Communications came in #3 on procurement lists created by Transportation Director Summit attendees at STN EXPO West. Business Development Manager David Weber discusses how School Radio supports reliable communication for the professionals transporting precious cargo on school buses.

Joel Stutheit, former transportation director who now serves as senior manager of Autogas business development for the Propane Education & Research Council, shares why propane makes financial and operational sense for school districts, such as Oregon’s Beaverton School District which has seen great success with the fuel.

Matt Reich, who oversees growth and strategic partnerships for school bus stop-arm enforcement system provider Verra Mobility, speaks on the illegal passing epidemic, safety conversions at the Transportation Director Summit, and success in districts like Polk County Public Schools in Florida.

Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana just won the Top Transportation Teams award for the third straight time, and Hoover City Schools in Alabama won it for the second straight time. Matt Hostetter, transportation and school safety clerk for Wa-Nee, and Brad Hayn, director of transportation for Hoover City, are joined by John Daniels, vice president of marketing for award sponsor and technology provider Transfinder, to examine their secrets to success.

Read more STN EXPO West coverage.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

Message from IC Bus. 

 

 

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E314) Onsite at STN EXPO West, Pt. 1: Hear From Repeat Top Transportation Team Winners appeared first on School Transportation News.

RENO, Nev. – At the 2026 STN EXPO West Conference, a Zonar “CEO Talk” brought together industry leaders to confront the realities of preparing for the 2026-2027 school year.

Led by Zonar CEO Charles Kriete, who has guided the company for over a year and a half, the session spotlighted Zonar’s enduring role as an innovator in school transportation technology and its deep partnerships with organizations like school bus contractor Student Transportation of America, whose lead electric vehicle performance analyst, Cameron Wood, was named STN’s Innovator of the Year this month, and electric bus manufacturer Ride. Zonar’s active presence at STN EXPO included fresh coffee sponsorships, the Ride and Drive experience, engaging trade show activations, and a welcoming booth offering hands-on product trials.

Kriete’s address, infused with Zonar’s “mile for mile” support and “where the rubber meets the road” philosophy, revealed sobering survey data: only 15 percent of districts feel fully ready for back-to-school, while 85 percent acknowledge moderate or significant gaps. Budget pressures are acute. Sixty percent of districts report flat budgets, 19 percent face outright cuts, and 10 percent have no dedicated technology budget at all in 2026. These constraints are exacerbated by a 57 percent surge in fuel costs, yet 36 percent of districts are not investing in new technology. The top areas for tech investment — routing software, ridership solutions, and driver coaching — are critical, with Kriete emphasizing that technology is the main way to bridge the education access gap.

Central to his talk was what Kriete termed “one picture of readiness,” advocating for integrated platforms that unify data and streamline operations, directly addressing the challenge of “data scattered all over the place.” He illustrated this with stories from the field, including a Pittsburgh district’s struggles and a California transportation director unaware of Zonar’s remote emissions testing. He urged districts to “sweat what you already own,” audit current providers for untapped features, and recognize that the Zonar Bus Suite’s flexibility supports both rural and urban environments. Attendees were invited to “try it for free” via a QR code at the STN EXPO Trade Show booth.

Driver shortage remains student transporters’ top concern, with 77 percent of districts affected, but Kriete highlighted that technology investments can more than double driver retention rates, offering “career progression” and addressing root causes rather than just symptoms.

“It does a lot to make them feel more engaged, more safe, more efficient in their job,” he said. “It increases retention levels extraordinarily, dramatically.”

He reframed the school bus industry’s mission, saying, “we’re not actually in the student transportation business, we’re in the access to education business,” underscoring the imperative to deliver “every kid to school.” Kriete closed by urging attendees to maximize partnerships, audit and leverage existing resources, and embrace innovation.

Written with assistance of AI from a session transcript.

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Related: Zonar CEO Kriete Talks Tech Solutions for School Bus Safety, Efficiency
Related: Zonar CEO Kriete Reminds Student Transporters of the Business They’re In
Related: Zonar Acquisition Results in Launch of Routing Software

The post CEO Talk with Zonar: The State of Back-to-School Readiness appeared first on School Transportation News.

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.

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Related: Sharda Presented with Innovator of the Year Award at 2025 STN EXPO West
Related: Zum’s Prakash Accepts Innovator of the Year Award at STN EXPO
Related: Innovator of the Year Talks School Bus Charging Solutions
Related: 2023 Innovator of the Year Drives Technological Advantages Needed for Fleet Growth
Related: Inagural Innovator of the Year Leads Electrification of North America’s Largest Fleet of School Buses

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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.”

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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

The post Innovator of Year Awarded to STA’s Wood at STN EXPO West appeared first on School Transportation News.

The student transportation driver shortage is not news, and the 2026 data confirms it is still top of mind for fleet managers. 75% of transportation professionals rank driver availability as their top concern heading into fall, holding across every fleet size and operation type.

On July 30, Zonar and School Transportation News bring together a panel of experts for a live look at where the industry stands and how purpose-built technology supports teams running short-staffed. Walk away with data, context and practical steps your operation takes into the 2026-27 school year.

What we’ll cover:

• Why 75% of transportation professionals rank driver availability as their top concern, and what the long-term data says about where this is headed
• Why only 15% of districts say all systems are confirmed for fall, and what the preparation gap costs on day one
• How flat budgets buy less in 2026 than they did in 2025, and where the 64% of districts investing in technology are putting their money
• How fleet tech can be an ally in this fight: one unified system, end-to-end safety, proven hardware and everything included at no extra cost
• Practical steps for transportation leaders on where to focus technology investment heading into the 2026-27 school year

Brought to you by Zonar

 

REGISTER BELOW:

 

Featured speakers:

Malinda Sandhu
Director, Strategic Accounts
Zonar

Malinda Sandhu leads strategic account relationships at Zonar, working directly with transportation directors to translate operational challenges into technology solutions. With more than 20 years in transportation, she has watched safety technology, automated enforcement and fleet electrification reshape the industry across North America. Her work connects vendors, operators, regulators and industry partners, turning innovation into revenue, partnerships and scalable market growth. She also founded Malinda Sandhu Innovation Partners, advising transportation, mobility and K-12 pupil transportation organizations on strategy, partnerships and growth.

Valeria Rios
Product Marketing Manager
Zonar

With seven years in the industry across support and marketing, Valeria translates product capabilities into real-world value for fleet operators. She built her foundation leading customer support teams through complex technical and operational issues, gaining first-hand insight into how fleets actually use Zonar products day to day. Now she works across product, engineering and regional leadership teams to guide platform initiatives, drive adoption and keep operations aligned.

The post (Free Webinar) Short-Staffed and on Schedule: Tackling the Student Transportation Driver Shortage 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.

PORTERVILLE, Calif. — Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) is set to develop a comprehensive solar, battery energy storage, microgrid, and electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging project to meet the District’s intersecting energy, transportation, and resilience needs with clean, renewable, lower-cost electricity.

To develop the project, PUSD has partnered with ForeFront Power, a leading developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial-scale renewable energy solutions, as well as The Mobility House (TMH), an independent charge management provider. The project is being funded in part via a U.S. EPA Clean School Bus (CSB) Program grant, which the district secured with support from CALSTART, a nonprofit organization that connects businesses, government agencies, and industry partners to accelerate the adoption of clean transportation technologies.

The PUSD Zero-Emission Transportation Infrastructure Project and Microgrid will include a 763 kW solar array mounted on existing shade structures at the District’s north and south parking lots, along with a 408 kW / 1632 kWh battery storage system to store solar energy, provide resiliency, and discharge power to shave peak demand. A microgrid controller will enable the facility to disconnect from Southern California Edison’s electrical grid when needed, drawing power directly from the District’s on-site solar energy and battery storage assets.

The solar-plus-storage system will support 35 DC fast charger ports to serve the District’s planned fleet of electric school buses. These fast chargers will be connected to The Mobility House’s charge management system, ChargePilot®, which will enable the fleet to draw power directly from PUSD’s on-site energy systems in tandem with grid electricity. The EV charging infrastructure will also include eight charging ports in the north parking lot that will serve the District’s “white fleet.” Two of the eight chargers will feature bi-directional charging capability, which enables an EV to function as a “battery on wheels,” storing and discharging power back to the grid with vehicle-to-grid services (V2G). V2G technology will help the District support grid resilience, offset energy expenses, and extend an additional clean energy resource to students, staff, and the broader community.

Both V2G and microgrid technologies are integral to Porterville’s resiliency strategy, which includes protecting the broader community in the event of emergencies and power outages, such as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events.

“We are excited to advance this important infrastructure project, which supports the District’s long-term goals for sustainability, energy resiliency, and responsible stewardship of public resources,” said Brad Rohrbach, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Porterville Unified School District. “This project represents a significant investment in our students, schools, and community, while helping position the District for a more efficient and sustainable future. We are grateful to CALSTART for their critical support in helping the District secure this grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We also appreciate the partnership and expertise provided by ForeFront Power and The Mobility House.”

Upgrading the District Fleet, A Community Lifeline

Located in Tulare County in California’s Central Valley, the Porterville region experiences some of the nation’s worst air quality, which disproportionately affects student respiratory health. PUSD serves more than 14,000 TK–12 students across 22 campuses, 88.9% of whom are from socioeconomically disadvantaged households, making the District’s transportation fleet a critical lifeline for many students who rely on school buses for access to education and extracurricular activities. In response to these conditions and rising energy costs, the District launched its PUSD Energy & Sustainability Program in 2019, aiming to reduce energy costs and GHG emissions by 80% by 2030, and is pursuing this EV infrastructure project as a key pillar of the program.

Once complete, the 1,171‑kW solar, battery storage, and microgrid system is expected to produce nearly 1,425,000 kWh of clean, renewable electricity annually. This onsite generation, combined with smart dispatch of the battery and V2G resources, is designed to offset approximately 80% of the District facilities’ electricity consumption—including the anticipated annual SCE utility bill for electric bus charging—and avoid an estimated 21,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions over the 30‑year project lifecycle. The District’s plan to transition all school buses to electric by 2035 will save an additional 15,000 metric tons in avoided CO₂ emissions from reduced tailpipe pollution, bringing their total expected CO₂ emissions reduction over the same 30-year period to approximately 37,000 metric tons. This is equivalent to the GHG emissions from over 3.6 million gallons of diesel fuel burned.

Public-Private Partnership Enables Long-Term Budget Certainty and Savings on Electricity and Fuel

Designed, engineered, and developed by ForeFront Power, the future project is designed for an expected lifetime of 30 years. During this period, PUSD will partner with ForeFront Power for ongoing Asset Management services. This project will provide PUSD with budget certainty while reducing its dependence on fossil fuels to power its fleet. The transition to electric buses will lower fuel and maintenance costs and provide long-term savings over the project’s lifetime, protecting PUSD’s budget from increasing diesel and utility rates.

“We applaud Porterville USD for pursuing this innovative project for zero-emission infrastructure,” said Dr. Ruben Fontes, CEO at ForeFront Power. “When complete, this clean energy portfolio will serve as a national model for how vulnerable communities can mitigate rising energy and fuel costs, improve public health, meet ambitious climate goals, and protect themselves from climate emergencies.”

“We are glad to be a part of such an innovative and ambitious project to benefit the school district and community of Porterville,” said Greg Hintler, CEO of The Mobility House North America. “Clean energy technologies such as solar microgrids, electric school buses, and V2G have enormous potential to provide clean and affordable energy and transportation solutions for school districts and communities across the country.”

U.S. EPA’s Clean School Bus Program Delivers for Porterville

The upcoming project is anchored by a major federal investment through the U.S. EPA’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Program. Porterville Unified School District has secured federal grant funding to replace diesel buses with zero‑emission buses and install fast charging and clean energy infrastructure. As part of this award, the EPA funds Porterville USD directly, and CALSTART serves as the District’s technical and project management partner—handling implementation support, monitoring and reporting, workforce and community programs, and positioning the District for future federal and state grant opportunities. PUSD has also pursued other funding opportunities including California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission’s Zero Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) incentive project.

“PUSD’s commitment to decarbonize their fleet is transformational for the San Joaquin Valley, for the broader Porterville community, and for school districts that are navigating similar transitions. Funding programs that reduce capital costs are critical to make these school electrification projects possible.” said Valerie Thorsen, P.E., Regional Director at CALSTART. “PUSD is not only transitioning their fleet, but they have also provided EV internships in partnership with Climate Action Pathways for Schools and are actively enabling clean energy jobs through their Academy of Energy and Resource Occupations (AERO) Pathways Program.”

Procurement Assisted by Joint Power Authority SPURR and the PAVE Program

PUSD procured its Zero-Emission Transportation Infrastructure Project and Microgrid by leveraging the Procurement Assistance for Vehicle Electrification (“PAVE”) Program. The PAVE Program is managed by SPURR, a joint powers authority dedicated to helping the California public sector control and reduce utility expenses. PAVE is designed to help public agencies streamline the procurement process for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure through an easy infrastructure roadmap and a single source for planning, installation, and management of complicated multi-phase EV charging infrastructure projects. Through PAVE’s integrated RFP process, the District selected ForeFront Power to develop, finance, and construct its EV charging infrastructure project, and The Mobility House (TMH) as its charge management technology provider.

Advancing PUSD’s Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS) Student Initiative

This upcoming project will also advance PUSD’s Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS) initiative by linking classroom learning, career pathways, and real-world clean energy infrastructure. Through CAPS-aligned project-based units, energy audits, and analysis of the District’s solar, energy storage, and EV charging systems, students will use the campus as a living lab to build skills in renewable energy, sustainability, and conservation. Porterville USD, ForeFront Power, CALSTART, and The Mobility House have also developed a community outreach program to educate local residents on the clean transportation and air quality benefits of the microgrid and EV transportation infrastructure, along with hands-on CAPS internships that provide experience in zero-emission fleet operations while advancing district climate and sustainability goals.

About Porterville Unified School District

Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) is located in the heart of California’s Central Valley at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Tulare County. Serving a diverse community of over 13,000 students, PUSD is dedicated to the mission of ‘Creating Opportunities: Changing Lives’. The district operates a comprehensive network of schools, including elementary, middle, and high school sites, and is a leader in regional Career Technical Education (CTE) and sustainability initiatives. PUSD serves a rich, multicultural population, with a deep commitment to supporting English Learners and providing equitable access to high-quality academic and vocational pathways for all students.

About ForeFront Power

ForeFront Power is a leading provider of energy solutions and advisory services. This includes commercial and industrial-scale (C&I) solar energy and battery storage projects in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as fleet electrification and asset management services. With over 15 years of experience, the ForeFront Power team has developed more than 1,900 behind-the-meter and community solar projects, totaling more than 1.6 gigawatt-DC of renewable electricity. In addition to project development and asset management, ForeFront Power provides strategic advisory services that help organizations navigate complex energy decisions—from sustainability and procurement planning to renewable project implementation. The company serves a wide array of business, government, education, healthcare, and community solar customers from its San Francisco headquarters and through teams based in New York, Mexico City, and across the U.S. For additional information, please visit www.forefrontpower.com.

About The Mobility House

The Mobility House is shaping the zero emissions future of energy and mobility. Our resilient charging technology makes EV charging reliable and flexible, and provides drivers the freedom of zero emissions, zero cost charging. We integrate flexible charging with energy systems to stabilize the electrical grid and free it from fossil fuels. Across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America, The Mobility House currently manages more than 2,700 EV fleet charging facilities, charges hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles, and trades power from more than 1 GWh of energy storage.

The post The Mobility House Powers Porterville Unified School District’s Fleet Electrification with Smart Charging and Vehicle-to-Grid Technology appeared first on School Transportation News.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. – By fall of this year, the full fleet of Summit’s local operating entities, such as Durham School Services, Petermann Bus, and Stock Transportation, will be equipped with Samsara’s state-of-the-art fleet and safety management technology – positioning Summit as one of the first providers in the student transportation industry to complete the outfitting process of its entire fleet. Samsara is a leading provider of cloud-based technology that uses connected sensors, cameras, and software to give real-time visibility into fleet operations, safety performance, and asset tracking.

This fleetwide implementation showcases Summit’s commitment to student safety, operational excellence, and continued innovation as a leading student transportation provider. It also marks a major milestone that will have a positive impact not only on Summit and our local operating entities, but also the communities we serve and the broader student transportation industry.

Once complete, the addition of Samsara’s technology will:

Further catapult our local operating entities to the forefront as industry leaders in safety and operational excellence.
Bolster and advance the safety of our student riders, drivers, and the communities we serve across our operations nationwide.
Challenge and improve current industry safety standards and set new benchmarks in safety innovation.

“Our teams have always prided themselves on being leaders in not only the industry, but also in their communities and among their peers,” said Adam Silbernagel, Senior Vice President of IT, Summit School Services. “Being the first student transportation provider of our size to complete the installation of Samsara across our entire fleet reaffirms our strong commitment to student safety. It also further solidifies our position as a leading student transportation provider in North America.“

Samsara’s cutting-edge technology, which is customizable to fit the needs of each school district, includes advanced dashcams – an important tool to further advance safety for both students and drivers and to provide parents, school districts, and communities with greater peace of mind.

Dashcams:
Dual facing cameras with high-definition video and sound, which includes 360° in-cab visibility.
Real-time detections for driver support, such as mobile phone usage warnings and forward collision detection, providing greater coaching opportunities.

Additionally, dashcams feature cloud-based data storage for quick and direct access to recordings for incident clarity and maintaining reliable, excellent service.

With the support of Samsara’s intelligent dashcams, school districts and parents can be rest assured that driving behaviors are reviewed, reinforced, and, when needed, coached timely and thoroughly. Based on research and data from similar fleets, Samsara has reported that its technology has helped accident rates drop by up to 50%, mobile phone usage drop by up to 81%, and following distance reduced by up to 67%.

“Safety is and will always be a core value of ours. This integration of Samsara is a clear reflection of that,” said Adam Silbernagel, Senior Vice President of IT, Summit School Services. “By leveraging Samsara’s advanced, intelligent safety monitoring technology, we can further safeguard our students and build even greater trust with parents and our school district partners. As a strong advocate for safer, smarter student transportation, we will continue to push the envelope and raise the bar in safety standards to help transport students to school every day safely, on time, and ready to learn.”

The integration of Samsara’s technology is another step in Summit’s launch of Catalyst, Summit’s powerful, next‑generation technology stack built to elevate every student ride. Catalyst will deliver real-time GPS tracking, dynamic route optimization, and driver behavior monitoring to help keep buses efficient, safe, and on schedule.

About Summit School Services
Summit School Services sets the standard for safe, reliable student transportation across North America. As the parent organization to trusted local operators including Durham School Services, Stock Transportation, and Petermann Bus, Summit supports over 360 school districts. Driven by our five values: Safety, Care, Transparency, Communities, and Culture, we deliver transportation that works consistently, reliably, and without disruption.

The post Summit School Services Leads the Way with Full Fleet Implementation of Samsara Safety Technology appeared first on School Transportation News.

When it comes to danger zone safety, Dave McDonald, president of Safe Bus Consulting, noted video cameras can supplement but not replace mirrors by providing the driver an expanded and enhanced field of vision, including night vision and elimination of blind spots inherent with traditional mirrors.

Rearview Camera Monitoring Systems (CMS) are now in use on many commercial vehicles, including Class 8 trucks and transit buses via a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration exemption, said the retired executive vice president for Rosco Vision Systems.

“They are also being piloted on school buses in some states,” McDonald added. “The concept of entirely mirrorless designs replacing bulky exterior rearview mirrors with high-definition digital video cameras and interior monitors is now becoming a reality.

“CMS, also known as electronic or e-mirrors, provide enhanced visibility in low-light and nighttime driving, are impervious to adverse weather conditions, improve aerodynamics to reduce fuel consumption, and eliminate the risk of damage from raid signs, trees, etc.”

Drivers should continue to rely on their cross view/crossover mirrors in addition to their rearview mirrors and supplemental camera systems, he noted.

“Proper mirror adjustment is crucial with regard to the forward Danger Zone,” said McDonald, who taught a class on proper mirror adjustment and avoiding distraction at the STN EXPO East conference in March. “A 360-degree camera system may enhance the driver’s overall field of view. Smart camera technology can provide drivers an alert to potential deadly situations around the perimeter of the bus.”

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Related: (STN Podcast E296) Technology Has Blossomed: School Bus Mirrors & Student Safety
Related: Utah School Districts Installs A.I. Cameras to Track Driver Behavior
Related: Rosco Receives Federal Exemption for Mirror-less Video Monitoring System

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Meanwhile, in a related School Transportation News article, Smart Move, in the July issue, AI-enabled school bus camera systems are shifting transportation departments from reactive incident review to proactive driver coaching. Vendors noted that modern systems can detect risky behaviors such as distraction, phone use, fatigue, seat belt violations, harsh braking, swerving, following too closely and possible microsleeps. These systems use driver-facing and outward-facing video cameras, telematics, computer vision and machine learning to create alerts, video clips and driver safety scores that supervisors can use for coaching, training and trend analysis.

To McDonald’s point, however, AI cameras are not meant to replace human judgment. Experts note that video cameras can flag symptoms of distress or unsafe behavior, but they cannot determine causes such as intoxication, medical issues or personal needs. Route and telematics data could eventually help districts identify fatigue patterns or stress points in a driver’s day.

The post Video Cameras Supplement Proper School Bus Mirror Adjustment appeared first on School Transportation News.

The post Will autonomous school buses start rolling on the nation’s roads in the next decade? appeared first on School Transportation News.

Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) is the next generation in nationwide radio systems with instant group calling and dispatching. Modern PoC radio systems are transforming school transportation communications with improved student safety and more efficient operations and logistics. This white paper will review how PoC works and the key benefits, the different types of PoC devices and systems, and integration options that are available.

Key takeaways from this informative white paper:

• How PoC systems work utilizing multiple 4G/5G/LTE cellular networks
• How GPS and fleet dispatching works and the key benefits
• How large school districts can manage and operate their own PoC system
• The different types of PoC devices, including handheld and mobile radios
• The significant difference between different PoC vendors and systems
• How to easily add PoC radios and wide area coverage to existing two-way radio systems

Fill out the form below and then check your email to access the guide.

The post (Free White Paper) Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) for Student Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.

Across the country, transportation leaders are being asked to solve the same problem in different forms: rising costs, ongoing driver shortages, and communities that expect reliable service without disruption. For many districts and bus contractors, the turning point came not from adding more resources—but from using Transfinder solutions more intentionally, guided by local best practices.

In one district, success started with people, not software. As Carissa Johnson, administrative services analyst at East Stroudsburg School District in Pennsylvania, explained, “Stopfinder will only be successful if the drivers are accurately using Wayfinder. Wayfinder is only successful if our dispatchers are properly routing.” Her team recognized early that tools had to work together—and that buy in across roles mattered as much as the technology itself.

Rather than rushing parent facing tools into production, the district focused first on drivers. “It took a lot first, just getting them to use the technology,” Johnson said. Weekly navigation audit reports helped identify who needed additional training and why. Over time, that discipline paid off. “Now that they see the impact that it has on Stopfinder with parents using it, we’re almost there.”

For others, efficiency gains came from pairing Transfinder tools with operational frameworks. In Springfield Public Schools in Oregon, operations and transportation manager Michael Schlosser described how lean thinking reshaped their approach. “My operating budget is about $7.9 million, and we’ve cut $1.3 million out of our budget in one year.” He traced those savings back to better routing practices and real ridership data. “So instead of having 4,500 kids assigned and routes out there that were running 15 to 20 kids on them, we eliminated 14 routes.”

That shift required changing long standing habits. “Going way back when, before we started Wayfinder, we just used to say all these kids are eligible for transportation,” Schlosser said. Requiring families to register clarified actual demand and reduced wasted capacity. Empty seats disappeared, and fewer buses were needed to move the same number of students.

Veteran transportation leader and consultant Pete Japikse sees this pattern repeatedly. “The solution is to keep transporting just as many kiddos as need a ride, but do it on fewer buses,” said Japikse of The Ennis Briton Consulting Group. For Japikse, the school bus must be treated as mass transit, not a personal vehicle. “And when you run fewer buses, you spend less money.”

Key Takeaways

• Align people, policy, and technology—tools work best when roles are connected
• Route to actual ridership, not eligibility assumptions
• Review and refine routes regularly, not only when problems arise
• Use data to build confidence with boards, parents, and drivers
• Small operational changes can unlock large, sustainable savings

Transfinder’s strength, he noted, lies in turning that philosophy into action. “Use the tools that Transfinder has to help separate actual riders from ghost riders, which allows you to do the data management that then you match with your route planning so that you can run an efficient operation.”

Bus contractors echoed the same theme from a different vantage point. Michael Howes, assistant operations director at Healey Bus, emphasized breaking out of silos that quietly drive inefficiency. “What I see with districts is they kind of get stuck in these silos,” he said, pointing to ways to think out of the box and collaborate with highway departments and police to reduce stop counts, improve safety, and tighten routes. “Your carbon impact is less, your speed is greater and the more efficiency you can have,”

Policy alignment also matters. Amy Rosa, transportation director at Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana, described how her district found gains by standardizing expectations. “The foundation of a lot of this is policy,” she said, noting that tightening alternative site rules and improving preregistration data made routes more predictable. “The pre routing data is critical. Getting that information from them… you can’t do it without knowing where you’re picking up kids.”

Rick Sanderson, transportation department foreman at Iron County School District in Utah, also highlighted the value of having information handy in Servicefinder, noting he’s used Servicefinder for at least 12 years. The district has 100 buses and the district serves more than 9,000 students.

“Parts-wise, I use the dashboard and created thematics so I can see when I’m out of parts, the cost for it,” he said. He puts his required three bids for parts in the grid, “so I can always refer back to it as far as cost goes,” Sanderson said.

Across these stories, the common thread is not a single feature or report—but intentional use. With consistent data, clear policies, and strong implementation practices, Transfinder solutions helped districts and contractors move from reactive operations to confident, efficient systems.

Efficiency, it turns out, is built together.

“The bottom line is the safety of the kids,” Sanderson said. “There’s a lot more to Transfinder than, I think, I know. There’s always different avenues, different perspectives you can take of it, with the data and making choices and judgments off of those.”

To learn more about Transfinder’s solutions and how it can help your district become more efficient, visit transfinder.com/solutions, email solutions@transfinder.com or call 800-373-3609.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post How Districts and Contractors Found Efficiency—with Data, Discipline and the Right Tools appeared first on School Transportation News.

When longtime software engineer Paul Beck began thinking about the future of his career, he saw artificial intelligence reshaping the technology industry and decided it was time for a change, reported Oil City News.

That change led Beck to frozen yogurt. Beck purchased Chozen Yogurt, a downtown Casper, Wyoming business, in January, after its previous owners put it up for sale. His daughters had worked at the shop during past summers and encouraged him to make a bid.

“My daughters are the reason I bought it,” Beck told local news reporters.

Looking for a way to expand the business, Beck reportedly turned to a decommissioned school bus his family brought with them while moving from Texas several years ago. Originally intended to become a recreational vehicle, the stripped-down school bus instead became a mobile frozen yogurt shop.

“We’ve had the bus for a while and had many plans like converting it to an RV,” Beck said via the article. “That never happened.”

With the seats already removed, Beck spent about two months transforming the vehicle into a mobile extension of a Chozen Yogurt shop. He painted the interior, installed electrical wiring, updated the flooring, and added appliances, working several hours each day to complete the project.

Because the school bus does not include a cooktop, it did not require costly fire suppression or ventilation systems, allowing it to pass city inspections with little difficulty. The mobile unit reportedly serves frozen yogurt and sorbet along with churros, pretzel bites and cookies. Beck said it complements the downtown storefront, which has operated since 2019, while also serving as a rolling advertisement during the busy summer months.

The converted school bus made its debut earlier this month and has already appeared at several community events. “I sent out a lot of emails to people asking if there’s a need for an extra food truck,” Beck told reporters. “Some were full, but a lot said, ‘Yeah, we could use some extra,’ so it’s not been hard at all to find events.”

To help customers locate the traveling shop, Beck added a bus-tracking feature to the company’s website and posts regular location updates on social media.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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Related: School Bus Transformed into a Camper and Workshop
Related: Colorado School Bus Gives Students Experience in the Food Industry
Related: Missouri Family Saves $2,000 a Month Living in Converted School Bus
Related: STN EXPO Indy Keynote Delivers Strategies on Converting Dreams to Success

The post From School Bus to Frozen Yogurt Shop on Wheels appeared first on School Transportation News.

A webinar explored how school districts can evaluate school bus radio communication systems based on reliability, coverage, scalability, safety features and total cost of ownership.

During Thursday’s webinar sponsored by Hytera, Marketing Director Ty Estes and Director of Engineering Morné Stramrood compared Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) systems and push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) solutions, explaining their advantages, limitations and use cases for student transportation.

“Radios are critical to school operations, logistics and student safety,” Estes declared, adding that reliable communication helps transportation departments, school staff and emergency responders coordinate their efforts.

Understanding Modern DMR Systems

Stramrood began with a technical overview of land mobile radio standards and the growing adoption of digital technologies.

“DMR is an industry standard. This is a very good thing,” he said.

He explained that benefits include increased call capacity, superior voice quality, reduced interference, longer battery life and better range.

Stramrood said school districts still operating analog radios can move to digital systems without completely replacing existing equipment. Many DMR radios support both analog and digital operation, allowing districts to transition gradually.

He reviewed the flexibility of modern DMR systems, including group calls, individual calls, emergency alerts, text messaging and centralized dispatching capabilities.

Additionally, school districts can organize users into communication groups for transportation, security, maintenance, administration and emergency operations. He said districtwide call groups can connect multiple campuses under a single communications platform.

Communications During Emergencies

Safety and emergency response remained a recurring theme throughout the webinar.

Stramrood shared examples of emergency notification capabilities that allow transportation directors to quickly alert school bus drivers during critical incidents, such as active shooter situations. Dispatchers can send emergency messages directing buses to predetermined safe locations until officials issue an all-clear notification.

He also highlighted safety features including GPS tracking, emergency call functions and location-based services. He also explained how districts can integrate modern radio systems with gate access control systems and public address networks.

Expanding Coverage and Capacity

Communication challenges in larger school districts often extend beyond a single campus or transportation facility.

There are several methods for expanding radio coverage, Stramrood noted. Repeater systems increase radio range and reliability when buildings or terrain create coverage barriers. Internet Protocol (IP) systems provide a cost-effective way to connect multiple locations across broader geographic areas. Trunking architectures support more simultaneous users and communication groups.

Since communication needs vary among districts, Stramrood stressed that transportation leaders should consider future planning and scalability when selecting a system.

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Related: Webinar Explains School Transportation Radio Systems
Related: Minnesota Student Radios Help After School Bus Driver Suffer Medical Emergency
Related: (STN Podcast E220) The Future: Bus Garage Tech, Illegal Passing Survey, Radios for Safety
Related: The Voice on the Radio

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Leveraging Push-to-Talk Over Cellular

The second half of the webinar examined push-to-talk over cellular technology, which uses commercial LTE and Wi-Fi networks instead of dedicated radio frequencies.

Unlike conventional radio systems that require FCC frequency licenses and supporting infrastructure, Estes explained that PoC systems operate through cloud-based platforms and existing nationwide cellular networks. PoC devices can support multi-carrier SIM cards, helping maintain coverage when one network is unavailable.

He shared that advantages of PoC technology include nationwide coverage, lower upfront costs, rapid deployment, end-to-end encryption and voice or video applications.

Districts can deploy PoC technology through purpose-built handheld radios, vehicle-mounted mobile radios and ruggedized smart devices that can run business applications, Estes stated.

He showed how the technology also equips transportation departments with GPS tracking, geofencing, instant group voice and video calling, dispatch applications, and centralized management tools to monitor assets and personnel in real time.

Choosing the Right School Bus Radio Solution

Rather than positioning DMR and PoC as competing technologies, Estes and Stramrood emphasized that each serves different operational needs.

DMR systems offer dedicated communications infrastructure and may be a better fit for districts focused on mission-critical reliability. PoC solutions provide broad geographic coverage and lower deployment costs while leveraging existing cellular networks.

Before making a purchase, Estes encouraged transportation leaders to work with experienced radio dealers and evaluate equipment firsthand.

“Get a demo,” he advised, noting that many dealers can provide loaner equipment so transportation departments can test radios in real-world operating conditions.

“Make sure you get the devices that are right for your school district and not the devices that happen to be available,” he cautioned.

Hytera will display its communications options at its booth during the STN EXPO West Trade Show in Reno, Nevada, on July 13-14.

Watch the webinar on demand.

This article was written with the assistance of AI.

The post DMR or PoC? Choosing the Right Radio System for School Buses appeared first on School Transportation News.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Durham School Services, a premier student transportation provider, has been unanimously chosen for their dedication to safety and reliability by Lawrence Public Schools to become their new transportation provider for the next three years through 2029. Durham currently serves over 50 schools in Kansas with nearly three decades of experience in the state.

With a fleet of 90 buses, Durham will run 74 routes for the school district, which includes regular, special education, and summer routes. To ensure safe and reliable service, each bus will be equipped with industry-trusted safety and operational technology. This includes Zonar’s fleet management platform for real-time GPS tracking and pre and post trip safety inspections, and Samsara’s AI enabled dash cameras to improve driver responsiveness and safety along each route. Additionally, parents and guardians will have full visibility into their student’s bus location, route changes, and arrival time, via our BusZone bus tracking app. Through the support of these innovative, state-of-the-art technology platforms, Lawrence Public Schools can anticipate an unrivaled level of service built with trust, transparency, and dependability.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Durham Bus Service for almost a decade. This experience provides me with the highest level of confidence that we will be working with a partner who will support our continued commitment to strengthen and enhance our student transportation,” said Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift, Superintendent, Lawrence Public Schools. “Together, we will focus on the priorities of student safety, customer service, and timely communication while also achieving systems efficiencies to improve the overall experience for students and families.”

“I’d like to thank Lawrence Public Schools for entrusting us with their students and giving us this opportunity to provide such a vital service to their students and the Lawrence community,” said Tim Wertner, CEO, Durham School Services. “Student transportation is an essential means to more than just an education. It is also a catalyst for access and safety – two valued principles that have driven our Company and team members to do our best each and every day for over a century and counting. I can say with confidence that Lawrence Public Schools can look forward to an unparalleled level of service, dedication to safety, and clear, consistent communication from Durham. Our team is full of gusto to get started and can’t wait to work together with the school to deliver the safe, reliable, and efficient service students and families of Lawrence Public Schools deserve.”

About Durham School Services
As a premier transportation provider, Durham School Services provides safe, reliable student transportation that communities trust and families depend on, backed by our operational discipline, local commitment, proven safety standards, and clear accountability. Our teams bring deep expertise and shared accountability to every route we operate. Driven by our five values: Safety, Care, Transparency, Communities, and Culture, we deliver transportation that works quietly, consistently, and without disruption.

The post Durham School Services to Bring Safety and Dependability to Lawrence Public Schools as New Transportation Provider appeared first on School Transportation News.

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.

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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

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

Student transportation fleets have a new take on an age-old problem: driver shortages. Millions of CDL holders are out there, so filling seats isn’t as big of an issue as filling seats with safe, reliable drivers who meet performance expectations. Retaining them isn’t easy, either.

How can a school fleet navigate this new world of driver shortage and retention problems? As you read this Driver Shortage Playbook, you’ll learn why traditional school bus driver recruitment strategies are no longer effective and how today’s fleets are adapting.

• Understand why financial incentives and fast hiring practices fail.
• Find out why a focus on quality over quantity benefits you both.
• Take away practical strategies for expanding your talent pool.
• Why career pathing for school fleet drivers is so important.
• And other ways to improve retention, safety, reliability and compliance.

Fill out the form below and then check your email to get the report.

The post (Free White Paper) The Driver Shortage Playbook appeared first on School Transportation News.

Stop-arm violations remain a persistent problem across the U.S. despite years of public awareness campaigns and media coverage. According to a recent survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), more than 39.3 million stop-arm violations occurred during the 2024-2025 school year. This figure reflects improvement over the previous year, but it still means millions of motorists ignored stopped school buses.

While every state has laws against passing stopped school buses, 30 states authorize the use of exterior school bus cameras to capture violations. One of those states is Colorado.

After a few near misses, South Routt School District RE-3 in northern Colorado enhanced its existing bus surveillance systems with REI’s AI Stop-Arm Violation Cameras. The IP camera uses vision-based AI to detect violations while the stop arm is extended, day or night. When a violation occurs, it automatically flags the DVR’s timeline and prompts ARMOR Software Suite to auto-download the violation video for review.

What benefits has the Colorado district experienced since installing the cameras? How have they affected stop-arm violations? Read on to discover how the camera’s technology is helping the district improve safety and streamline operations.

Violation Detection

Delbert Bostock, the district’s transportation director, notes the stop-arm camera’s impact on violation count, “Before we put the cameras on our buses, we were getting run all the time. We’ve really slowed down. It was on average between six and eight [violations] a month. Now, I went four weeks without one.”

He points out that community awareness has also played a part in reducing violations, “We’re a small community. And with the publicity, if you get pulled over and get a ticket for running a stop arm, you’re going to tell your neighbors about it.”

Driver Interaction

Drivers have enough to focus on to keep students safe. The AI Stop-Arm Violation Camera minimizes their role in detecting illegal passings.

“It makes [violation detection] easier while the bus driver is concentrating on a student getting on or off the bus,” Bostock adds.

Bus drivers no longer need to constantly watch for violators or press a panic button to flag recordings, reducing their workload and stress. The camera automates these tasks, allowing drivers to devote their attention to student activities inside and outside the bus. Fewer distractions behind the wheel are a significant safety benefit.

Increased Efficiency

Stop-arm camera systems allow operations to capture illegal passings, but finding violation footage often requires lengthy searches through DVR recordings. For officials already balancing staffing, maintenance and other operational tasks, the research can be trying.

The AI Stop-Arm Violation Camera enables transportation teams to quickly find and review violation footage within the integrated ARMOR Software Suite. ARMOR also allows users to generate evidence packages for law enforcement, saving time and reducing manual work. Here’s how the system works:

1. As a violation is detected, the camera automatically flags the DVR’s timeline.
2. The camera also triggers the license plate cameras to capture the violator’s plates.
3. ARMOR is also prompted to download the video clip, plate images and metadata from the DVR.
4. ARMOR receives and stores the video and data shortly after the violation, making it easy to find for quick review.
5. Once a violation is confirmed, the user can instruct ARMOR to generate an evidence package with plate images and relevant data and/or a link to the video clip.
6. Administration can email the password-protected package or link to law enforcement.

According to Bostock, “It just makes finding the plate and the infraction itself simpler and makes my job more efficient and easier. I look at the footage, make a copy and then send it to law enforcement. Within about 20 minutes, I can have it in the sheriff department’s hands, in their email file.”

He goes on to describe how the cameras’ capabilities have changed his workdays, “I have more time to interact with my staff and look at other video footage that we have. And it enables me to do my job better because I’m a one-man show here. I’m the director, a driver and, if needed, the mechanic. It enables me to work on the bus when I need to work on the bus and just frees up time throughout the day, so I’m getting other things accomplished.”

Enforcement Support

High-definition video evidence can strengthen partnerships between school districts and law enforcement. When violations are recorded clearly, officers review the footage and pursue enforcement actions with greater confidence.

Bostock sees that firsthand, “[Law enforcement] likes how the camera focuses down on the stop arm. They love that view better than the other views we’ve been using. I send them the footage, and it’s pretty cut and dry. We don’t tolerate [violations] and write tickets for all of it. If it’s on video, it goes to court and it works out great.”

Next Steps

Stop-arm violations continue to endanger students nationwide, making reliable detection and enforcement essential. REI’s AI Stop-Arm Violation Camera, paired with ARMOR Software Suite, helps document violations, support investigations and keep drivers focused on student safety. By automating key processes, the system helps districts like South Routt RE-3 operate more efficiently and safely.

Seeking stronger violation enforcement and greater efficiency? AI-powered stop-arm technology offers a crucial next step. Call 800.228.9275, contact us or your REI sales representative for more information about the AI Stop-Arm Violation Camera.

_{Additional hardware, ARMOR Software Suite and cellular service required.}

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

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We can’t stop the fact that our world is changing rapidly. The question is, who will adapt to this new normal and who will be left behind? AI is accelerating at a blistering pace, and so is the movement of electrification, autonomous vehicles and robotics.

Last month, I sat in the audience at ACT Expo in Las Vegas for a fireside chat with Rivian CEO and founder R.J. Scaringe. My wheels were spinning as he described a future that will surely impact the direction of school transportation.

He laid out a vision for the future over the next decade, predicting a significant share of both passenger and commercial vehicles becoming electric, deeply connected, software-defined, and increasingly capable of driving themselves.

“If you’re a large-scale vehicle manufacturer, consumer or commercial, and you don’t have a connected, highly intelligent platform running the vehicle’s software and electronics, and the vehicle lacks self-driving capability, it’s hard to imagine holding market share by 2035,” he told the audience.

School buses always trail the commercial trucking market when it comes to adopting new technology. But many of the connectivity, safety and efficiency tools now standard on big rigs eventually make their way to school buses. The same pattern is likely to be true with autonomy and advanced driver assistance systems.

I believe a world with fully driverless school buses transporting students are decades away, even further without an adult on board. But that doesn’t mean autonomy has nothing to offer us. The chance to redeploy school bus drivers from a pure vehicle operation standpoint into a dedicated safety or behavioral enhancement role is an interesting concept.

We’ve known for years that onboard student behavior is one of the leading reasons why school bus drivers leave the profession. Many drivers cite a lack of support from administration when incidents occur. If autonomy (or even advanced driver assistance features) can safely handle more of the driving task on certain routes, districts could reimagine the driver’s job as a mobile safety aide. Someone whose primary focus is managing the students, de-escalating issues and supporting mobile learning and still operate the vehicle in a pinch.

That shift could meaningfully ease the massive driver shortage we’ve been suffering from while improving the onboard student experience and safety. During the ACT Expo discussion, Scaringe also talked about his new robotics company, Mind Robotics, which is exploring AI-powered, human-like robots for industrial settings using real factory data from Rivian. Could school bus OEMs re-imagine how they build school buses in the foreseeable future?

I invite you to join us at STN EXPO in Reno, Nevada on Sunday, July 12, as we assemble key school bus OEMs. They will share how they see AI, robotics and connected school buses impacting school transportation operations. The promise of AI route planning systems is closer to being realized than you think. Imagine continuously learning from every bus in the fleet and from the broader connected-vehicle ecosystem around them.

We’ve discussed this concept at STN EXPO in the past as passenger cars, school buses and connected cities interact for improved safety and efficiency.

Imagine a future where a robot or automated safety system safely stop traffic at a busy intersection so students can cross, while a safety aide stays focused on the children boarding or exiting. These aren’t science-fiction scenarios. They’re logical extensions of the connected, data-driven world Scaringe and others envision.

School transportation has never been just about moving kids from point A to point B. It’s about safety, equity, reliability and supporting the people who do the hardest part of the job every day. The technologies Scaringe outlined, electrification, connectivity, intelligence and autonomy won’t replace that human element. Done right, they can strengthen and supplement it.

The sky has always been the limit in this industry. Now, the technology is finally starting to catch up with the ambition. I can foresee a higher adoption of electric school buses as a biproduct of this rapidly evolving
technology environment, especially if one is dependent on the other. The timing couldn’t be better with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program expected to return this spring. The use of CSBP and grant funding has already helped hundreds of districts move toward electric school buses and other alternatives like propane. That renewed federal support is clearly re-energizing interest across the industry.

School transportation leaders need more viable pathways backed by federal and state dollars to move toward cleaner alternatives and more efficient fleets on their own terms. Budget pressures are mounting from higher fuel costs, and that pressure will undoubtedly push more fleets to consider new ways to adapt and evolve in our every changing world.

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

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Related: (STN Podcast E257) The Paths Forward: AI, Clean Energy, Manufacturing Discussed at ACT Expo
Related: School Bus Fuel Innovation, Technology Education Meet at STN EXPO West
Related: How Technology Powers Daily Student Transportation Operations
Related: How Technology Can Assist the 2026 State of Student Transportation

The post Bus Tech, Energy Take Center Stage appeared first on School Transportation News.

The use of AI is revolutionizing many industries and student transportation is among them. While AI can seem like a daunting new technology to implement, industry experts at STN EXPO West will explain exactly how it can be used to improve operations.

Following the STN EXPO West Trade Show on Tuesday, July 14 attendees will spend the afternoon learning how AI can assist them in tackling transportation’s biggest challenges, increasing productivity and be more effective as transportation leaders.

The “Beyond ChatGPT: The AI Revolution in Student Transportation” session will kick off the afternoon with an overview of the evolution of AI and how student transporters are currently using it in their operations.

This session will be moderated by STN Editor in Chief Ryan Gray and feature panelists Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, Richard Jimenez, Timothy Purvis and GP Singh. Vann-Jackson is the executive director of enrollment and student services at Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma as well as the NAPT secretary and Region 4 director. Jimenez serves as the director of transportation at Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District in Southern California, and Purvis is the principal consultant at Pupil Transportation Information and a retired director of transportation. Singh is the founder of Bytecurve and a strategic advisor to Transit Technologies after selling his company last year.

What the AI Revolution Means

The panel will discuss what AI currently is and is not, the safeguards that transportation departments and school districts need in place before its use, the training of staff to correctly utilize AI, and more. Much of the conversation to date has been marketing and product related. Yet some student transportation leaders and their staff are utilizing AI more than what vendors are providing for solutions such as routing, cameras and telematics. The panel will discuss the importance of close communication and collaboration with district or organization IT departments in implementing AI as well as developing policies for how and how not to use it.

Following the opening session, attendees will choose between a variety of breakout sessions based on their interest and operational needs, all led by the speakers from the opening session. Each of these discussions will allow for a more exploratory conversation into the individual facets of transportation.

• Using AI Decision-Making in Dispatch
• Using AI Decision-Making for Personnel Productivity
• Using AI Decision-Making in Budgeting
• Using AI Decision-Making in Fleet Management
• Using AI Decision-Making in Risk Mitigation
• AI Decision-Making to Build Master Bell Schedules

Attendees will be able to gain practical takeaways and starter prompts so they can begin to determine how AI can help them in their everyday operations.

Meanwhile, the “Defensive Driving” session on Monday, July 13 will also feature a discussion around the use of AI in safety training, featuring Jackson and Sandy Dillman, CEO of SLD Consultation and a former California and Texas transportation director.

STN EXPO West will be held July 9-15 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. The conference will feature hands-on training classes, educational sessions, a dynamic keynote presentation, and networking opportunities. Register now at stnexpo.com/west.

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Related: Professional Development Training for Rising Student Transportation Leaders at STN EXPO West
Related: STN EXPO West Features Dynamic Networking Events for Student Transportation Industry
Related: Turkel to Uncover Secrets of Communicating Relevance at STN EXPO West

The post AI in Student Transportation Discussion at STN EXPO West appeared first on School Transportation News.

In this presentation you will learn about the latest innovations in radio communications and dispatching solutions for K-12 education and student transportation.

Whether you are deploying a new radio and GPS location tracking system or looking to add range and capacity to your existing system, this presentation will help you determine the best solutions for your school or district. We will present an overview of current two-way radio systems and standards that use licensed UHF and VHF frequencies, and nationwide 4G/5G/LTE Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC).

Here are some of the valuable take-aways from this complete guide to two-way radio communications webinar:

• How to choose the best radio system for your specific coverage and call capacity requirements
• How to migrate from analog to digital for improved performance
• How to extend the range and expand the capacity of your existing radio system

Brought to you by Hytera

 

REGISTER BELOW:

Presenters:

Ty Estes
Marketing Director
Hytera

Ty Estes is the Marketing Director for Hytera US, Inc., where he oversees promotion of the company’s radio communication products. Ty has over twenty years of experience in marketing wireless communications and network technologies, and he has chaired committees in telecommunications trade associations and authored several technical papers. Ty has a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Long Beach.

 

Morné Stramrood
Director of Engineering
Hytera

Morné Stramrood is the Sales Engineering Director with Hytera US, Inc., managing a team of Engineers helping customers achieve their communication goals. He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch, with 27+ years of experience in telecom systems engineering and writing standards as part of technical working groups for RTCM, IEC and IALA. Morné has designed and deployed large analog and digital trunked radio networks, both in the US and internationally.

The post (Free Webinar) The Complete Guide to Radio Systems for Education and Student Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.