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Five ways technology can boost green driving practices
Green Biz Share    
There is a litany of terms moving around the navigation space right now in relation to the environmental impact of not only navigation devices, but also the data that empowers them. "Green driving."
"Green routing." "Eco-routing." These concepts are all important to the future of helping the vehicles we produce, and the consumers who own them, be more environmentally friendly. More
Schools upgrade bus fleet with purchase from Kentucky
Greenville Online
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If he were a political cartoonist, state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said, he would draw a cartoon showing South Carolina schoolchildren riding in some of the 85 used buses the state is buying from Kentucky with the caption, "My Old Kentucky School Bus."
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House committee approves auto safety bill
The Associated Press
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Amid partisan sparring, a House panel has advanced a sweeping auto safety bill that critics contend is too tough on the industry. The legislation, approved 31-21 by the House Energy and Commerce
Committee in the wake of the large Toyota Motor Corp. recalls, now goes to the full House, where lawmakers hope to pass it later this year.
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Six IMMI Engineers Earn SAE International Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering
SAE International
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Six engineers with IMMI received the 2009 SAE International Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering Award during the SAE 2010 World Congress in April. The group
received their awards during the Awards Ceremony.
This honor recognizes the company's accomplishments in increasing safety on motorcoaches and school buses with the development of the Premier seat, which incorporates SafeGuard SmartFrame™ technology to protect both belted and unbelted occupants. The Premier seat was originally developed for Greyhound, a division of FirstGroup America, for use on its motorcoaches.
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It's a Theme Contest! Submit the winning theme for the 20th National Special Needs Transportation Conference in Kansas City and your conference registration fee will be waived. Entries must be received via email by May 20. Details are at www.eduprogroup.com. The only
national conference on special
needs transportation offers workable solutions and practical answers to your pressing issues.
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In a cash crunch? Work with your vendors
Entreprenuer
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You're in business to make real money for you, your family and your employees. At least I hope you are. If your goal isn't to pile up personal wealth, you will probably fail. If you care about doing
something good, give a portion of your profits to charity--just be sure to make profits first.
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FAA: Planes must have GPS-based equipment
The Associated Press
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The Obama administration is taking a major step toward an air traffic control system based on satellite technology. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has released an order that requires all aircraft that use the nation's busiest airports to have equipment by 2020 that continually broadcasts their location to other aircraft and air traffic controllers.
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ITF report focuses on future transport reliability and capacity shortfalls
AASHTO Journal
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Projected overall growth in population, urbanization, and incomes will place severe pressures on transportation systems worldwide, concludes an annual study by the think tank International Transport
Forum. ITF forecasts it will become increasingly difficult for transportation systems to keep pace with demand for adequate capacity and services.
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National Transportation Week event highlights careers
The Washington Post
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More than 20 elementary school students swarmed around Vernon Allamby as he sat on the wing of his single-engine aircraft, wanting some answers. More than 450 students took part in an event May 12 sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation to celebrate National Transportation Week at Potomac Airfield in Fort Washington.
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Cook-Illinois Corporation was the first in Illinois to switch to biodiesel fuel, create a clean air museum for kids and purchase a hybrid school bus. Check us out at: www.cookillinois.com. MORE |
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Online, smart phone technology eliminates public transit guesswork
The Twin Cities Daily Planet
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When Metro Transit introduced its NexTrip real-time bus departure information system two years ago, an anonymous blogger predicted that it would attract no more than a dozen rider-users a day. Well, the results have come in a tad higher than that — more than 40,000 hits a day by phone, wireless or online, not to mention the 30,000 additional riders who can see or hear real-time updates on message boards along the Marquette-2nd
Avenues transit corridor in downtown Minneapolis.
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Distracted by the light — police lights play role in officer safety
WBOY-TV
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West Virginia State Trooper Andy Pringle was seriously injured when a car barreled into him during a traffic stop. Researchers say police lights may be one reason those types of accidents happen.
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Poway district to can bus routes unless parents pay more
The San Diego Union-Tribune
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The Poway Unified School District in California will eliminate all home-to-school bus routes next year, with the exception of those mandated for special education students, in order to save about
$750,000 — unless parents are willing to pay a lot more for their children’s transportation.
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Using a smartphone to organize your travels
The Wall Street Journal
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The do-it-yourself world of booking trips today sometimes leaves business travelers and summer vacationers deluged with airline schedules, hotel and car-rental
confirmations and restaurant-reservation details. Now, a flurry of services aim to let you manage all that on your smartphone.
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Approval given to pay-for-bus rides plan
CBS 4 Denver
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Colorado's third largest school district plans to start charging a fee to ride the school bus next school year.
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Waiting at the school bus stop
Bolivar Missouri News
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Bolivar R-1 and other Polk County schools may see a few fewer school buses next year if state funding for school districts' transportation ends up on the governor’s chopping block instead of in the hands of Missouri schools.
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VSM™ eliminates the guesswork on bus location during an event and monitors the precise route of the bus, providing conclusive evidence of boarding and departure. www.angeltrax.com MORE |
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Why car safety features can be dangerous
Forbes
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Car safety is on the minds of just about everyone these days, including Congress, which is proposing new vehicle-safety legislation that would require cars to be equipped with crash-data recorders and backup-brake technology.
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Iowa school bus camera aimed at drivers
KCRG-TV
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The Fort Madison School District, which has cameras on the inside of buses to watch the kids, is now putting cameras on the outside to catch drivers who illegally pass the bus.
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The science of success
Entreprenuer
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We are like dogs. We respond better to success than we do failures. Scads of platitudes have been written about learning from failure, and while it is possible to learn great lessons from life's clunkers, neuroscience now shows us that nothing succeeds like success.
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Espar Independent Heating Systems enable drivers to pre-heat their school buses offering warm starts, defrosted windows and a safe and comfortable environment for students, all without engine idling.
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Redesigning the bus stop: Teague's Traffic 2.0 makes transit more friendly
Fast Company
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Having grown up in New York in the '70s, public transportation holds a special place in my heart. I can fondly recall the dilapidated state of subway cars and platforms in the mid-'70s. The sight of teenagers catching free rides off the back bumper ledge and that uniquely urban rite of passage: Taking your first unchaperoned ride on the unwieldy system. Having now lived almost half my life outside of that city, I've had ample
opportunity to test public transit in any number of locations, and one thing that never fails to impress is a smart, well-thought-out piece of public transit.
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NAPT Has A New Website!
The National Association for Pupil Transportation is pleased to announce the
launch of its re-designed website. The new homepage provides uncluttered, one-click access to a wide variety of information, including all of NAPT's communication, leadership, education, advocacy and resource projects. The new site also features enhanced registration tools for NAPT events, including the 2010 NAPT Summit, the association's 36th Annual Conference & Trade Show set for October 30 through November 4 in Portland, Ore.
"This is the most comprehensive communication system
we have ever had," said NAPT President Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D. "It provides the connection we need to keep members informed and involved in the current activities of the association."
Current NAPT Members receive exclusive and unrestricted access to the entire site via the Members Only portal. Log-in is easy - go to www.naptonline.org and enter your primary email address (the address where you currently receive email from us) as your user name and
the password "napt3614". You will be required change your password upon log-in so please remember to store it in a safe, easy to remember place.
To facilitate a smooth transition, the old website www.napt.org will remain in use until July 1. You will be able to log in and get information from both sources, but only naptonline.org will be updated. After that date napt.org and naptonline.org will be identical and you will be able to use either to access
our new website.
Questions and feedback should be directed to Brianne Peck, NAPT Member Services Specialist, at brianne.peck@napt.org, Josh Bresett, NAPT Education and IT Specialist at josh.bresett@napt.org, or Lynn Martin, NAPT Marketing and Communication Specialist at lynn.martin@napt.org
2010 Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant Announcement
The National Association for Pupil Transportation is pleased to announce that NAPT Board President, Dr. Linda F. Bluth and her partner Betsy Eisman have endowed an annual grant that will enable
NAPT members to help bring learning to life for students in their community and enhance classroom studies in their school program.
In 2009, Dr. Bluth and Ms. Eisman committed $500 a year for ten years to cover the cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and classroom resource materials so that teachers may continue using the valuable experiential learning gained from math and science, language, social studies and arts-focused field trips.
"We intend for this grant to
provide children who might not otherwise have the opportunity with a special field trip experience," said Dr. Bluth and Ms. Eisman. "We are also pleased to acknowledge the importance of the yellow school bus as a means of accessing invaluable learning opportunities."
Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant recipients will be selected based on the following criteria: the description of the field trip and its objectives, benefits to students, tie-in to the school curriculum, number of students who
would be impacted and proposed use of funds. In 2010, preference will be given to applications that specifically benefit homeless students from schools in the states of Washington and Oregon, although the award will be discretionary. The applicant must be an NAPT member and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the U.S., having a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status.
The 2009 grant was awarded to students at Lake Roosevelt High School, Ellensburg,
Wash. The grant allowed fifteen high-performing science students to visit Science Programs at Central Western University in Ellensburg. Several of the Native and local non-Native students have few learning opportunities and many had never been to a college campus previously. "This trip afforded them a unique and meaningful experience," states Susanna Hayes, Roosevelt School Counselor.
A downloadable application for the Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant will be available on the NAPT website on or before August 31. NAPT members can apply for 2010/2011 Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant online from September 1 through October 1. A formal announcement declaring the winner will be made during the National Association for Pupil Transportation's 2010 Annual Summit, which will be held from October 30 to November 4 in Portland, Ore.
Leading From Behind – It's Not About ME
June 15
1:00 to 2:00 PM, EST

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John Musso |
Webinar Description: Successful leaders have found that leading from behind is a key strategy to successful leadership. They must be "bridge builders" for the organizations that they lead. There is more to leadership than getting your staff or employees to follow you. There must also be a "buy in" to the "dream" they are following. This session will focus on strategies to lead from behind, empowering your staff and giving them a greater sense of value to the mission of
the organization.
About the Host: An experienced educator, John Musso brings over 30 years of experience to his current position of Executive Director for ASBO International. Musso holds the designation of Certified Association Executive through the American Society of Association Executives, Registered School Business Administrator through the Association of School Business Officials International. Musso has taken many groups through strategic planning and conflict resolution
having worked with many school districts, as well as several Fortune 500 Companies. He is a skilled presenter in the area of leadership and school finance having made presentations both in the United States and abroad. He has written many articles on education, school finance and leadership that have appeared in magazines across the world.
NAPT SUMMIT October 30 - November 4
NAPT is climbing the summit in
Portland, Oregon, this year and our 36th Annual Conference & Trade Show offers something for everyone. Visit us online and watch for updates on the program and see why getting to the NAPT Summit should be at the top of your "to-do list" in 2010. Make your hotel reservation.
2010 NAPT Summit Program Announcement!
The NAPT Board of Directors and the NAPT Program Committee are pleased to announce the release of the tentative program and list of workshops that will be available at the 2010 NAPT Summit.
View the tentative program for a list of Workshop Topics and download a copy of the
Conference Registration form. For additional information visit NAPT's home page.
We look forward to seeing you in Portland!
2010 NSBSW Posters Available Through NAPT
2010 National School Bus Safety Week "Cross In View, It's the Right Thing to Do!" October 18-22
National School Bus Safety Week Posters (illustrated above) are now available free of charge, as long as supplies last. Contact Lynn Martin to receive them at lynn.martin@napt.org.
Note: The Poster Contest and Safety Week are two different events. The 2010 Poster theme becomes the 2011 National School Bus Safety Week theme and is an active and evolving public education program
designed to promote school bus safety.
***If your students are drawing posters for the 2010 competition, they should be using the poster theme: "Be Aware - Know the Danger Zone!"
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Industry leading Zonar Systems now offers its professional grade GPS/Vehicle Telematics platform at an attractive new price point. Zonar's new K12™ was built specifically for the pupil transportation market and is available to NAPT members for $135.00.To get real Ground Traffic Control™ visit www.zonarsystems.com or call 1.877.843.3847.
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Synovia's Time and Attendance capabilities will help you eliminate wasteful spending and increase the accountability from your drivers. Our software integrates seamlessly with many payroll systems, helping you save money on payroll and administrative time and helping streamline an otherwise manual process. For high value and unbeatable ROI, visit us online at www.synoviacorp.com or call 1.877.SYNOVIA.
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BusBoss™ Professional is a comprehensive planning, routing and scheduling, student transportation software program designed to make transportation services more efficient and cost effective by helping you optimize your entire transportation operation. To find out more on how our software solution can save your
operation time and money visit us online at www.busboss.com or call (866) 740-8994 for a FREE internet or onsite software demonstration.
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Receive a free laptop with the purchase of 10 or more Trooper TL™ systems. Click here.
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