Special education attorney Julie Weatherly, Esq., will bring four decades of legal experience to the Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs (TSD) Conference and Trade Show this November, helping school transportation professionals understand how recent court decisions can affect every day operational choices and potentially expose districts and transportation providers to litigation.

Weatherly will present “The Wheels of Justice: Important Case Law Impacting Transportation of Students with Disabilities” Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 to 10:45 a.m. The keynote is part of the 2026 TSD Conference, scheduled for Nov. 4-10 at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas.

During a recent interview on the School Transportation Nation podcast, Weatherly reflected on beginning her special education law practice in 1986, when litigation surrounding the federal special education law was still developing. Since then, she has watched the field evolve through new regulations, federal guidance, civil-rights investigations and major U.S. Supreme Court decisions. That long view will frame a keynote focused less on legal theory and more on what court rulings mean for student transportation services during the individualized education program process.

Weatherly plans to use real-world scenarios and recent decisions to address four areas of growing concern: Personal injury-type monetary damages in special education cases, student discipline, transportation as a related service under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and requests involving service animals. The goal is to help attendees recognize where legal vulnerabilities can arise while providing safe, equitable and individualized transportation.

One focal point will be the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2025 decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. The unanimous Court rejected a heightened “bad faith or gross misjudgment” standard that had applied to certain education-related claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Instead, the Court held that students bringing those claims are subject to the same standards that apply in other disability-discrimination contexts. Weatherly indicated she will explain why the decision matters when parents seek compensatory damages over alleged failures involving transportation and other special education services.

The keynote will also examine cases addressing what transportation actually means as an IDEA-related service. Attendees can expect discussion of individualized transportation needs, questions surrounding door-to-door service and the point at which operational policies must yield to decisions made by an IEP team. Weatherly will also connect transportation-related discipline to the district’s obligation to maintain required services when a student’s behavior results in removal from the school bus.

Service-animal requests present another developing area. Weatherly plans to review how courts have responded to the accommodations requested by families and how far districts may be required to go. For transportation teams, those cases can raise practical questions about boarding, student and staff responsibilities, safety planning, supervision and the need for an individualized response rather than a blanket policy.

Her broader podcast conversation underscored the rapidly changing environment in which those decisions are being made. Weatherly discussed uncertainty surrounding federal special education and civil-rights enforcement while emphasizing that the legal rights of students with disabilities remain in place. She also cautioned districts against treating AI as a substitute for qualified legal advice or individualized educational decision-making, citing the potential for inaccurate information, confidentiality problems and generic, cut-and-paste planning that does not address a specific student’s needs.

Weatherly is the founder of Resolutions in Special Education, Inc., a Mobile, Alabama-based legal and consulting firm that assists education agencies with disputes arising under IDEA, Section 504, the ADA and related laws. A graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and a member of the Alabama and Georgia state bars, she provides legal and consulting services to school agencies nationwide and is a frequent presenter at state and national special education law conferences.

Main conference registration is currently available at the $499 Early Bird rate through Oct. 2, a savings of $100. Registration includes the main conference workshop, general and keynote sessions, networking events, the Ride & Drive + Technology Demo, and the trade show and reception. Visit TSDConference.com and clicked the Register Now button to reserve a seat.

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Related: New Date Set for NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Training at TSD
Related: What Impact Does the Supreme Court’s Endrew F. Decision Have on School Transportation?
Related: Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws

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As another school year begins nationwide, transportation departments are again measured by a basic expectation: Every route needs a safe, reliable school bus ready to roll. This means fewer last-minute swaps, fewer missed instructional minutes and fewer calls from concerned parents. It also depends on what happens in the garage long before a driver turns the key.

I saw that connection between preparation and performance firsthand last month at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada. The National School Bus Inspection Training Program brought together transportation professionals determined to go beyond checking boxes.

It challenges participants to dig deeper into the vehicles entrusted with carrying students. Forty-eight participants began July 10 with classroom instruction. The program developed by Marshall Casey, a former South Carolina Department of Education maintenance director and creator of the America’s Best School Bus Inspector and Technician Skills and Training Competition, goes beyond minimum state and federal Department of Transportation inspection requirements.

The next day, 44 participants traveled to Washoe County School District’s newly constructed George Getto Central Transportation Yard in Sparks for the hands-on portion.

The $33 million facility is an impressive backdrop for any discussion about fleet readiness. Named for Washoe County School District’s first transportation director, the 36,396-square-foot building includes an eight-bay school bus shop, a separate three-bay white fleet shop, a bus wash, parts and tire storage, offices, training space
and a driver break room.

Yet a modern building and new equipment only reach their potential when skilled people know how to use them. The best inspection techniques and enhanced training are vital to this end.

On July 11, the STN EXPO West participants moved through guided inspections with the instructors before 13 elected to compete that afternoon. They inspected school buses on their own and completed a written test, with their combined scores determining their finish.

Larry Noble, a mechanic with Shasta Union High School District in California and a first-time STN EXPO attendee, took first place.

Instructor Harley Pinson, director of fleet maintenance for Paulding County School District in Georgia and a 2016 America’s Best participant, told me the training brings previously unknown information to light and gives technicians a path to finding the correct answers to everyday shop questions. He was especially impressed by the participants’ engagement, overall knowledge and test scores, which ranked among the highest he has seen.

That is the value of pairing training with competition. The contest creates pressure and recognition, but winning is not the only point. A missed defect becomes a learning opportunity. A test question leads technicians back to the inspection manual. A conversation beside a lifted bus can provide a better process to take home and share.

A great example of building upon that opportunity was the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation sending several technicians to Reno. Winners from the state’s 2025 competition attended and competed, with Benjamin Ortiz of Sunnyside School District finishing in second place. Maurine Simons, herself a former school bus mechanic and a 2016 America’s Best participant as well as a WAPT board member, said the association plans to send this year’s winners to STN EXPO West 2027. That is an investment in employees and a pipeline for professional growth.

We understandably devote considerable attention to the school bus driver shortage. But the technician shortage is just as serious, and in some operations it may be worse. Recruiting drivers and purchasing new school buses don’t matter if too few qualified people are available to inspect, diagnose and repair an increasingly complex fleet. Professional development, modern working conditions and meaningful recognition tell technicians their employer values their expertise.

The same principle applies across student transportation. At the TSD Conference, Nov. 4-10 in Frisco, Texas, the special needs roadeo gives teams a hands-on opportunity to sharpen skills for safely transporting students with disabilities and special needs. At STN EXPO East, April 1-6, 2027, in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, the inspection training and competition will provide another opportunity to learn from instructors and peers nationwide.

State associations, school districts and contractors should make room in their budgets for these experiences. Do not view professional development as time away from the job. It is an investment in doing the job better and in keeping talented people in the profession.

The best-equipped garage with the newest software, lift or diagnostic tool cannot guarantee uptime by itself. Uptime begins with professionals who know what to look for, where to find the right answer and when to act before a defect becomes a failure. As another school year begins, investing in those people is one of the smartest fleet-management decisions an operation can make.

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

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The post The People Behind Fleet Uptime appeared first on School Transportation News.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-sponsored Child Passenger Safety on School Buses National Training returns to the 2026 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show but on a new day.

The all-day, hands-on training is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Convention Center. The new date places the course one day before the main TSD Conference educational program begins. Participation is limited to 50 people. Separate registration and fees are required.

The course provides an overview of the proper use of child safety restraint systems on school buses, with a particular focus on preschool-age children and students with disabilities. Classroom instruction and videos are combined with guided hands-on practice, allowing participants to work directly with the equipment and procedures discussed during the seminar.

NHTSA’s supporting curriculum demonstrates the installation and use of rear-facing and forward-facing child restraint systems as well as safety vests. The agency identifies pupil transportation administrators and supervisors, school bus drivers and monitors who transport young children — including preschoolers, Head Start students and infants — among the course’s intended audience.

The hands-on component allows participants to practice correctly installing restraint systems and positioning children under the guidance of experienced instructors. The format is designed to help transportation professionals apply the course material when training staff or working with students on daily routes.

Nationally certified child passenger safety technicians who complete the training will earn 3.5 continuing education units.

The seminar may be purchased as an add-on to the TSD main conference registration or taken as a stand-alone course. This allows transportation professionals to attend the specialized training, even if they are unable to participate in the entire conference.

The 2026 TSD Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for Nov. 4-10 in Frisco, with the Transportation Director Summit being held the first two days. The event brings together school transportation, special education and safety professionals for specialized training, keynote presentations, breakout sessions, networking and a trade show featuring equipment and services designed to support students with disabilities and special needs.

Register and view the latest agenda at TSDConference.com.

Main conference registration is available at the $399 Super Early Bird rate through Friday, Aug. 7. The NHTSA training requires an additional fee and must be selected separately during registration.

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Related: (STN Podcast E284) Always Something to Learn: Special Needs Takeaways from TSD 2025
Related: (STN Podcast E283) Onsite at TSD 2025 (Part 2/2): Solution-Driven Partners + TD of the Year Interview
Related: (STN Podcast E282) Onsite at TSD 2025 (Part 1/2): Mission-Critical Partners for Special Needs Transportation

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RENO, Nev. — School districts nationwide are opening the new school year with less money for student transportation, and three sessions at STN EXPO West challenged directors to change how and to whom they make their case for resources.

Ryan Hahn of Strategic School Consultants presented back-to-back sessions, “Budgeting in Uncertain Times: Navigating the Fiscal Cliff Without Losing Ground” on July 12 and “Advocating for Resources: How to Get a Seat at the Table Before the Cuts Are Already Made” on July 13. Another session presented later during STN EXPO West on July 14 by Tim Purvis focused on using AI to help with budgeting decisions.

Hahn started as a school bus driver in college 26 years ago and went on to direct transportation, maintenance and operations for districts in Washington state and Oregon. He earned a chief business official certification through California’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), served as chief financial officer of a 25,000-student Washington district, and now owns Strategic School Consultants.

Federal pandemic relief is spent, Hahn said, and districts that used that one-time money to fund recurring positions are paying for it now. Add inflation, fuel volatility and liability costs — he said insurance at his former district rose 150 percent in 10 years — and operations departments are absorbing across-the-board reduction targets.

“Every operational unit is going to have to cut 10 percent of their budget,” Hahn said, describing a conversation he said is playing out across the country. “You cannot defer a bus ride.”

His central argument was that transportation directors lose budget fights before the budget is built. Most, he said, live entirely in an operational network — covering routes, filling trips, solving problems — and never develop the personal and strategic networks that determine who and what gets funded.

“Your value as the leader of the unit dictates what you get in your unit, every single time,” he said.

That means lateral and vertical relationships with principals, executive directors and the superintendent, not just the CFO. It also means translating requests into the language cabinet members already use. Hahn told attendees to find their board’s adopted strategic goals and tie every ask to one of them.

He urged directors to request a copy of their district’s position control, the roster of every funded position with wages, steps and employer-paid benefits. Staffing consumes 86 percent to 90 percent of a transportation budget, he said, yet many directors have never seen the document. Districts resist adding lines to position control because it shifts staffing ratios districtwide, he said, so directors who need to pilot a new function should ask instead for substitute dollars or contracted services, which are treated as temporary expenses.

Hahn also warned that efficiency can be punished in reimbursement states. After cutting roughly $1 million in overtime at an Oregon district, he said, his CFO called him into a meeting but not to thank him. The savings reduced the following year’s reimbursement. He was told to spend the money on purchasing new buses.

Funding models differ sharply, he noted. Oregon reimburses roughly 70 cents on the dollar. California reimburses about 60 percent of eligible operating costs but excludes capital purchases such as school buses. Washington funds based on ridership, routes and destinations and maintains a vehicle replacement fund, though the legislature recently extended the replacement cycle from 13 years to 15.

On electric school buses, Hahn advised directors to follow board priorities but to be candid about range and infrastructure limits. Remaining grant money, he added, generally requires an older diesel bus as a trade-in. He cautioned against buying every technology product from a single vendor.

“It costs a lot to get divorced and remarried to another product,” he added.

Deferred maintenance was a recurring theme. Directors should cost out preventive maintenance cycles, track fuel economy and failures by brand, and bring trend data, not feelings, to the business office. Hahn told the room not to volunteer training and conference dollars when cuts are demanded.

For advocacy beyond the district, he recommended working through state school business and transportation associations rather than lobbying independently and aligning with the National Association for Pupil Transportation where interests match.

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Related: (STN Podcast E316) Recap STN EXPO West: Harmonicas, Great Gatsby & Transportation Teambuilding
Related: Fuel Choice, Budgets & Fresh Ideas
Related: (STN Podcast E309) Summer’s Here & So Is a Budget Cliff: Advocating for Transportation Solutions
Related: State Budget Calls for Real-world Range Testing for Electric School Bus Sales

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The Role of AI

In a separate session, Purvis, principal and founder of consultancy Pupil Transportation Information and a former California director of transportation with four decades in the industry as well as a California FMCAT member, walked attendees through using artificial intelligence in budget decision-making. His message: AI is a tool, not a decision maker, and its value depends almost entirely on the prompt and the data behind it. And, of course, verify the result.

Purvis demonstrated a case study built from an actual client — 58 approved driver positions with 12 vacancies, 20 general education routes, 30 special education routes, an aging fleet and rising overtime. His actual prompt ran more than two pages. The output flagged driver vacancies as the leading cost driver, projected expenditures rising from $4.8 million to $5.8 million over four years, and recommended stabilizing labor before expanding the fleet. It also provided bell schedule optimization, which Purvis called one of the largest budget levers after labor, without being prompted.

The three-year projection, he said, is what secured the school district with a fully funded vehicle replacement schedule.

He cautioned against uploading a proposed budget that has not been adjusted midyear, said inaccurate data should be left out entirely, and warned that student identifiers routinely appear in routing exports sent outside the district. Once uploaded to an AI system, he said, it cannot be recalled.

“Verify all calculations,” Purvis said. “We’re human, we make mistakes.”

Article written with the assistance of AI and session transcripts.

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

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

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

Best Green Technology

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

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

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

Best Hardware

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

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

Best Safety Technology

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

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

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

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

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

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 Best Software/AI Solutions

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

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

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

Article written with the assistance of AI.

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RENO, Nev. — School transportation departments may not be legally required to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards but ignoring them is a risk few districts can afford to take, explaiend school transportation safety expert Jeff Cassell.

Speaking Monday at STN EXPO West, Cassell urged transportation leaders to voluntarily adopt OSHA safety practices for maintenance facilities, technicians and even drivers, arguing that the true measure of safety is not regulatory compliance but systematically removing risk before it leads to injury, litigation or loss of life.

“The loss that costs the least is the one that was prevented,” Cassell told conference attendees.

For school district transportation departments facing staffing shortages, aging facilities and evolving vehicle technology, Cassell said implementing OSHA-based procedures is one of the most effective ways to reduce operational risk while protecting employees and students.

Drawing on his experience as former vice president and corporate risk manager for Laidlaw, where he oversaw insurance, claims and safety programs across roughly 480 locations in North America, Cassell recounted how a mechanic’s death beneath a collapsing school bus exposed widespread deficiencies in shop safety.

Following the fatality, OSHA inspections resulted in significant fines, but Cassell said the larger lesson was that many maintenance facilities simply lacked consistent safety procedures.

“We asked who was OSHA compliant, and at least half argued it didn’t apply because they were exempt,” he said. “Legally, many school districts may be exempt. That doesn’t mean it’s the right way to operate.”

Unlike private school bus contractors and other businesses, government-operated transportation departments generally are not subject to federal OSHA enforcement, though some states have their own workplace safety requirements. Cassell emphasized that districts should view OSHA not as a regulatory burden but as a proven framework for preventing injuries.

The Definition of Safety

Central to his presentation was a simple definition that shaped the remainder of the session.

“Safety means freedom from risk,” he said. “If you reduce risk, you’re safer. If you remove risk, you’re safe.”

That philosophy shifts attention away from simply reacting to accidents and toward identifying the conditions that create them.

Cassell argued that risk typically stems from two sources: Unsafe equipment and unsafe behaviors.

Faulty jacks, damaged lifting equipment, unsecured ladders, worn electrical cords and improperly stored chemicals all create unnecessary hazards, he said. But he estimated that most workplace risk results from what he called “conscious and deliberate unsafe behaviors,” including skipping procedures to save time, working beneath unsupported vehicles, failing to use spotters when backing buses, or ignoring lockout/tagout requirements.

“The rewards for taking risks are minimal and short-term,” he said. “The consequences can be permanent and catastrophic.”

Throughout the presentation, Cassell reinforced his message with real-world incidents, including mechanics killed beneath buses, propane explosions that severely burned employees, tire explosions that permanently disabled technicians, and injuries caused by high-pressure grease equipment.

He said each case, including one that occurred earlier this month in Pennsylvania when a bus rolled over a mechanic reportedly working on the brake line, shares a common thread: Established safety procedures either were absent or ignored.

Additionally, maintenance shops remain among the highest-risk environments in pupil transportation.

Rather than focusing on blame after an incident, Cassell encouraged transportation leaders to build systems that prevent errors before they occur.

That includes documented policies, annual refresher training, leadership accountability and regular facility inspections covering everything from housekeeping and fire prevention to hazardous materials, electrical systems, personal protective equipment and emergency response planning.

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Cassell outlined 26 OSHA subject areas applicable to maintenance personnel and three additional topics for drivers. He said the material can be effectively delivered through approximately four hours of annual training broken into manageable sessions.

Equally important, he added, is documenting that training.

“If something goes wrong, you can show you made the best effort to stop it happening in the first place,” Cassell said.

Leadership ultimately determines whether safety becomes part of an organization’s culture, he added.

“If it matters to the boss, it matters to you,” Cassell said, encouraging managers to establish clear expectations, enforce policies consistently and never allow unsafe shortcuts simply because operations are busy.

For transportation departments balancing budget pressures and operational demands, Cassell acknowledged that implementing comprehensive safety programs requires commitment. But he argued the investment is small compared with the financial and human costs of workplace injuries.

Whether OSHA enforcement applies or not, he concluded, the goal should remain the same.

“I’m a great believer in it,” Cassell said. “Whether it’s the law or not the law, you should be doing it.”

Written with the assistance of AI from a session transcript.

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This spring, I spoke with a newspaper reporter in Southern California regarding a case of students left on school buses. Those kinds of headlines always grab my attention as such incidents happen all too often nationwide. The most recent number is around 500 a year based on federal estimates, but no true count is recorded from state to state.

But all states have a regulation on not leaving students on school buses. California law requires school bus drivers to deactivate some kind of alarm system that acts as a reminder to perform a full post-trip sweep of the school bus, including looking on and below each seating position to check for sleeping students or those who otherwise did not exit at their respective stops.

The law resulted from a tragic 2015 death of a 16-year-old nonverbal boy with autism, who was left on his Southern California school bus for upwards of eight hours during a heat wave, while his driver hurried off to meet a co-worker for a tryst.

Referred to as The Paul Lee law, it has required various alarms or reminder systems in school buses since 2019. That did not stop two incidents from occurring earlier this year in the Oxnard, California area. Aside from the obvious safety concerns, it came as no surprise that the reporter asked me why the local school bus driver’s union was coming to the defense of the driver and opposing technology that could prevent such incidents. Granted, the recent Oxnard case has its complexities.

I often talk to directors of transportation about their frustration with some collective bargaining negotiations, and the media junkets that unions will embark on to try to influence those talks. The breakdown often comes when technology enters the picture. Video cameras, GPS, data tracking and tablets are well ingrained in society, where we can watch our pizza being made to being delivered, and all steps in between. But when it comes to the nation’s schoolchildren, technology detractors will raise privacy concerns and allege the solutions are being used to spy on school bus drivers. That is part of the story in Oxnard.

While technology stacks do corroborate what school bus drivers are doing—or not—behind the wheel, they also drive efficiencies, safety and accountability. The newspaper reporter I spoke with expressed shock that student tracking exists. I had to explain that many school districts have migrated to what is more accurately described as student ridership verification, to alleviate the call volume from parents asking where their children’s school buses are, and when and where their students board and exit. Student ridership verification is about safety and communication, not checking up on school bus drivers. These systems also work with child reminder systems to ensure students are accounted for at the conclusion of routes.

Camera systems provide another fail-safe, if footage is reviewed and flagged properly. They verify student activity during the route and can detect if children remain on the bus afterward. They also record traffic issues on the road and provide training insights for driver-trainers regarding school bus driver action or inaction. For example, cameras using AI-enhanced software increasingly are detecting drowsy or stressed school bus drivers, as we talk about more in this issue.

More so, I told the reporter, cameras and other technology are serving as proof of service, often exonerating school bus drivers from “he said, she said” accusations. Too often, students, other motorists or parents levy allegations against school bus drivers that are unfounded. While there are bad apples in every bunch, as seen by the focus on driving while under the influence, most school bus drivers are in this position for all the right reasons.

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

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The post Safety in Sight appeared first on School Transportation News.

RENO, Nev. — For years, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has been promoted as the next big opportunity for electric school buses. The promise largely has remained unfilled until recently.

Yet school buses transport students in the morning and afternoon, then spend hours parked with large batteries that could support the electric grid, power facilities during outages, or even generate revenue. As utilities seek more flexible energy resources and school districts search for ways to maximize taxpayer investments, V2G offers a glimpse of a future where school buses serve dual roles: transporting students and supporting the electric grid.

But what does V2G look like in practice?

At STN EXPO West conference on Sunday, school transportation and utility leaders shared one of the industry’s most detailed real-world case studies, offering a candid look at the opportunities, challenges and lessons districts should understand before investing in electric school buses and bidirectional charging infrastructure.

The conference session, “Unlocking the Potential of V2G in School Fleets,” brought together representatives from Fremont Unified School District near San Francisco, California, and its utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The two are partnered to deploy one of the state’s most advanced electric school bus energy programs. Their collective message was clear: Vehicle-to-grid technology holds significant promise, but success depends on planning, partnerships and realistic expectations.

Grant Jones, director of consultant Updraft Energy and moderator of the discussion, noted that school buses are frequently cited as one of the strongest use cases for V2G because of their predictable schedules, long dwell times and large battery capacities. As real deployments emerge, fleets can now learn from operational experience rather than theory.

Start With the Utility, Not the Electric School Buses

If there was one takeaway repeated throughout the session, it was the importance of engaging the local utility as early as possible.

“Every yard is going to be different,” said Fremont USD Transportation Director Erny Epley. “There are no two yards alike, and no two power availability from the grid that’s alike.”

He advised school districts to involve utilities before internal enthusiasm builds around electrification goals that may not be feasible given local infrastructure constraints.

PG&E Product Manager Rudy Halbright echoed that advice, stressing that site characteristics can dramatically affect the economics of V2G.

“The more you start planning this long before you even choose the site, ideally, the more options you’re going to have,” he said. “[It’s] always good to talk to the utility really early in your process, even before you have a yard, if you can.”
Location matters. Residential areas with significant evening energy demand may create stronger opportunities for utilities to compensate fleets for exporting power during peak periods. Industrial locations may offer fewer opportunities to generate value through grid services.

V2G Is About More Than Selling Power

Halbright outlined a spectrum of energy-management strategies that school districts can pursue, beginning with simple charging optimization and progressing toward full vehicle-to-grid participation.

Many fleets can achieve savings simply by charging during lower-cost utility periods or implementing smart charging systems that automatically manage charging schedules. More advanced programs can provide demand-response services or export electricity back to the grid when energy is most valuable.

“School buses are a huge opportunity in filling that gap,” Halbright explained, referring to the evening period, when solar generation declines but electricity demand remains high. “These are already paid for. So. it’s a natural.”

Beyond financial returns, V2G also introduces resiliency benefits. Electric school buses could help keep schools operating during outages or provide emergency power for community services.

Fremont’s Biggest Lesson: Nobody Can Do V2G Alone

Fremont USD’s project began almost unexpectedly. Epley recalled receiving a last-minute call about a grant opportunity and deciding to participate without fully understanding the scope of the undertaking.

“I’m glad I did,” he said. “It’s been a long, arduous but very, very rewarding journey.”

Today, Fremont operates 14 electric school buses, including four capable of bidirectional charging, which is required for V2G. The district expects its electric fleet to grow to 22 buses, with 12 eventually able to export power back to the grid.
The district’s experience reinforced the need for broad stakeholder engagement.

“You can’t do this alone,” Epley told attendees. “It’s going to take a massive effort across many organizations.”
His recommendation was to “cast a wide net” by involving transportation staff, facilities personnel, business officials, accounting departments, utilities, project managers and technology providers from the beginning.

He also introduced a memorable phrase for transportation directors navigating these projects: “You’re going to have to be a communication superhero.”

Be Ready for Delays and Complexity

While electric school buses themselves are becoming more familiar to fleets, bidirectional charging introduces additional layers of technical, regulatory and administrative complexity.

“One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve ran across was I had an unrealistic expectation about the implementation process and what that timeline looked like,” Epley shared.

He compared the experience to introducing major routing or telematics software systems. Fleet leaders often focus on the result while underestimating the amount of work required to reach deployment.

“Take small bites,” he advised. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Halbright offered a similar assessment from the utility perspective. Supply-chain disruptions, regulatory hurdles and evolving standards have slowed projects across California.

“If I could do it all over again, I would spend more time modeling things,” he said. “It’s worth spending that time to make sure this makes sense.”

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Related: Federal Legislation Looks to Promote V2G for Electric School Buses
Related: V2G Findings Announced From New York State Electric School Bus Project
Related: V2G Legislation Looks to School Buses to Help Power Electric Grid

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Understanding the Financial Case of V2G

The economics of V2G remain one of the biggest questions facing school districts.

Fremont estimates its participation could generate roughly $1,000 annually per bus enrolled in V2G programs, though the project remains in its early stages.

Still, speakers cautioned that V2G should not be viewed as a quick revenue source.

Current projects often depend on grants, utility incentives and other funding opportunities to offset infrastructure costs. However, Epley and Halbright both said equipment costs continue to decline, making future deployments more attractive.
Halbright encouraged districts not to wait for perfect conditions.

“Be creative,” he said. “If there is something, grab it.”

Perhaps the most important lesson for transportation leaders is that electric school buses increasingly represent more than vehicles.

“There is no way the best use for a school bus is to sit there parked most of the time if it could do something else,” Halbright said.

Written with the assistance of AI and a session transcript.

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RENO, Nev. — With federal safety regulators pressing for alcohol-detection technology on school buses and reports of impaired drivers ticking upward, the last line of defense against a drug- or alcohol-affected driver pulling out of the yard remains one person: The supervisor. 

A two-hour certification class at STN EXPO West conference handed those supervisors a legally grounded, step-by-step playbook for recognizing impairment, ordering a test and documenting every move.

The Friday afternoon session, “Supervisory Reasonable Suspicion Training,” satisfies U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and was led by Tonica Lathrop, president of Reno-based Sinnett Consulting Services. She is a 30-year veteran of drug and alcohol compliance work who now advises roughly 1,400 clients across Nevada, California and beyond.

Her central warning: Reasonable suspicion is the single most common point at which an employer gets sued over its drug and alcohol program because ordering a test means accusing someone of impairment. Employers lose those cases, she said, for one of two reasons. They fail to follow their own policy or apply it inconsistently.

“You don’t want to put your head in the sand,” Lathrop said, describing the human temptation to explain away warning signs in an employee, a child or a friend.

Ignoring the indicators, she added, exposes both the district and the individual supervisor to liability if an impaired driver later crashes.

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Related: Alcohol Detection Systems in School Buses Among Latest NTSB Recommendations

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The Reasonable Suspicion Protocol

Lathrop stressed that the supervisor is rarely the first to notice a problem. Tips usually come from another employee or a member of the public. Whatever the source, she said, the report demands the supervisor’s own investigation. She advised never basing a test solely on hearsay. Instead, supervisors should gather their own documentable evidence before acting.

When indicators are present, she laid out a sequence. First, remove the driver from duty.

“I always stop duty, period,” she said, regardless of the task.

Second, bring in a second observer, a step not required by regulation but one she strongly recommends. Crucially, that second supervisor should not be told what to look for, so their observations stand on their own. Testing should not be delayed while waiting for the observer, she cautioned, because most substances other than marijuana clear the body quickly.

The resulting conversation with the employee must be confidential, not held in a break room or a parking lot. The cause could be explained by a prescription or a medical condition, and a reasonable suspicion test, unlike a random or post-accident test, is not something coworkers should witness.

A refusal of a test by the employee, she noted, is treated as a positive.

Transporting the employee to the collection site carries its own risks. Lathrop recounted two trips in which impaired employees grabbed her steering wheel — once on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas. She warned supervisors never to drive an erratic employee alone or in a personal vehicle, where liability falls on the supervisor and their personal insurance.

She recommended a second person be present during the ride for volatile drivers. Employers should opt to use a mobile collection unit, where available, and arrange a safe ride home. If an employee refuses and drives off, she advised calling 911 and framing the call strictly around safety and facts. And she urged always running both a drug and an alcohol test because impaired drivers frequently have more than one substance in their system.

Above all, document. Court challenges arrive not two weeks later but 18 months later, Lathrop said, when memories have faded. Supervisors should record what was said, who reported it, the employee’s responses, the specific indicators, and the timeline, even if the employer ultimately decides not to test.

She also noted that school districts and companies need to have in their drug and alcohol policies how they will handle an employees who ultimately test to a 0.04 percent blood-alcohol content, the federal threshold for CDL holders to be considered driving while intoxicated. But what if the driver tests below 0.04? They are not fit to drive.

The organization will need to have a policy for how to address the employee, if they are to be reassigned for the rest of the day, they are suspended with or without pay, or they are simply sent home.

A Shifting Drug Landscape

Much of the class addressed how impairment now hides in plain sight. Marijuana, Lathrop said, has been transformed by legalization. The average potency of THC in marijuana has climbed from 2- to 4 percent before legalization to roughly 30 percent when bought from dispensaries. The percentage can be even higher in edibles.
She linked broader legalization to about a 30-percent rise in workplace vehicle accidents and an 8-percent increase in OSHA-reportable injuries.

Lathrop noted that flavored vapes make marijuana far harder to detect by smell. Its telltale sign on the job, she
said, is time distortion such as missed deadlines, tardiness and late pickups worth documenting.

She walked through the rest of the DOT five-panel test — including cocaine, methamphetamine, opioids and PCP in addition to marijuana — then flagged a longer list of threats that do not appear on it, including synthetic drugs,
ketamine, alcohol-spiked energy drinks, and “krokodil.”

The gravest, she said, is fentanyl, now widely used to lace other street drugs. She cited local tragedies, including Reno high school students who died after taking counterfeit pills, and a group near South Lake Tahoe who died in 2024 after using cocaine cut with fentanyl.

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Related: Former School Bus Driver Charged With 37 Felony Counts After DUI
Related: Florida School Bus Driver Charged With DUI, Child Neglect After Crash
Related: FMCSA Releases Advice on New CDL Alcohol and Drug Clearinghouse
Related: Former Indiana School Bus Driver Charged with Driving Students While Intoxicated
Related: Federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Finds 46K Driver Drug-Related Violations

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What to Watch For and What Not To

For all the pharmacology, Lathrop kept returning to observation. The indicator list supervisors receive is drawn from court cases, she said, but no single sign is proof. Weariness or a blank stare could mean nothing on its own. Alcohol can justify a test on smell alone but drugs require a pattern.

“You have to build a case,” she said.

Her top physical tell is pupil size. In an average-lit room, a pupil should fill about half the iris and should respond to changes in lighting. A pupil that stays fixed, or an employee who abruptly puts on sunglasses, is a red flag. She also pointed to behavior, speech and body odor, distinguishing fresh alcohol from the “stale” smell that can still fail a next-morning breath test.

And she cautioned supervisors against overplaying the role. “Don’t be a creeper,” she said, waving off binoculars and stakeouts.

Everything a supervisor needs, she said, comes from a straightforward and well-documented conversation.

This article written with the assistance of AI from a session transcript.

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Patrick Industries and LCI Industries, the parent company of Lippert Components, have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger that would create one of the largest component suppliers serving the recreational vehicle, marine, housing and transportation industries, including the school bus market. The transaction remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and is expected to close during the first half of 2027.

Under the agreement announced June 30, LCI shareholders would receive 1.244 shares of Patrick common stock for each LCI share they own. Following the merger, Patrick shareholders would own approximately 52 percent of the combined company, while LCI shareholders would own the remaining 48 percent. Lippert acquired Trans/Air and Freedman Seating last year.

Patrick CEO Andy Nemeth would lead the combined company as chief executive officer, with Patrick Director Todd Cleveland serving as board chair and Lippert Interim CEO Johnny Sirpilla serving as vice chair. Headquarters remain in Elkhart, Indiana.

During a joint investor call, Patrick executives described the transaction as a combination of complementary businesses rather than a traditional acquisition, emphasizing expanded product offerings, broader aftermarket capabilities and increased engineering resources. Leadership said the companies share similar operating cultures and customer-focused strategies, positioning the combined organization to deliver more integrated solutions across multiple end markets.

For the school transportation industry, the proposed transaction would bring together several suppliers already familiar to school bus manufacturers and operators. Lippert has expanded its presence in the commercial and school bus markets through acquisitions that included HVAC manufacturer Trans/Air Manufacturing and seating supplier Freedman Seating. Those businesses will become part of the combined Patrick organization if the merger receives approval.

Patrick said the merger is expected to generate more than $150 million in annual run-rate synergies through purchasing efficiencies, supply chain optimization, manufacturing improvements and corporate cost reductions. Company officials added that the combined business is expected to produce stronger cash flow, maintain disciplined capital allocation and continue investing in automation, product development and strategic acquisitions.

Executives told investors the combination is intended to strengthen relationships with original equipment manufacturers by offering a broader portfolio of engineered components while increasing scale across manufacturing, distribution and aftermarket support. Patrick also highlighted Lippert’s established aftermarket distribution network as a strategic advantage that could help reduce dependence on cyclical OEM production.

The transaction must still receive approval from shareholders of both companies, satisfy customary closing conditions and obtain required regulatory clearances before it can be completed.

This article written with the assistance of AI and company press releases.

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Related: Lippert Grows School Transportation Reach with Acquisition of Freedman Seating
Related: Trans/Air Says Acquisition a Strategic Business, Culture Move for Family-Run Company
Related: Update: I Squared Completes Acquisition of National Express School Bus Contractor

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The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) Supplier Council released its agenda for vendor members attending its mid-year general membership meeting at the STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada.

The session will take place Monday, July 13, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Peppermill Resort, bringing together key industry suppliers and state transportation leaders to discuss ongoing initiatives and organizational updates.

The agenda for the Reno meeting includes reports from the NASDPTS secretary, treasurer and membership chair. Attendees will hear updates from the nominating committee and NASDPTS President Mike Stier as well as discussions on old and new business.

New business topics will cover the proposed 2027 budget, conference sponsorship opportunities, the Supplier Showcase, state director conference scholarships, and a staff update.

This mid-year gathering builds on discussions from the most recent Supplier Council meeting, held in November at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia during the NASDPTS Annual Conference. At that session, members reviewed the organization’s strong financial position, continued membership growth and renewed three positions on the National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) Steering Committee.

Reno Supplier Council Meeting Agenda to Build Upon Recent Discussions

The group also discussed proposed NASDPTS bylaw changes, including a new provision to prevent individuals from serving simultaneously as president-elect or president of NASDPTS and as vice chair or chair of NCST, to avoid conflicts and ensure effective leadership. Additionally, the board approved sunsetting the School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council (SBMTC), reflecting the evolving needs and structure of the Supplier Council.

The NASDPTS Supplier Council traces its origins to the 1990s, when it was established by School Transportation News co-founder Bill Paul. The group was created to provide a forum for vendor company members of NASDPTS to address technical and governmental relations issues concerning the manufacture of school buses, equipment and services to the industry.

Supplier Council member companies and organizations may submit issues for Steering Committee consideration at least 14 days prior to the two annual meetings of the Supplier Council. Issues may be proposed from the floor during both meetings, but NASDPTS Supplier Council bylaws state time restrictions might not allow for full consideration and may result in their being tabled until the next meeting.

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Related: NASDPTS Sunsets School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council, Announces Updates
Related: NASDPTS Revises Illegal School Bus Passing Count After California Fixes Error
Related: NHTSA Rulemaking at Heart of NCST Resolutions Focused on Safety
Related: NASDPTS Sunsets School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council, Announces Updates

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. and RENO, Nev. — The leaders of the six school districts recently named 2026 Top Transportation Teams winners will take center stage at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada, where they will share the strategies, leadership lessons and culture-building practices that helped earn them recognition as one of North America’s best transportation departments.

The event marks the fourth consecutive year that Top Transportation Team winners have participated in a special panel discussion, offering attendees a behind-the-scenes look at how high-performing transportation departments attract, develop and retain outstanding teams.

Hosted during a Transfinder-sponsored “Lunch & Learn” luncheon, the session will feature an engaging interview and discussion led by Antonio Civitella, president and CEO of Transfinder, who will sit down with leaders from each of the winning districts to explore what sets their teams apart and how they continue to improve year after year.

Representatives from Franklin Square Union Free School District (New York), Franklin Township Community School Corp. (Indiana), Hoover City Schools (Alabama), Pembroke Central School District (New York), Rockwall ISD (Texas), and Wa-Nee Community Schools (Indiana) will discuss topics ranging from workplace culture and leadership to employee engagement, professional development and operational excellence.

“This is one of the most inspiring and informative sessions at the STN EXPO,” said Civitella. “The winners always provide valuable advice and the transportation professionals are always very engaged and ask insightful questions. These teams have built winning cultures that their employees feel proud to be a part of. I’m grateful each year the winners are willing to share a little of their ‘secret sauce’ with attendees. They understand that it is about helping us all get better at serving our communities.”
The panel has become a popular feature of STN EXPO WEST because it goes beyond theory and highlights real-world successes. Attendees gain firsthand knowledge from leaders whose departments were selected solely through anonymous employee surveys measuring culture, leadership, resources, incentives and career development opportunities.

This year’s discussion is expected to be particularly compelling with Wa-Nee Community Schools becoming the program’s first-ever three-time consecutive winner and Pembroke Central School District earning its third overall Top Transportation Team title. Their experiences, along with those of the other 2026 winners, will provide valuable tidbits into what it takes to build and sustain exceptional transportation teams.

The Top Transportation Teams program recognizes transportation departments that foster outstanding workplace cultures and empower employees to succeed. The winners are determined based on the results of anonymous surveys taken by employees. Created and administered by Transfinder, the program continues to attract growing participation from school transportation departments across North America.

To learn more about the Top Transportation Teams program, visit www.toptransportationteams.com.

About Transfinder

Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York, Transfinder is redefining transportation management through industry-leading intelligent transportation solutions and Transfinder’s proprietary AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization) technology. Serving school districts, municipalities, adult care facilities and public safety agencies nationwide, the company’s award-winning technology helps route one in every three students across North America—moving millions safely and efficiently each day. A perennial growth leader, Transfinder has been recognized by the Albany Business Review as one of the Capital Region’s fastest-growing companies and has earned a spot on Inc. magazine’s list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for 13 years. Known for its culture of innovation and employee engagement, the software and hardware company has repeatedly been named a Best Place to Work, Top Workplace and one of New York State’s Best Companies to Work For. Learn more at www.transfinder.com.

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Six school districts across North America are being recognized as 2026 Top Transportation Teams, an annual award highlighting excellence in school transportation operations based on employee feedback on workplace culture, at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada.

The fourth-year program, developed by school bus software and hardware company Transfinder, evaluates school transportation departments using anonymous surveys completed by team members. Respondents assess areas such as workplace culture, leadership, access to resources, career development and incentives, with winners determined solely by survey results.

This year’s honorees at the STN EXPO West conference represent districts in four states and are divided into two categories based on department size.

In the category for departments with more than 100 employees, winners include Franklin Township Community School Corporation in Indiana, Hoover City Schools in Alabama, and Rockwall Independent School District in Texas.

Among departments with fewer than 100 employees, winners are Franklin Square Union Free School District and Pembroke Central School District, both in New York, and Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana.

Wa-Nee stood out by becoming the first school district to win the award three consecutive years, having also been recognized in 2024 and 2025. Pembroke Central also recorded its third overall win, previously earning the distinction in 2023 and 2025. Hoover City receives its second consecutive win.

Organizers said participation and response rates continued to increase this year, raising the benchmark for qualifying scores as more departments engaged with the survey process.

In a statement, Antonio Civitella, president and CEO of Transfinder, said the results reflect a broader trend of departments using employee feedback to improve operations and workplace environments.

“All these winners see the value of the Top Transportation Teams program, and it shows by the response rates of their teams and the scores they received,” he said, noting that participating districts often make adjustments based on survey results to strengthen team culture and support staff.

Each winning team will receive a full scholarship to attend STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada, and one team leader per district will have travel and lodging covered. During the event, leaders from the winning districts are scheduled to participate in a panel discussion focused on building and sustaining high-performing transportation teams, set for a general session lunch on Monday, July 13 at the Peppermill Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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Related: Workplace Culture Secrets of Six Top Transportation Teams
Related: Culture That Rocks: Turning Everyday Moments into Unforgettable Experiences
Related: Transportation Directors Receive Rock Star Training on Driver Retention

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Federal grants with awards ranging from several hundred thousand to tens of millions of dollars are available to help implement school safety measures, including improving school infrastructure and security, and strengthening emergency response planning and coordination.

Two federal funding programs are currently soliciting applications: One for states and the other for school districts.

The School Safety Enhancement (SSE) program was announced May 27 by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. SSE is expected to fund 30 awards nationwide to state agencies defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The estimated award range of the SSE grants are $500,000 to $5 million each. Administrative costs are capped at 10 percent of the annual grant award. Funds will supplement and not replace existing non-federal funds. Grants also cannot be used for construction renovation or repair of school facilities.

Projects could include safety and security exercises conducted by states with local first responders, such as mock-casualty school bus incidents. Only one application per state is permitted.

Applications are due July 28, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. ET.

The other federal program benefiting individual public school and charter school districts as well as school boards, local governments and law enforcement agencies is the School Violence Prevention Program (SVVP) through the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS.

Eligible programs are emergency operations planning, active threat response coordination, and school safety assessments. The funding caps at $500,000 per award and requires matching local funds of at least 25 percent. Approximately $1 million of the available funding will be reserved for microgrants of up to $100,000 for school districts, including rural, tribal and low-resourced schools.

The SVPP application deadline is Aug. 11 at 4:59 p.m. ET.

How Federal Funding Could Be Used for School Bus Training

One program that could benefit from either state or local funding is Operation STEER in Texas. Diane Wilson, the safety and training specialist for the Region 6 Education Service Center in Huntsville, Texas, organizes and presents the annual training in coordination with a state grant and with local fire and police departments that consists of mock-casualty school bus crashes.

She noted SSE and SVVP emphasize prevention, preparedness training and coordinated safety efforts, all of which are key components of her events.

“While Operation STEER is currently a Texas-specific program, we are in the process of developing a broader initiative that will expand the model on a larger scale,” she added. “Given ESC’s role within the Texas education system and our partnership with [Texas Education Agency], I will believe there could be opportunities to position STEER as part of a larger school safety effort that aligns well with the objectives of this funding.”

Paul Hasenmeier, the fire chief and director of public safety for Hernando County, Florida, encouraged all states to apply for SSE in particular. He regularly works with school districts on developing mock casualty incidents that train both district personnel and first responders on topics such as extrication, fuel and fires. He collaborated with Wilson last summer to present a smoke in the school bus class at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada.

He added that districts providing such training, could expect to incur expenses, such as hiring a consultant to teach towing old school buses, acquiring school buses to cut up and any facility fees unless a school site is used. There are also some logistical items such as water, food, tent, chairs, etc., as needed. He also noted that fire departments wouldn’t charge to compensate for their firefighter salaries if they get to cut up a bus in training.

The STN EXPO West conference in Reno, Nevada will open July 10 with a half-day seminar on best practices for training school bus drivers to respond to security threats. The session is led by Jim Levine, president and CEO of Levine Security Services, which produces the School Transportation Active-Threat Response Training, or S.T.A.R.T.

“These grants are golden opportunities for school transportation professionals to gain the advanced safety training we offer,” he added. “We did two email campaigns to state school transportation directors as well as sending out to our database of transportation and school officials announcing both grants.”

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Related: Security Expert Shares Key Indicators of Violence for School Transportation Safety
Related: Setting Fires Lands Former Utah School Bus Driver in Federal Prison
Related: STN EXPO General Session: Security Tabletop Exercise

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New data shows that nearly three-quarters of all registered school buses are powered by diesel, even as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program is expected to extend federal funding to include the fuel.

The S&P Global Mobility TIPNet data for December 2025 indicates internal combustion engines account for 98 percent of all power in U.S. commercial vehicles, 76 percent being fueled by diesel. Gasoline is powering 23 percent followed by 0.5 percent natural gas and propane. Electric vehicles account for the other 0.5 percent.

A deeper analysis conducted this spring by the Engine Technology Forum (ETF) found that school districts are opting to replace their aging school bus fleets with diesel. The ETF said 72 percent of the 2010 and newer model-year school buses are diesel, a 5-percent increase from 2023. The diesel buses rely on SCR and particulate matter filters, the latter introduced in 2007, to reduce levels of PM and nitrogen oxide, or NOx, by more than 90 percent compared to pre-2007 engines.

“Fleet turnover is one of the most effective tools we have to improve air quality today,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of ETF, in a statement last week. “The increasing share of 2010 [and older] model-year diesel buses show that school districts are making practical, cost-effective investments that deliver immediate environmental and operational benefits for students.”

Meanwhile, diesel school buses make up over 87 percent of the total fleet of school buses. The ETF analysis found about 18 percent of the national fleet regardless of fuel are pre-2007 model years.

The analysis also found that electric school buses account for only 1.1 percent of the national fleet. Meanwhile, ETF said a news report last year indicated propane school buses make up about 5 percent of the national fleet.

Diesel School Buses to Further Benefit from Federal Rulemaking, Funding?

The school bus and larger commercial truck industry await a new final rule on 2027 NOx and PM levels from the EPA, which is expected this summer. EPA is also expected to announce the return of the five-year, $5-billion Clean School Bus Program, which has been on hiatus since January of last year. The agency indicated in an RFI published earlier this year that it was considering adding biodiesel and renewable diesel as fundable fuel types.

“If we get back to the idea that an EPA program on school buses is to bring the most benefit to the most school districts to make school bus emissions cleaner, using renewable fuels ranks high on the list of accessible and affordable and good options,” Schaeffer, told School Transportation News.

Additionally, Congress is currently debating increased funding through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. Senate bill 2235 and would also increase spending to $100 million for each fiscal year 2026 through 2029, according to the Congressional Budget Office. H.R. 2140 contains the same spending amounts and remained in the Energy and Commerce committee.

An online STN survey of transportation directors conducted in April indicated that only 11 percent of 193 respondents are prioritizing electric or alternative school bus purchases for the upcoming school year compared to the previous school year. Diesel school buses also continue to be the most common fuel type, according to registrants of next month’s STN EXPO West conference who are signed up to attend the Transportation Director Summit.

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Related: Survey: Half of School Districts Paying At Least 6% More for Diesel
Related: Propane Grabs Spotlight as Fleets Seek Less Expensive, Cleaner Fuel
Related: Engine, Truck Manufacturers Support EPA Easing Derate of SCR Diesel Emissions Controls

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Still, some school districts are maintaining previous plans to phase out diesel and expand electric and propane school bus purchasing. Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in the Houston, Texas area — the largest school bus operation in the state — has no current plans to purchase diesel school buses as it focuses on propane and electric, said Bobby Williams, assistant director of transportation for fleet maintenance.

He said propane now represents 41 percent of the district’s fleet, with diesel coming in second at 34 percent.

Pittsburg Unified School District near San Francisco, California, operates a small fleet of 33 buses, with nine powered by renewable diesel.Matthew Belasco, the district’s director of transportation, cited California’s 2035 mandate to transition to zero-emissions school buses as a leading reason why fellow districts have moved away from diesel, despite technically still being able to purchase them for the next nine years.

The district currently operates seven electric school buses and 17 propane.

“Most state and federal funding programs have been focused on supporting zero-emission and, in some cases, low-emission alternatives, like propane,” he added. “We got some funding for propane a few years ago. Generally, though, districts that seem to be looking to replace buses have moved toward electric or propane options.”

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Last year, the appetite for electric school buses waned. The reason had a lot to do with President Donald Trump retaking the Oval Office and signing numerous executive orders that changed course on the drive toward zero emissions.

The Clean School Bus Program was shelved until recently, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expected at press time to finally announced it would make good on awarding the final $2.5 billion remaining in the five-year $5 million program. Seemingly it comes the official re-emergence of diesel, which had been obvious across all sectors.

Diesel is 90 percent cleaner than it was two decades ago and, while it still emits harmful particulate matter especially for children’s developing lungs, it remains the fuel type of choice for many fleets due to its workhorse and longevity characteristics. That makes federal subsidies for drop-in biodiesel blends, which many school districts have been using for decades, and renewable diesel especially attractive.

Granted, maintaining diesel systems has become more arduous and expensive. And those costs extend to the fuel pump.

Petroleum prices were already volatile, then the Iran war broke out. The Strait of Hormuz closed, and the price of oil soared well past $100 a barrel. Diesel and gasoline prices followed suit globally. Despite the U.S. opening domestic oil reserves, those prices have stayed high, and there is no end in sight. This has spelled doom for school districts and school bus operators.

The National Association for Pupil Transportation and AASA: The Superintendents Association conducted a survey last month that illustrates the impacts. Of the 188 school districts responding, 22 percent said their diesel fuel costs increased by 11- to 20 percent over their current school year budget. Another 20 percent said they
are 6- to 10 percent over budget.

Scott Lee, the director of transportation for Washoe County School District in Nevada, said diesel costs increased a whopping 89 percent from January of this year to May, rising from $3.01 per gallon to $5.69 per gallon. The Reno-area school district, however, seemingly has it better than a lot of states in terms of actual prices being paid. Outside of Portland, Oregon, the Beaverton School District was paying $6.57 per gallon through April, a 38-percent increase from $4.77 paid last July.

The saving grace for school districts like Beaverton and Washoe is a reliance on electric and propane school buses. Craig Beaver, who retires as director of transportation this summer, said the fleet of electric school buses is closing in on the sweet spot of achieving 1.5 kWh per mile efficiency. In April, the school district’s Type C and Type D electric school buses averaged 1.6 kW per mile, the best mark since last October, when the average was 1.59.

Meanwhile, both he and Washoe County’s Lee are also increasingly relying on propane. Lee shared that propane fueling cost remains relatively flat with an increase of 4 percent for fiscal year 2027, at which point the district also is purchasing another six propane school buses for the 2026-2027 school year.

Beaver said he kept the budget the same for the coming school year, as more electric and propane school buses will be on the road at a cheaper cost. This, he added, will hopefully offset the increase in diesel cost per gallon over the course of the year.

“It’s a good plan, as long as the Strait of Hormuz opens up in the next month or two. We will have minimal diesel usage this summer as well,” he shared. “Only use those buses for long trips. Everything else will be EV supplemented by propane.”

Beaverton’s long-term plan includes transitioning all 140 Type D school buses in the fleet to propane over the next five to eight years, once Blue Bird comes to market with an option.

The writing on the wall, no matter the politics at play, is the TCO of both electric and propane pencil out. Despite higher upfront costs, both options are often surpassing diesel in terms of lifetime fuel and maintenance csts. That story was also told at ACT Expo last month, in the 2026 State of Sustainable Fuels report.

With the Clean School Bus Program relaunching and no matter the assumed new funding mechanism for biodiesel and renewal diesel, millions if not billions of dollars will be spent in the coming years to add more electric and propane school buses to the national fleet.

And that is welcome news in a world where fuel volatility and higher new vehicle purchase prices will continue.

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

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Related: (STN Podcast E308) Past & Future: Fuel Volatility, 10 Years of School Transportation Trends
Related: (STN Podcast E307) Buy With Confidence: Fuel Price Frustration, School Bus Buying Tips
Related: Survey: Half of School Districts Paying At Least 6% More for Diesel
Related: Survey Shows 87% of Parents Support Low-Emissions School Buses, Yet Diesel Dominates

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A joint survey administered by AASA: The School Superintendents Association and the National Association for Pupil Transportation indicates how much rising diesel costs are hurting school district bottom lines, not simply in budgets but also in the classrooms. 

About 54 percent of the 188 school districts that responded to the survey, conducted the week of May 4, said they are paying 6 percent more for diesel since the Iran war started. Fourteen percent reported that diesel costs are running 20 percent or more over budget. Meanwhile, 22 percent have seen their fuel bills increase by 11- to 20 percent over budget and 20 percent said they are 6- to 10 percent over budget.

“The data suggests that many districts have, to date, prioritized limiting impacts on core instructional programs, instead relying on strategies such as route optimization, deferred maintenance and targeted spending adjustments,” NAPT said in an email Monday to members. “While some districts report fuel costs exceeding planned amounts, the overall approach reflects a deliberate effort to manage rising expenses while maintaining stability in educational services.”

Nearly two-thirds of the districts said they are absorbing the rising diesel prices within their current transportation budgets, as their states do not provide dedicated transportation funding that rises with fuel prices. Over 30 percent said they are transferring funds from other district programs, 19 percent are using rainy-day funds, and 15 percent have yet to cover the increased costs.

Consolidating routes/adjusting route efficiency is the leading response to reducing the impact of rising diesel costs, according to 40 percent of the responses. Other operational changes are enforced anti-idling procedures at 27 percent, reducing the number of routes at 25 percent, limiting non-required bus trips (20 percent), and changing fuel purchasing practices at 14 percent. Other responses are increasing walk-to-stop ratios (8 percent), moving away from “yellow bus to non-diesel vehicles” (7 percent), meaning either school buses, vans, SUVs or sedans, an AASA spokesperson clarified for School Transportation News, and negotiating contracts with transportation vendors (6 percent).

Dipping Into Other Programs to Pay for Diesel

Meanwhile, 55 percent of the districts reported that they have yet to implement offsets in their current general budgets to address the fuel price hikes, and 17 percent said they have so far avoided making cuts through the reliance on rainy-day funds. But of those that have, 16 percent have deferred maintenance/facilities work, 13 percent reduced support personnel, 13 percent trimmed administrative staff/spending, and 12 percent reduced summer instruction. Less than 5 percent selected one of the following: Reduced instructional staff; increased class sizes; delayed instructional improvement initiatives; cut extracurricular programs; and cut spending on instructional materials.

While 52 percent of districts said they have yet to address budget cuts or they are still in development, one-third have added a contingency or reserve fund to address fuel volatility. Another 16 percent have negotiated contracts or adjusted vendor terms. Fourteen percent have drawn down reserves, and 10 percent have sought local/state revenue specific to transportation.

To address the next school year’s budget, 37 percent said they are likely to use reserve or rainy-day funds, while 36 percent said they are not sure what their plan will be. Thirty percent are considering cutting athletic/extracurricular transportation, and 29 percent would defer maintenance and facilities. Foregoing professional development or consulting services, or technology purchases and replacements, came in at 22 percent of responses, respectively. Fourteen percent said they could skip purchasing  supplies, materials and textbooks next year, and 6 percent said they would pause instructional staffing and programming.

Despite higher initial purchase costs, alternative-fuel school buses are providing relief at the pump. Bibb County School District near Macon, Georgia is tapping into about $1 million in savings a year from less expensive propane school bus fueling and maintenance to pay for its few dozen gasoline-powered school buses. Director of Transportation Anthony Jackson, who presented the findings earlier this month at ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, told School Transportation News his staff has not purchased diesel fuel since February.

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Related: Report Highlights Propane and Electric TCO for School Bus
Related: (STN Podcast E307) Buy With Confidence: Fuel Price Frustration, School Bus Buying Tips

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At this writing, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had yet to announce the final award round for the Clean School Bus Program. At the same time, could the school bus industry be bracing for the end of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act?

Since 2008, DERA has been responsible for replacing over 8,500 older operating school buses with cleaner alternatives. The Trump administration last month released its fiscal year 2027 budget request and asked Congress to cut over 52 percent of EPA’s discretionary funding. Included is a call on Congress to cancel DERA, which for nearly two decades has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to the school bus industry via national grants, rebates and Tribal government awards.

Any attempt to end DERA at least in the Oval Office is unlikely. Congress still must pass its own budget appropriations. And a bipartisan DERA reauthorization bill has been in the works for the past year, which would extend the program at $100 million a year through fiscal year 2029. But the attempt demonstrates ongoing scrutiny over fiscal spending and, more aptly, funding alternative energy.

The $5 billion Clean School Bus Program was going to sunset one way or another after this year. But placing DERA funding in the crosshairs is the last headwind the industry needs on school bus replacements, a consultant shared with me. Another consultant noted that about a decade ago at an industry conference he asked the audience how willing they would be to continue to buy electric school buses if DERA funding dried up. Not one hand raised.

The question remains a good one today, since the electric school bus cost discrepancy is still two or three times that of diesel school buses. It was never attractive to pay upwards of $475,000 for a large electric school bus, and that’s before factoring in the charging infrastructure. If the Clean School Bus Program and DERA both end, where is the incentive to go green outside of a handful of states?

The cost of everything has gone up. At STN EXPO East in North Carolina earlier this spring, an attendee told me new diesel school bus purchases were running over $150,000 each. That includes a surcharge of $12,000 to $20,000 to pay for the warranties on the 2027-compliant engines. (The EPA continues to re-evaluate and finalize a new proposed Phase 3 GHG rule, but OEMs have already completed all necessary R&D and manufacturing to comply with the low NOx emissions levels.)

The Iran war and blockage on the Strait of Hormuz have also created substantial uncertainty for district budgets. While locking in bulk diesel prices creates insulation from price volatility, a gallon was selling at 30-percent premium after the war began. Meanwhile, April’s national average at-the-pump price exceeded $5.40 per gallon. In California, it’s well over $7 a gallon.

We also learned at STN EXPO East that the price of propane also increased, but by about 20 cents per gallon, when the fuel was already a fraction of the cost of diesel. Despite that silver lining, the question remains, how many propane school buses can and will be made available to the market?

School districts and bus companies cannot take for granted federal funds to help them purchase new school buses. Instead, already-strapped local and state budgets will be relied upon. School transportation professionals and their leaders need to increasingly make the case with voters that new school buses are necessary to keep up with service levels.

At the same time, however, public school enrollments are falling. The Brookings Institute found that U.S. public schools lost 1.2 million students from 2019 to 2023, and they aren’t coming back. Parents are homeschooling their children. They are sending them to charter and private schools. And increasingly they as well as school districts are using non-school bus vehicles to do it.

How willing will voters be to approve millions of more dollars via bond measures and levies for school bus purchases? Student transportation leaders can make no assumptions.

Simply put, funding is not keeping pace with rising costs. In seeking to proactively understand and manage all these intersecting challenges, student transporters will need to lean heavily into optimizing and rethinking service models, routing and resource allocation to maintain service levels with fewer resources.

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

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Related: EPA Commences Webinar Series as Clean School Bus Program Returns
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Related: EPA ‘Revamping’ Clean School Bus Program
Related: (STN Podcast E295) Something That’s Going to Work: Federal Updates + Future of School Bus Communications

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LAS VEGAS — Is there a world for autonomous school buses, after all? This industry might not have a choice, according to Rivian CEO and founder R.J. Scaringe.

Conversations increased at ACT Expo this week around autonomous commercial vehicles, with several experts indicating during sessions that self-driving trucks powered by AI will explode onto the scene over the coming decade. That point was punctuated Wednesday morning by Scaringe.

“We’re going to see changes that are maybe the most significant from [a] societal impact in the history of the adult world, where we’ll have AI capabilities that can do a very large percentage of tasks that today are done by humans, that’ll free up human bandwidth to do other things,” he said during a main stage fireside chat.

“I’m of the view that we as the humans are going to continue to find higher value ways to use our time,” he added.

Scaringe suggested that over the next decade a “significant portion” of both consumer and commercial vehicles will be electric. And they will be “connected, highly intelligent” and drive themselves.

“And when I say that, I think the important thing to consider is, if you don’t have those things, what does that mean?” he asked the audience. “By 2035, if you’re a large-scale vehicle manufacturer, whether it’s on the consumer side or the commercial side, and you don’t have a connected, highly intelligent platform that’s running the software and electronics vehicle, and the vehicle doesn’t have self-driving capabilities, it’s hard to imagine maintaining market share.”

The question remains will school buses be driving themselves? Based on ACT Expo, where the commercial truck and bus industry leaders gathered, it is looking more likely. Many truck innovations eventually work their way onto and into school buses.

Amid more chatter on the role autonomous will play, notably first for heavy-duty trucking and last-mile delivery, fleets have definitively increased the use of data and connected technologies to drive more ROI, as shown by this year’s State of Sustainable Fleets report released at the conference.

Nearly everyone agrees autonomous technology for school buses won’t mean adult-less routes to and from school with rowdy children left to their own devices. But as Scaringe, opined, autonomous school buses could beg the question of how to redeploy school bus drivers as safety aides. Might that improve the driver shortage that the school bus industry has long suffered with? A leading cause of drivers leaving school districts is student on-board behavior and a real or perceived lack of support in addressing challenges.

Scaringe also discussed his new robotics company, Mind Robotics focused on AI-powered robots for industrial automation, launched earlier this year. The venture is using factory data at Rivian to actively explore human-like capabilities for industrial applications. My mind immediately wandered back to the school bus. Humanoids working with the children? What about the potential implications on how school bus data — and that from other motorists in an increasingly connected world — could further train and automate route operations? A robot blocking traffic to allow students safer passage to and from their bus stops, perhaps?

The sky is the limit.

Re-energized Talks About Electric School Buses

Meanwhile, electric vehicles, which had been the main draw for ACT Expo over the last several years, re-emerged on day three with several exhibit floor presentations about V2G deployment following Scaringe’s talk on the mainstage.

V2G is showing gains, as charge management continues to be a must for fleets. This was evidenced by projects stretching from California and Oregon to New Jersey and New England. Challenges remain, presenters OpConnect, The Mobility House and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Quality admitted. The least of which being how utility providers are setting rates for what school districts can earn for feeding the grid. But the presentations also demonstrated the successes and learned opportunities. Those figures are only expected to increase as the EPA Clean School Bus Program is expected to return this spring.

On Monday after the exhibitor floor opened, Zenobe facilitated a discussion about a complex yet successful school bus electrification project in Massachusetts. It relied on a collaborative effort between Zenobe to identify grants and incentives as well as implement the charging infrastructure alongside school bus contractor Beacon Mobility, OEMs Micro Bird and Thomas Built Buses, Mass CEC and National Grid.

Also on Monday, propane school buses continued to show ROI. Anthony Jackson, director of student transportation for Bibb County Schools in Georgia, shared his experiences with the fuel. Savings from using propane rather than diesel has resulted in savings of nearly $3 million over the last several school years and an over 30 percent decrease in cost per mile in fuel alone, to $0.27 per mile when operating propane compared to $0.39 per mile with diesel. The maintenance savings were even better at a nearly 49-percent reduction, to $0.23 per mile with propane from $0.45 per mile with diesel.

Evident at ACT Expo was the wide reach of connected vehicles and data driving AI activity. That realization, after all, spurred an event rebrand by producer TRC Clean Solutions to expand the acronym that originally stood for advanced clean transportation to encompass AI and autonomous, connected and technology.

Eric Neandross, president of TRC Clean Transportation Solutions, on Tuesday asked an OEM panel, which included International Motors CEO Mathias Carlbaum, if in 25 years their companies will be technology providers rather than simply truck manufacturers. But the answers turned attention back to diesel remaining a major player for decades to come, burning cleaner and cleaner while continuing to supplement battery-electric and all the connected software that goes with it.

Things haven’t changed that much, after all.

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Related: Intersection of Autonomous Vehicles and School Buses
Related: Autonomous Vehicle Implications
Related: You Can’t Spell Training Without AI

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LAS VEGAS — As fleet operators wrestle with volatile diesel prices, tightening emissions rules and the steep costs of electrification, a group of industry experts said the answer to cleaner, cheaper operations may be a fuel that has been around for a century: Propane.

During the ACT Expo panel, “A Simpler Path to Lower Costs: How Fleets Use Propane and Renewable Propane,” representatives from a major public transit system, a national propane supplier and a leading alternative-fuel vehicle manufacturer argued that propane — and increasingly, renewable propane — can deliver immediate cost savings and emissions reductions without the infrastructure headaches of electric or compressed natural gas options.

Moderator Mike Finnern, who leads the alternative fuels fleet and facilities group at global engineering firm WSP, framed the Monday session as a reality check for fleet leaders who feel locked into a diesel vs. electric debate.

“In my job, I help a lot of clients convert their fleets from diesel to something else,” Finnern told attendees. “Oftentimes the conversation is around electrification, but that’s hard in a number of different ways. Infrastructure is a big part of it, vehicle costs are a big part of it. One of the things we talk about a lot is: What’s your base goal? Why [do] you want to electrify? Because there are other options, and some of those options can be remarkably compelling.”

Propane Supplier Pushes Carbon Intensity Metric

For Doug Dagan of Suburban Propane, which has been in the propane business for nearly 100 years, the key to understanding propane’s role in the energy transition is shifting the conversation from technology labels to carbon intensity.

“We’re here to talk about the power of propane as a decarbonization and cost-effective solution for fleet vehicles,” Dagan said. “We really think the distinguishing factor for propane is carbon intensity, and that really should be the metric that everyone uses for making decisions about the climate benefits of a fuel.”

Dagan said traditional propane already offers a significantly lower carbon intensity than gasoline and diesel, and emerging renewable propane pathways drive those numbers even lower. Conventional propane, he noted, carries a carbon intensity score of around 80 in many models. Renewable propane produced from certain waste-based feedstocks can land in the 20 to 40 range and in some cases approach net zero, depending on the production method.

Suburban currently supplies propane, renewable propane and renewable natural gas. It is investing in hybrid solutions as well. But renewable propane faces a structural challenge: Like conventional propane, it is largely produced as a byproduct of refining other fuels, such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. To expand supply, Dagan said, Suburban is investing in “on-purpose” production, including biogas-based routes that mirror the way renewable natural gas is made.

Despite questions about long-term feedstock volumes, Dagan argued that propane offers something many alternative fuels cannot – stability. While diesel and gasoline prices have spiked sharply during the Iran war and even prior to that, he said, propane has not tracked those swings as closely, because it is not as exposed to global crude dynamics and is abundant in the U.S.

Medium-Duty Fleets Find Real Savings

After Dagan laid out the fueling story, Todd Mouw of ROUSH CleanTech made the business case. Parent company ROUSH, known for its performance engineering heritage, spun up its CleanTech division in 2010 to focus on propane and other alternative powertrains.

“When we first started ROUSH CleanTech, we quickly saw that the pain point for fleets was in Class 4 through 7,” Mouw said. “That’s where diesel was creating a lot of cost and complexity. So, we shifted our focus to medium-duty diesel displacement.”

Mouw said ROUSH now has more than 55,000 propane vehicles on the road across more than 4,000 fleets, logging millions of cumulative miles. Many of these are the Blue Bird Propane Vision. The message to fleet managers, he said, is that the technology is proven, the infrastructure is mature and the economics are compelling.

“In a lot of these applications, even before recent run-ups in fuel prices, you’re saving on the order of 30 to 35 cents a mile vs. diesel,” he said. “You have infrastructure that’s easy and fast to deploy, no impact on payload, range comparable to diesel and engines that are already certified at ultra-low NOx.”

Mouw pointed to looming 2027 federal NOx standards that will further increase the cost and complexity of diesel engines. Against that backdrop, he said, propane powertrains with very low NOx certification allow fleets to get ahead of the curve without the sticker shock and infrastructure delays that often come with electrification.

Florida County’s Paratransit Program Banks Millions with Propane

The proof point came from Paul Strobis, assistant general manager of transportation in Broward County, Florida. He oversees paratransit services for riders with disabilities, which he described as the most expensive service per passenger in the public transit portfolio.

“When I was looking to implement an alternative fuel system, I needed the lowest cost solution that still improved our environment,” Strobis said.

He operates primarily Class 4 and 5 cutaway buses and some sedans, with service delivered under contracts that turn over every five to 10 years. That created a requirement for fueling infrastructure that could be flexible and movable enough to follow private contractors. Heavy, permanent compressed natural gas installations did not fit that model.

“What I found was propane met all of those needs,” he said.

Since launching propane service in January 2015, Broward County has consumed roughly 12 million gallons of propane, Strobis reported. Over about 10 years, taxpayers have contributed about $16.2 million, or an average of $1.34 per gallon. Comparable gasoline for the same service would have cost approximately $29 million, at an average of $2.84 per gallon, he said.

“We’ve saved over $13 million for our taxpayers just on the cost of fuel,” Strobis said.

When federal alternative fuel tax credits were active, Broward’s net cost dropped even further, to under a dollar per gallon. Strobis said his current price is about $1.45 per gallon for propane, compared to more than $4 for gasoline. Fueling times are comparable to gasoline, he added, and his contracted maintenance facilities did not need the costly ventilation and gas-detection upgrades required for CNG shops.

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Related: Report Highlights Propane and Electric TCO for School Bus
Related: Panel Shares How Propane School Buses Deliver Students, Savings
Related: Transportation Director Shares How Propane Buses Benefit Special Needs Routes

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Electrification, CNG and Safety

The panelists repeatedly contrasted propane with battery-electric and CNG options, particularly on infrastructure.

Dagan said fleets often discover that the grid simply cannot deliver enough power where and when they need it, or that the electrons they do get are not as clean as advertised. In many U.S. markets, he said, charging vehicles with grid power still relies heavily on fossil generation, undercutting environmental benefits. Taking propane straight to the vehicle, he argued, can be both cleaner and more efficient in many cases.

Finnern noted that a propane station can often be installed and operational within weeks, while some large EV charging projects remain bogged down for a year or more.

Tucker Perkins, president of the Propane Education & Research Council, said the emissions profiles of propane and natural gas are similar. But CNG infrastructure costs can be an order of magnitude higher because of the need for high-pressure compressors and specialized equipment. In contrast, propane stations operate at much lower pressures and can sometimes be installed by fuel providers at their own expense in exchange for a fuel contract.

Strobis said one of his early challenges was “managing fears and misconceptions” about propane safety. He recalled an incident two weeks before Broward’s propane buses entered passenger service, when an electrical fire destroyed one of the vehicles. The local fire chief, hearing propane was onboard, allowed the bus to burn rather than approach it, only to later find that the three-quarter-full propane tank had remained intact.

“These systems are built very, very safely,” Strobis said, noting that his insurance costs did not rise with the switch to propane.

Perkins pointed to the school bus market, where propane has gained significant share, as a strong endorsement. He said long-standing codes, standards and formal training for mechanics and drivers underpin the safety record, while children and operators benefit from cleaner air inside and around the vehicles.

Looking ahead, Dagan said the biggest lever for expanding renewable propane will be state and provincial low carbon fuel standards that reward lower-carbon fuels. Programs in California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and parts of Canada are already creating value for renewable propane through carbon credits, he said, which should gradually draw more production into the market.

Finnern closed by urging fleets to focus on fundamentals rather than hype.

“At the end of the day, this is about cost, emissions and practicality,” he said. “Propane offers a remarkably compelling balance of all three, and fleets can do it today.”

This article written with the assistance of an AI transcript.

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