Communications came in #3 on procurement lists created by Transportation Director Summit attendees at STN EXPO West. Business Development Manager David Weber discusses how School Radio supports reliable communication for the professionals transporting precious cargo on school buses.
Joel Stutheit, former transportation director who now serves as senior manager of Autogas business development for the Propane Education & Research Council, shares why propane makes financial and operational sense for school districts, such as Oregon’s Beaverton School District which has seen great success with the fuel.
Matt Reich, who oversees growth and strategic partnerships for school bus stop-arm enforcement system provider Verra Mobility, speaks on the illegal passing epidemic, safety conversions at the Transportation Director Summit, and success in districts like Polk County Public Schools in Florida.
Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana just won the Top Transportation Teams award for the third straight time, and Hoover City Schools in Alabama won it for the second straight time. Matt Hostetter, transportation and school safety clerk for Wa-Nee, and Brad Hayn, director of transportation for Hoover City, are joined by John Daniels, vice president of marketing for award sponsor and technology provider Transfinder, to examine their secrets to success.
In less than a year, the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation will release its second illegal passing awareness campaign, this time catered to the NFL audience.
Katrina Morris, executive director of MAPT, said the association recently filmed its latest public service announcement with former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown. The PSA is expected to be released in early August, timed with the start of the back-to-school season.
The video follows MAPT’s 2025 illegal passing campaign featuring NASCAR driver Ryan Preece, which was filmed in partnership with ROUSH CleanTech. Morris said the goal of these PSAs is to reach more audiences than those in school transportation.
“The last one, it [had]125,000 views,” Morris said of the Preece PSA. “So, you know that’s not transportation people. The NFL has a huge voice, too, and so we’re hoping to get more than that.”
The new campaign came together after Morris said she mentioned wanting to connect with someone in the Detroit Lions organization. An MAPT board member helped make the connection through his father-in-law, who is retired from the NFL and the Detroit Lions.
The PSA was filmed over two days, with scenes shot in Ludington and Detroit. Brown also visited students in Ludington through an educational program that helps students regulate, cope and reintegrate into their general education districts. Morris said the students had learned about Brown before his visit and were excited to meet him.
“He was phenomenal with their kids,” Morris said. “Signed autographs on shirts … and took pictures with the kids, so it was really neat and amazing.”
PSA Blends Football Humor with Seriousness of Illegal Passing Issue
The PSA uses humor and football references, as well as a nod to the NFC North Division. For instance, in one scene, a child asks for a green and yellow mohawk, a nod to the Green Bay Packers. In another, a man asks for a bear tattoo, ala the Chicago Bears. In another, a couple appears to be rushing into marriage while wearing Minnesota Vikings purple and gold.
Brown responds to each scenario with, “I wouldn’t rush into that.”
The lighthearted banter turns serious at the school bus stop. “But here’s where it really matters: No rushing when the red lights are flashing, there’s no passing,” Brown says in the PSA.
Morris added that a combination of humor and urgency is intentional. Like the video with Preece, she noted that the goal is to create a message that people will want to watch, while also reinforcing the most important safety rules for motorists, to stop for school buses when their reg lights are flashing and stop arm is extended.
Morris said Brown understood the importance of the campaign after seeing a recent news story about a close call involving a student.
“He and his wife were watching TV a couple days before we film, and one of our school districts had a really close call where this car just came flying past and this kid was going to cross the road,” Morris said. “He said it really resonated and obviously made it a little bit more important to get this done.”
MAPT’s first illegal passing PSA with Preece was released during National School Bus Safety Week in October 2025 and can only be run through the end of this calendar year. The new PSA with Brown, however, does not have the same restrictions.
Morris said sponsors again helped make the latest PSA possible, including several that also supported the racing campaign. The current PSA was sponsored by the National School Transportation Association, the National Association of Pupil Transportation and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, as well as state organizations such as New York, Texas, and Indiana. First Light, IC Bus and Dean Transportation also sponsored the PSA.
She said some sponsors also committed funding specifically for airtime, which could help expand the campaign’s reach beyond social media.
The campaign’s momentum may not stop here. Morris said MAPT is already looking toward the music industry as the next avenue for reaching a broader audience.
“There’s obviously a need for this, and there’s a want for it, which is good,” Morris said. “And hopefully there won’t be a need or a want for it after a while. But right now, we have to do something for the kids.”
Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) is the next generation in nationwide radio systems with instant group calling and dispatching. Modern PoC radio systems are transforming school transportation communications with improved student safety and more efficient operations and logistics. This white paper will review how PoC works and the key benefits, the different types of PoC devices and systems, and integration options that are available.
Key takeaways from this informative white paper:
How PoC systems work utilizing multiple 4G/5G/LTE cellular networks
How GPS and fleet dispatching works and the key benefits
How large school districts can manage and operate their own PoC system
The different types of PoC devices, including handheld and mobile radios
The significant difference between different PoC vendors and systems
How to easily add PoC radios and wide area coverage to existing two-way radio systems
Fill out the form below and then check your email to access the guide.
A webinar explored how school districts can evaluate school bus radio communication systems based on reliability, coverage, scalability, safety features and total cost of ownership.
During Thursday’s webinar sponsored by Hytera, Marketing Director Ty Estes and Director of Engineering Morné Stramrood compared Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) systems and push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) solutions, explaining their advantages, limitations and use cases for student transportation.
“Radios are critical to school operations, logistics and student safety,” Estes declared, adding that reliable communication helps transportation departments, school staff and emergency responders coordinate their efforts.
Understanding Modern DMR Systems
Stramrood began with a technical overview of land mobile radio standards and the growing adoption of digital technologies.
“DMR is an industry standard. This is a very good thing,” he said.
He explained that benefits include increased call capacity, superior voice quality, reduced interference, longer battery life and better range.
Stramrood said school districts still operating analog radios can move to digital systems without completely replacing existing equipment. Many DMR radios support both analog and digital operation, allowing districts to transition gradually.
He reviewed the flexibility of modern DMR systems, including group calls, individual calls, emergency alerts, text messaging and centralized dispatching capabilities.
Additionally, school districts can organize users into communication groups for transportation, security, maintenance, administration and emergency operations. He said districtwide call groups can connect multiple campuses under a single communications platform.
DMR Mobile Radios support emergency alerts.
Communications During Emergencies
Safety and emergency response remained a recurring theme throughout the webinar.
Stramrood shared examples of emergency notification capabilities that allow transportation directors to quickly alert school bus drivers during critical incidents, such as active shooter situations. Dispatchers can send emergency messages directing buses to predetermined safe locations until officials issue an all-clear notification.
He also highlighted safety features including GPS tracking, emergency call functions and location-based services. He also explained how districts can integrate modern radio systems with gate access control systems and public address networks.
Expanding Coverage and Capacity
Communication challenges in larger school districts often extend beyond a single campus or transportation facility.
There are several methods for expanding radio coverage, Stramrood noted. Repeater systems increase radio range and reliability when buildings or terrain create coverage barriers. Internet Protocol (IP) systems provide a cost-effective way to connect multiple locations across broader geographic areas. Trunking architectures support more simultaneous users and communication groups.
Since communication needs vary among districts, Stramrood stressed that transportation leaders should consider future planning and scalability when selecting a system.
The second half of the webinar examined push-to-talk over cellular technology, which uses commercial LTE and Wi-Fi networks instead of dedicated radio frequencies.
Unlike conventional radio systems that require FCC frequency licenses and supporting infrastructure, Estes explained that PoC systems operate through cloud-based platforms and existing nationwide cellular networks. PoC devices can support multi-carrier SIM cards, helping maintain coverage when one network is unavailable.
He shared that advantages of PoC technology include nationwide coverage, lower upfront costs, rapid deployment, end-to-end encryption and voice or video applications.
Districts can deploy PoC technology through purpose-built handheld radios, vehicle-mounted mobile radios and ruggedized smart devices that can run business applications, Estes stated.
He showed how the technology also equips transportation departments with GPS tracking, geofencing, instant group voice and video calling, dispatch applications, and centralized management tools to monitor assets and personnel in real time.
Today, Push-to-Talk over Cellular uses modern LTE cellular infrastructure of Mobile Network Operators.
Choosing the Right School Bus Radio Solution
Rather than positioning DMR and PoC as competing technologies, Estes and Stramrood emphasized that each serves different operational needs.
DMR systems offer dedicated communications infrastructure and may be a better fit for districts focused on mission-critical reliability. PoC solutions provide broad geographic coverage and lower deployment costs while leveraging existing cellular networks.
Before making a purchase, Estes encouraged transportation leaders to work with experienced radio dealers and evaluate equipment firsthand.
“Get a demo,” he advised, noting that many dealers can provide loaner equipment so transportation departments can test radios in real-world operating conditions.
“Make sure you get the devices that are right for your school district and not the devices that happen to be available,” he cautioned.
Hytera will display its communications options at its booth during the STN EXPO West Trade Show in Reno, Nevada, on July 13-14.
In this presentation you will learn about the latest innovations in radio communications and dispatching solutions for K-12 education and student transportation.
Whether you are deploying a new radio and GPS location tracking system or looking to add range and capacity to your existing system, this presentation will help you determine the best solutions for your school or district. We will present an overview of current two-way radio systems and standards that use licensed UHF and VHF frequencies, and nationwide 4G/5G/LTE Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC).
Here are some of the valuable take-aways from this complete guide to two-way radio communications webinar:
How to choose the best radio system for your specific coverage and call capacity requirements
How to migrate from analog to digital for improved performance
How to extend the range and expand the capacity of your existing radio system
Brought to you by Hytera
REGISTER BELOW:
Presenters:
Ty Estes
Marketing Director
Hytera
Ty Estes is the Marketing Director for Hytera US, Inc., where he oversees promotion of the company’s radio communication products. Ty has over twenty years of experience in marketing wireless communications and network technologies, and he has chaired committees in telecommunications trade associations and authored several technical papers. Ty has a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Long Beach.
Morné Stramrood
Director of Engineering
Hytera
Morné Stramrood is the Sales Engineering Director with Hytera US, Inc., managing a team of Engineers helping customers achieve their communication goals. He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch, with 27+ years of experience in telecom systems engineering and writing standards as part of technical working groups for RTCM, IEC and IALA. Morné has designed and deployed large analog and digital trunked radio networks, both in the US and internationally.
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Ty Estes is the Marketing Director for Hytera US, Inc., where he oversees promotion of the company’s radio communication products. Ty has over twenty years of experience in marketing wireless communications and network technologies, and he has chaired committees in telecommunications trade associations and authored several technical papers. Ty has a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Long Beach.
