The new propane-powered Type A bus from Collins Bus Corp, South Hutchinson, KS, recently completed the certification process and has gone into full production. According to the company, the NexBus Propane small school bus will be available under the Collins, Mid Bus and Corbeil brands. Demonstrator vehicles were shown at state and regional trade shows this summer.
“We are extremely proud of the work our alternative fuels team has done to develop, test and produce the first dedicated propane-powered Type A bus in the school bus market,” says Kent Tyler, President of Collins Bus Corp. “Going forward our commitment is to develop and fine tune alternative fuel options that will meet the needs of our diverse customer base.”
He says the NexBus Propane bus has met or exceeded all FMVSS certifications for school transportation, including the highest standards for fuel system integrity.
The engine developed in partnership with CleanFUEL USA, has obtained certification from both the U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board.
Collins also says the NexBus Propane bus, which is built on a dual rear wheel GM chassis, exhibits excellent cold weather starting, has an estimated range in excess of 300 miles and is available in capacities up to 32 passengers. BR

By Amanda Buckles

Years ago when part-time driver Gene Mitchell was the crew chief for Purdue University Bus Department, he coined the saying, Anyone can get a bus anywhere, but no one can buy the kind of service that comes from someone who truly cares. The message continues to inspire the current crew chief, 13-year veteran Steve Moorman who works to ensure quality coach transportation for the University.

Purdue is one of only a few universities in the nation that operates its own motorcoach fleet for charter. Transporting more than 100,000 passengers each year, Purdue Transportation affords students and approved university-affiliated groups safe coach travel to destinations that may range from local outings to the agronomy farms up to a weeklong excursion to destinations such as the Deep South.

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The bus department operates solely at the request of the University in its mission, and provides shuttle service to and from basketball and football games. However, it does not solicit tours and excursions independently.

Purdue University does not encourage its students to drive to campus, offering a number of alternative transportation solutions instead, including its innovative partnership with the CityBus of Greater Lafayette transit system.

Through careful budgeting and management, the bus department has been self-sustaining since its inception, operating on revenue it earns from campus charter services.

“We have to work harder to book the trips and keep people coming back,” Moorman says. “We must make the money to buy the equipment.”

Come back they do

“We used to be busy during the spring and fall semesters with time to relax in the summer,” says Moorman. “Anymore, it is not as seasonal, but full time year round.”

Over the years the department has seen many changes in demand and the type of travel, with Purdue staying abreast of all the trends. Twenty-five years ago school buses were in demand but more recently interest has swung toward the sleek luxury of motorcoaches. The current fleet consists of nine buses total — four coaches, one mid-size transit and four school buses. The models include a 2002 Neoplan Cityliner, a 1994 and a 2000 MCI 102DL3, a 1988 MCI 96A3 as well as a 2007 MCI J4500. The mid-size is a 2008 Glaval Concorde 2. For school buses the university uses two 1990 Navistar INT 3800s, a 2009 Thomas Transit and a 2010 Thomas Transit with a wheelchair lift.

Where demand for coaches exceeds the supply, Moorman turns to several reliable outside independent coach operators to supplement the university fleet. In addition to negotiating mutually acceptable prices, Moorman will frequently check the safety ratings for each vendor company, and speak personally with the assigned driver from that company for each trip.

Though Purdue Transportation operations do not fall under Department of Transportation regulations, Moorman says safety is the major priority throughout his department nonetheless. Moorman believes such voluntary compliance helps his department maintain its perfect safety record, clear of any injuries and major accidents.

“Our full-time drivers have more than 80 combined years of experience without any major accidents,” he says. “Safety is our number one consideration at all times and we practice what we preach. Our drivers continually review their safe driving practices and ensure our buses are in top condition for each and every trip.”

Purdue Transportation requires its drivers to be Heartsaver AED certified to administer automatic electronic defibrillation. Every coach carries an AED unit on every trip.

Regular safety inspections

The bus drivers clean and maintain the Purdue buses with the help of two MCI certified mechanics. They say even the oldest 1988 MCI 96A3 motorcoach looks and runs as well as the newest. The department regularly conducts safety inspections performed every 350, 500 and 1,000 hours of service.

Purdue currently employs four full-time bus drivers in addition to Moorman as crew chief. Sixteen part-time bus drivers fill in on evenings and weekends.

Moorman foresees the need for smaller, comfortably equipped vehicles that can go on longer trips as a trend Purdue is leaning toward.

“We want to be ready when the requests start flowing in,” he says. “These vehicles can transport small athletic teams or class trips that may not be large enough to justify the traditional coach.” Moorman also is considering further environmentally friendly options.

“Even now, we fuel our vehicles with B-0 soy methyl-ester biodiesel,” states Moorman. “Our newest purchases will always be in accordance with the most current and stricter EPA regulations.”

Sea of black and gold

Football Saturdays are a sea of black and gold in the transportation office, as drivers dress out in team colors to run the football shuttles from the parking lots to Ross Ade Stadium, keeping the team spirit high on the way.

Avid season ticket holders such as Mildred Buckles claim the ride in to the stadium is one of the best parts of going to the game.

“I have been taking the Purdue shuttles for basketball and football games for years now, and the drivers have always been very professional and efficient at their job,” she says. “They are entertaining, and always willing to help with anything I need.”

Such a response pleases Moorman.

Purdue Transportation director, Carol Cox, says she receives acknowledgement of their outstanding service in letters to her and the drivers from customers expressing their satisfaction.

“Whether we are transporting the university president or the volunteer network, we treat each and every passenger with the same respect and courtesy,” says Cox. “Our drivers are very perceptive to the wants and needs of our passengers, and they strive to meet all requests in a courteous and professional manner.”

Moorman further notes Purdue alumni are always glad to see the rolling billboards come to their cities and towns.

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“Many of them have not been back to Purdue in years,” he says. “Just by their nostalgic view of the coaches they get a small piece of Purdue that takes them back to the good times they had at the University.”

The value of the motorcoaches to Purdue University goes well beyond dollars and cents. The quality of the staff members and the services they deliver are intrinsic and beyond measure.

Amanda Buckles is with Purdue University Transportation Service, West Lafayette, IN. [www.purdue.edu]

By David Hubbard

The University of Minnesota Campus Connector includes four 60-ft articulated Van Hool A300Ls.

The Twin Cities campus is the oldest and largest in the University of Minnesota system serving more than 51,000 students. Its two separate campuses are five miles apart on either side of the Mississippi River, in Minneapolis on the west bank and St. Paul on the east bank.

On a typical school day the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMTC) campus attracts 80,000 students, staff, faculty and visitors. Two-thirds of that number use transportation alternatives to come and go with 7,000 university students and 1,300 faculty using discounted bus passes. Once they arrive the ride is free on bus service between the two campuses, generating 3.8 million trips annually. This represents more than a nine percent increase over the previous year’s ridership. The campus health clinics alone generate more than 400,000 visits each year.

Ranked among the largest public research universities in the country, UMTC does not forget its desire to serve an integral role in its own community. Transportation plays heavily in its civic contributions. In 1992 the university opened the transit way along the railroad right-of-way to connect the two campuses by bus. Anyone can ride between Minneapolis and St. Paul and the university pays the fare.

“Instead of posting bus schedules, the Transportation Department turned it into a frequency-based program,” says Paul Buharin, FirstTransit administrator for University of Minnesota Transportation. “Now we instruct passengers to simply watch for a bus every three to five minutes. The entire trip end to end takes no more than 20 minutes.”

The prime objective of the Campus Connector is to move students on and off as quickly as possible to minimize the time to board and exit before the next bus arrives — which brings up the point of the Van Hool A300L transit buses that serve the university so well. FirstTransit put 12 40-ft A300Ls with three doors and four 60-ft articulated units with four doors into service in January.

The transit management company proposed a new bus fleet when it began its contract with the UMTC in 2007. Buharin says FirstTransit told parking and transportation officials it would purchase any make and model they chose.

“We gave them a wide range of makes and models to choose from, along with prices,” he says. “They appreciated having options and were very enthusiastic about the selection process. We are proud of our partnership with the university and wanted to find a vehicle that would enhance its rapid bus model of intercampus transit. The Van Hool vehicles do this with a striking appearance that will look modern for the life of the bus.”  He says the group even traveled to Oakland, CA to consult with AC Transit and see the Van Hool A300L in action.

The Van Hool A300L is relatively new to this country. ABC Companies, Faribault, MN, the Belgium manufacturer’s sales and marketing partner for the U.S., brought the modern European design to this country last year. Utah Transit was the first to put it in service as the star of its new Salt Lake City BRT system, MAX.

Globally, Van Hool has delivered this bus to 80 other countries and has an 80-ft, double-articulated configuration running in Brazil.

The fully low-floor vehicle is essentially the next iteration of the Van Hool A330. The central midship engine placement on the older A330 required a higher floor at the rear of the bus. The offset engine location left of center on the A300L allows a full low-floor treatment front to rear that permits the extra door in the rear.

“Van Hool prides itself on its strength to customize transit buses for a client, says John Andrews, ABC Companies vice president, public sector. “The University of Minnesota settled on the A300L because none of the American bus makers had a vehicle with more than two doors.”

Buharin says the UMTC officials were looking for efficiency as much as durability.

“The 40-ft and 60-ft design with three and four doors certainly caught their eye,” he says. “The point being, student transportation is all about transporting a lot of students between classes in shortest amount of time. With the additional doors, passengers can get on and off faster and more conveniently.”

In consideration of the brutal low temperatures during the winter months, the university also specified a self-service door system. The doors open only when needed and only for as long as necessary to keep the warm air inside from escaping.

“The bus driver stops and enables the self service function that allows the passengers to request the doors to open and close,” says Buharin. “The doors open as needed with the push of a button. This feature saves a lot of energy during layovers and non-peak times when the doors open only on demand.”

Andrews says the push-button door system is not a standard feature and ABC Companies worked with the Van Hool engineers to honor the request and ensure its operation on the fleet.

“Public acceptance of the new fleet has been terrific,” says Buharin. “They are definitely unlike any other buses running in the Twin Cities.”  BR

By Carey Paster

Last year Berrien Regional Education Service Agency, Berrien Springs, MI, charged with caring for the community’s special needs children, faced state budget cuts and had to find a way to lower costs without compromising safety. It needed specialized vehicles, a flexible and compassionate staff and nurses to ride routes. Officials were not sure what they would find when they first considered outsourcing the transportation program.

Today with a depleted economy leaving many transportation directors to operate against this backdrop of shrinking budgets and increased demand, outsourcing is one solution to providing more for less.

Successful outsourcing requires a partnership such as the managers at FirstGroup America have developed with hundreds of school districts, cities and fleet managers to deliver services at lower costs without compromising safety or quality.

Fiscal savings; focused expertise
Cost savings is generally the number one reason organizations look to outsource their transportation programs. According to the Council of Great City Schools, school districts can save as much as 18 percent through outsourcing transportation. However, we have seen savings as great as 40 percent with the correct transportation model.

Berrien County Regional Education Services expects to save one million dollars every year for each of the five years of its contract with First Student.

“Money was the catalyst,” says Jim Palm, assistant superintendent, administrative services.  “This was a big decision and we wanted to proceed cautiously and consider all our options. If we thought we would have to sacrifice safety, we would not have chosen to outsource.”

It is not enough simply to lower costs. Transporting children responsibly to and from school requires cooperation and coordination on every level. Contractors can add tremendous value in terms of expertise in safety and training as well as in administering an efficient transportation program.

Outsourcing to contractors who provide expert management and superior service allows school districts, fleet managers and transit operators to concentrate on what they do best. A complete turnkey operation, such as the one First Transit provides for the Texas State University San Marcos campus shuttle system, is a key advantage to the transportation program.

“We are more interested in concentrating on the academic side,” says Brad McAllister, assistant director of auxiliary services, Texas State. “We are pleased to let the professionals take care of transportation.”

First Transit provides all the equipment, maintenance, personnel and fleet management, and its services guarantee a professional appearance and clean equipment.

Associated costs of an in-house operation by a contractor include:

• Vehicle replacement
• Vehicle parts and maintenance
• Human resources: wages, payroll taxes, training
• Management of the transportation program
• Facilities: utilities, maintenance
• Clerical and support services
• Compliance with the local, state and federal regulations
• Maintaining relationships with the public, including parents
• Additional benefits
• Control of costs through competitive bidding and contract negotiations
• Economies of scale in regards to equipment, vehicles and often fuel
• Realization of efficiencies through consolidation or route optimization
• Focus on primary service (i.e., education, police/fire protection)
• Flexibility to negotiate the terms for a complete turnkey operation or customized components in a transportation program

Successful change
The greatest resistance to outsourcing transportation comes from the stakeholders, which includes drivers and board members, as well as the public who may not be aware of the process and its overall advantages.

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) reports that driver resistance is often the most difficult barrier to outsourcing because many drivers immediately fear their jobs are at risk. Usually the outsourcing agency can overcome any anxiety through assurance and understanding.

Professional drivers are the front line in any transportation operation. The best organizations regard drivers as a tremendous asset. As a matter of course with any new contract First Transit seeks to hire and retain as many employees from the current operation as possible, provided they undergo and pass the requisite background checks.

When the stakeholders understand the benefits, outsourcing evolves from what some might consider a bitter pill to a transformational win-win for everyone involved.

By Mike Murray

Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) handed down a landmark rule that addresses the ongoing debate of seat belt use on school buses. Among other changes, the rule requires an increase in the seatback height on both large and small school buses and mandates the installation of three-point seat belts on smaller buses.

The school bus industry has embraced these new school bus safety standards, and lauds them for further improving the safest mode of student transportation. As the largest school bus transportation provider in North America, First Student commends NHTSA for taking action to offer this added degree of protection for the 25 million children who ride in school buses every day.

Highlights of the rule:

Beginning October 2009 all new school buses must be equipped with 24-inch-high seat backs, an increase from the current 20-inch-high seat backs.

Beginning October 2011 all new, smaller school buses (10,000 pounds or less) must be equipped with three-point seat belts that use both lap and shoulder restraints.

Performance standards for districts should they decide to install seat belts on larger buses.

While today’s school bus is engineered for safety, the increased seat back height marks a significant extra measure. The school bus industry proposed higher seat backs as early as 2005 in a resolution the National Congress on School Transportation adopted.

The higher seat backs design better protects taller children such as middle and high school students. The extra four inches required in the NHTSA regulation prevents these students from overriding the top of the seat in a frontal crash, keeping them safe in the seating compartment.

Unlike a passenger car, the body of a large school bus absorbs the energy of an impact, making compartmentalization the safest passenger protection system. This type of restraint works well for large school buses because, in addition to external safety factors such as the height and weight of the bus itself, highly engineered seating compartments where any residual force of a crash is absorbed by padded seat backs rather than by their bodies keep children safe.

Seven states have already made higher seat backs a requirement. Bus manufacturers IC Bus and ThomasBuilt have made higher seat back buses available for many years and are gearing up to meet the seat back height requirements to comply with the timing of the new standard.

Lap and shoulder belts are a beneficial safety enhancement for smaller buses. While still designed for safety smaller buses do not have some of the exterior advantages that larger buses enjoy. The NHTSA mandate for three-point shoulder/lap belts on smaller school buses is already a safety feature in place in some of the school districts First Student serves.

For preschool programs that require transporting young children, First Student also works with its customers to provide car seats or other safety restraint systems as an added safety measure.

Training

Even though school buses are the safest, most technologically advanced they have ever been, without properly trained professional drivers, the responsibility of this company to the communities it serves would certainly go unmet.

We can never overstate the value of good training and hiring the best employees. It is critical that as an industry we constantly seek out and effectively equip drivers with the best safety training as well as the defensive driving techniques they need to avoid accidents altogether as much as possible.

As the largest school bus contractor and as a provider of other transit services, FirstGroup America is constantly looking for ways to ensure the highest level of safety for all of its passengers. Regular re-examination of school bus safety standards and the introduction of new safety regulations by NHTSA and other agencies are always welcome.

The school bus plays an important role in the education of America’s children. For many, it is their only means of getting to and from school and therefore often their only access to education. First Student is committed to working with government agencies, industry organizations, bus manufacturers, school districts and the communities we serve to ensure the safe transport of children to and from school.

Mike Murray is President and CEO of FirstGroup America, North America’s largest transportation provider. FirstGroup America is the recipient of the National Safety Council’s Green Cross for Safety Medal, in recognition of its strong safety culture, commitment to its core values of safety and customer service, and its outstanding safety record. First Student, Inc., is part of FirstGroup America and is the largest provider of student transportation, safely transporting more than 3 million students in the U.S. each day. For more information, please visit www.firststudentinc.com.