continue to inform how the agency awards future dollars.

The report reviewed five prior EPA Office of Inspector General reports related to the agency’s management of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for the 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates program. It identified two overarching issues: The application and selection process, and the management of funds. The summary report does not include new recommendations, but the OIG said the findings could help guide EPA decision-making for future CSBP awards, especially as money is still on the table.

Congress provided $5 billion over five years through IIJA to replace older diesel school buses with cleaner models, including propane, compressed natural gas and zero-emission buses. EPA has described the program as a way to reduce emissions in buses, loading zones and the communities they serve.

Report Highlights Rebate, Grant Awards to Date

At the beginning of fiscal year 2026, the CSBP had $2.37 billion remaining. As of February, EPA said it intends to revamp the program and issued a Request for Information seeking input from fleet operators, manufacturers, school officials and energy producers. The comment period closed April 6. The 146 filed comments included those from all major OEMs, dozens of school districts and other concerned citizens.

As of last November, EPA had awarded $865 million through the 2022 rebate program to 368 school districts for 2,328 replacement buses. The 2023 grant program awarded $950 million to 65 recipients for 2,696 buses, while the 2023 rebate program awarded $815 million to 458 school districts for 3,241 buses. All awards leaning heavily toward electric school buses. Find the breakdown of fuel funding on STN’s Green Bus Resources page.

But the EPA Inspector General said the initial process lacked adequate controls to verify certain applicant and bus eligibility information. Prior reports found EPA did not require enough documentation to verify applicant identity or the accuracy of information submitted, and applicants were not required to directly attest to the truthfulness of their applications. The OIG also said the agency had not established verification protocols before awarding funds.

That matters for districts because federal clean bus projects often require coordination among multiple parties, including school systems, contractors, original equipment manufacturers, utilities and infrastructure providers. The OIG noted that some eligible contractors were allowed to apply or initiate applications on behalf of eligible entities without their knowledge.

Another concern centered on whether local conditions were adequately considered, particularly for zero-emission buses. Under the IIJA, EPA must consider factors such as route length and weather conditions when awarding clean school bus funds. The OIG said prior reports found EPA was not ensuring applicants seeking electric buses had suitable local conditions, and it also cited utility delays as a potential risk to timely deployment.

Fund management was another issue flagged by the OIG. The report said EPA did not adequately monitor bus deployment status or recipient use of 2022 rebate funds, despite previously committing to do so. It also found that 2022 guidance did not clearly indicated for recipients whether CSBP funds should be kept in separate accounts, whether interest could be earned on those funds, or how any interest could be used.

According to the OIG, some recipients kept CSBP awards in accounts that included other funds, which increased the risk that program money could be used for other purposes.

Related: EPA ‘Revamping’ Clean School Bus Program
Related: Future of Clean School Bus Program?
Related: Updated: EPA Seeks to Expand Fuel Scope of Clean School Bus Program
Related: Inspector General Report Cites Inefficiencies in EPA Clean School Bus Program
Related: EPA Investigator General Cites Clean School Bus Program Inefficiencies, Utility Delays

EPA has since made changes. For the 2023 rebate round, the agency required electric bus applicants to submit a Utility Partnership Agreement verifying that districts had notified their local utility. EPA also updated guidance to require recipients to manage funds so they would not accrue interest, keep funds in separate accounts and use them only for eligible expenses. In 2024, EPA added a School Board Awareness Certification requiring applicants to verify that school boards were notified of intended program participation.

The OIG said EPA has completed corrective actions addressing several prior recommendations and was still implementing others. The report states that the agency had completed, or was in the process of implementing, corrective actions for all 11 prior recommendations reviewed.

EPA also reported taking additional oversight steps beginning in February 2025, including site visits to rebate recipients, reviews of concerns related to use of funds and weekly project status reports to the chief financial officer.

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Millions of illegal passing violations occur across the U.S. each year. While the instances are universal, the rules governing them are not. Pupil transportation experts
noted in March at STN EXPO East in North Carolina that inconsistency is part of the problem. Uniform standards could be key to saving lives.

“People just don’t know what to do,” said Derek Graham, a retired state director with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and current industry consultant, during the March 29 session Illegal Passing NHTSA’s Latest Research Results.

At the center of the issue is the “loading zone triangle,” where the school bus, students and motorists intersect. When communication breaks down at any of those points, the consequences can be severe.

“Everything has to go wrong in order for a kid to get really hurt in this loading zone triangle,” Graham said. “But there’s a lot that has to go right.”

Students being injured in the Danger Zone—the 10-foot radius around stopped school buses—is often preventable, that is if education and expectations are aligned. However, the challenge of inconsistency remains.

School bus passing laws vary by state, and even by roadway type within states. All jurisdictions require a motorist to stop while overtaking from behind a stopped
school bus, regardless of road type. But 42 jurisdictions require a motorist to stop when approaching an on-coming, stopped school bus on undivided roadways, and only 12 require motorists to stop in “certain situations.” The most common (10 out of 12) being on an undivided roadway with fewer than four lanes.

Utah requires motorists to stop on undivided roadways of fewer than five lanes and Washington state only requires motorists to stop on undivided two-lane roadways. Florida, Guam, Hawaii, New York and West Virginia require a motorist to stop when approaching a stopped school bus on a divided roadway, whereas 40 jurisdictions do not. The remaining nine only require a motorist to stop when approaching a divided roadway of less than four lanes.

Additionally, state laws vary on what constitutes a divided highway, according to the State Laws on School Bus Passing report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The result is confusion, especially for motorists crossing state lines or encountering unfamiliar road layouts. Plus, student crossing rules also differ. California school
bus drivers must physically exit their vehicle armed with a stop paddle and the school bus keys and walk younger students across the street.

“It would be best if it was all the same, if everybody knew the same rule,” Graham said, citing research from NHTSA’s November 2024 report, Driver Knowledge of School Bus Passing Laws: A National Survey.

While more than 90 percent of motorists surveyed correctly identified when to stop behind a school bus on a four-lane, undivided roadway, only 53 percent knew to stop when approaching from the front. Just 17.5 percent answered correctly when a motorist is approaching from the front on a four-lane, divided roadway.

A November 2024 NHTSA national survey found that 30.5 percent of respondents said most drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses do so because they “didn’t care.”

The National Association of Pupil Transportation is also looking at uniform language to address the gap, a board member shared during the session.

That gap has led some districts (where states allow) to adopt automated enforcement cameras that capture violations and help issue citations. Such a program is in place in Austin, Texas, where officials recorded about 14,000 violations in a single school year. Austin ISD Executive Director of Transportation Kris Hafezizadeh shared that information with attendees during a March 30 panel discussion, Strategies to Remove Danger from the Loading & Unloading Zone.

“Think about that,” Hafezizadeh said, adding the number of repeat violators is about 1 percent. “Something is working.”

Camera enforcement, combined with public awareness, has shown promise. But even that approach depends on consistent legal frameworks, something not yet in place nationwide.

While illegal passing draws much attention, it is only one part of a broader safety picture. Recent student fatality data from the Kansas Department of Education’s
National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey show that not all tragedies involve passing vehicles. A 55-year summary of the data indicates that school buses and their drivers account for 56.5 percent of all fatalities in the Danger Zone.

“These loading zone incidents are really about student pedestrians,” said session panelist Keba Baldwin, director of transportation at Prince George’s County Public
Schools in Maryland and 2025 STN Transportation Director of the Year. “Every student… is a pedestrian for some period of time before they get on that bus.”

That reality reinforces the need for a safe system approach, which assumes human error and builds multiple layers of protection. “Humans make mistakes,” said Graham, who moderated the discussion. “Drivers, kids, bus drivers, not everything is going to work at the same time to perfection.”

He noted adherence to three pillars of safety: Education, engineering and enforcement.
Education teaches drivers the law, trains students to navigate bus stop safety and ensures parents understand their role. Hafezizadeh said it’s important to train drivers, but also educate families. “Explain the why again,” he said.

Engineering involves vehicle design and infrastructure, from stop arms and lighting to route planning that minimizes the need for children to cross busy roads. Enforcement, whether through police or cameras, reinforces accountability.

Even with strong laws and enforcement, safety ultimately depends on what bus drivers can see and what they can’t. School buses are designed with specialized mirror systems and federal visibility standards intended to eliminate blind spots, particularly in the danger zone.

“The mirrors are only as good as their adjustment,” said industry expert Dave McDonald, during his March 28 session Focused Driver 111: Proper Mirror Adjustment and Distracted Driving.

Improperly adjusted mirrors can leave critical gaps directly in front of or alongside the bus, where children are most likely to be walking. Federal guidelines require drivers to maintain clear sightlines around the bus. But in practice, those standards are not always consistently enforced or checked.

McDonald took attendees outside to the parking lot to demonstrate how to adjust mirrors in compliance with FMVSS 111, the federal requirement used to capture as much of the Danger Zone as possible. Substitute drivers, time pressures and inconsistent training can all lead to compromised visibility, he noted, adding that some drivers are unable or unwilling to adjust mirrors properly and occasionally compensate by leaning or shifting in their seats. This workaround, McDonald called, “is a recipe for disaster.”

The consequences can be severe. In crash investigations, visibility failures are closely scrutinized, he said. If a bus does not meet required visibility standards at the time of an incident, even bigger issues can result.

“If the mirrors don’t pass that grid test… the big word liability comes out,” McDonald said. Even when mirrors are properly adjusted, blind spots cannot be eliminated entirely. Drivers must actively compensate by scanning, repositioning and maintaining constant awareness, especially during loading and unloading when children may move unpredictably.

The industry has seen several fatalities where a student was killed due to a dragging incident or to pick something up that they dropped after unloading from their school bus. Uniform standards not only for laws but also training and equipment are critical. Without consistency, the effectiveness of even the best-designed safety systems depends too heavily on individual habits.

McDonald added that poorly adjusted mirrors can prevent school bus drivers from seeing children in the Danger Zone. While he said camera technology and collision avoidance systems add new layers of protection, they can’t detect blind spots or identify potential hazards like humans can. At least not yet.

“You can’t program a computer to react to every [decision] a human will do in a spur of the moment,” McDonald said, emphasizing that human behavior remains unpredictable.

As the sessions at STN EXPO East reiterated, none of these efforts are fully effective alone and without consistency. Standardizing school bus passing laws could reduce confusion and improve compliance. “We’ve got decades of data showing [motorists are] going to pass,” Graham said. “So, we have to focus on what happens when they do, and how we keep kids safe.”

He noted that responsibility is not limited to the motorists that break the law but extends to the training that shapes the behavior. From the policies that guide
enforcement, and the education that prepares children and motorists, he said.

“Responsibility is shared,” Graham concluded. “It’s not just the bad guy who passed the school bus.”

Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the May 2026 issue of School Transportation News.

Related: Seatbelt, Danger Zone Recommendations Highlight NTSB Discussion at STN EXPO East
Related: 6 Students Killed in Danger Zone, All by School Buses
Related: Doubled Vision: Covering Your Danger Zone
Related: (STN Podcast E228) Freedom From Risk: How Districts Can Protect Students in the School Bus Danger Zone

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