School Bus Fleet, October 2017

WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM TOP 100 SCHOOL DISTRICT FLEETS NEWS Hillsboroughs Back to School Fair Benefits Families Assisting students and families was the goal of the Hillsborough County Public Schools HCPS transportation departments first back toschool fair The event held at the Tampa Florida districts main transportation site on Aug 5 promoted healthy and safe modes of transportation and encouraged school readiness parental involvement and community interaction With the support of several community sponsors more than 500 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to Hillsborough students who attended the fair The support we received from the community local businesses and employees was amazing said Paula Riddle an HCPS transportation call center representative We placed buses in strategic locations throughout the county in hopes of receiving enough donations to stuf 250 book bags for our back toschool event Not only did we reach our goal but we doubled that amount Rod Carter a WFLA anchor and reporter served as master of ceremonies for the back to school bash which kicked of with a presentation of colors by transportations honor guard followed by the national anthem Watching the smiles on so many childrens faces and the relieved happy look on parents faces was wonderful to see Carter said Along with back to school goodies and free physicals the event included dancing with the Bust a Move for Body Mind program ofered by the Arts Council of Hillsborough County Also a number of local businesses organizations and social service agencies offered information and resources We know that the back to school period is challenging for many including our own transportation employees who have children attending schools so the purpose of this fair was to provide some assistance to our community and our transportation families said Alexcia Wiggins HCPS transportation supervisor of routing and planning and co chair of the back to school committee Jeff Eakins superintendent of the school district said that the supply drive demonstrates just another way our transportation staf makes a huge diference in our students lives The back to school fair also ofered free snow cones popcorn and kidfriendly sponsored activities including a bounce house a bus derby a building workshop and a bike pedestrian safety rodeo Our employees were inspired by our thoughtful HCPS leaders and community supporters said Jim Beekman the districts general manager of transportation services Transportation is proud that we came together to make a difference Hillsborough County Public Schools ranked No 18 in the Top 100 transports 85000 students daily with 883 route buses Fulton Adds 90 Propane Buses to Fleet Fulton County Schools has rolled out 90 new Blue Bird propane fueled school buses equipped with three point seat belts The Atlanta based school district which is the fourth largest in Georgia said it chose the buses for their safety environmental and economic benefits Our new Blue Bird propane buses with three point seat belts meet our goal to provide the safest and most efficient transportation service for our community said Sam Ham executive director of transportation for Fulton County Schools We are the first district in Georgia with three point seat belts on a regularroute Type C bus Ham added that the district expects to save 3500 in fuel and maintenance costs per propane bus per year Thats 315000 that can be allocated elsewhere like back in the classrooms he said The new fleet also includes the 10000th propane school bus manufactured by Blue Bird This propane bus purchase is a milestone for Fulton County Schools as well as for Blue Bird as we celebrate our 10000th Blue Bird Vision Propane bus in operation said Phil Horlock president and CEO of Blue Bird Corp These propane school buses run on clean fuel reduce emissions transmitted into the air and keep our students even safer with our newest feature the NextGen Blue Bird Seat The buses are equipped with Fords 68L V10 engine and powered by Roush CleanTechs propane fuel system Fulton County Schools adoption of propane buses demonstrates its commitment to students community and taxpayers through cleaner air and reduced spending said Brian Carney executive director of school bus and customer success for Roush CleanTech Because of their low NOx status propane buses like these will be eligible for funding from the Volkswagen settlements Environmental Mitigation Trust which will fund clean technology that reduces NOx emissions At its transportation facilities in Alpharetta and Fairburn Fulton County Schools installed two new propane stations to fuel the buses AmeriGas the school districts propane supplier installed two turnkey fueling stations at no up front cost Infrastructure costs were rolled into the districts price per gallon for propane The stations fueling capabilities will handle the districts plans to convert its entire fleet of school buses to propane The 72 passenger propane buses were slated to begin operation in the 2017 18 school year at Fulton County Schools which is ranked No 25 in the Top 100 More than 500 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to students at Hillsborough County Public Schools transportation event 36 SCHOOL BUS FLEET OCTOBER 2017