14 School Transportation News Magazine September 2011


Getting the Most Out of Biodiesel Researchers from the


University of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture


published findings that indicate


each unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel returns 5.54 units of renewable energy, higher than in other alternative fuels or in diesel. Te unveiling of the research was sponsored by the National Biodiesel Board, which hosted a related webinar in July. Te U.S. Department of Energy and USDA


completed the first comprehensive life-cycle as- sessment for biodiesel produced in the U.S. in


1998. Tat study found a 3.2 to 1 energy balance. Te energy inventory for this analysis was up- dated in 2009 using 2002 data, finding the ratio had improved to 4.56 to 1. Te latest University of Idaho and USDA study concluded that three pri- mary triggers led to the increased energy balance number for biodiesel. Soybean crushing facilities and biodiesel production plants have become increasingly more energy efficient, and soybean farmers have adopted energy-saving farm prac- tices, such as minimum tillage. Additionally, the overall yield of soybeans has increased. When asked, NBB could not produce any data


Extending the Ceiling


on the number of school buses nationwide that run on biodiesel, but informal conversations between the editors of this magazine and read- ers indicated that the blend is the most widely used of available alternative fuels. Tis is due in large part to the fact that biofuel can be directly mixed with diesel without the need for engine or vehicle alterations. Initially, many school bus operators, especially those in colder states like Minnesota, experienced problems with gelling. But those challenges have abated over the past several years, following more stringent produc- tion and quality standards.


Durham School Services and Keller ISD in Austin, Texas, selected Radi-


ant RFID to implement a pay-for-ride system this school year after local voters rejected a tax ratification election in June that reduced school bus routes for students who live more than two miles from school. Rather than eliminate the program, the Keller ISD Board directed the school administration to explore the possibilities of a fare-based transportation system, in which families could pay for their students to continue riding the bus. Superintendent Dr. James Veitenheimer said the new system will function similar to a city-bus pass, and families can pay up-front either monthly or by the semester. Radiant RFID’s student accountability solution can be deployed as


Much debate this summer rested on a possible default of the Unit-


ed States on its debt obligations. Te U.S. House of Representatives and Senate finally reached a compromise on July 31, which allows for more federal borrowing while also including $917 billion in cuts to discretionary spending over 10 years and forming a 12-person congressional “supercommittee” by Tanksgiving to recommend further deficit reductions. Te first round of cuts spared Medicaid and Social Security but do allow for capped cuts to Medicare. Other entitlement programs are also in jeopardy, such as Head Start. While applauding a provision to increase funding for Pell grants,


which originate from the same legislation that funds Head Start, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) said the federal edu- cation program for low-income preschoolers faces “a significant uphill battle to avoid devastating cuts.” “While we are pleased that our elected officials found their way


to common ground to preserve and protect the financial solvency of the nation’s economy, we are concerned about how the devastat- ing spending cuts will affect Head Start children and families,” said Yasmina Vinci, NHSA executive director. “As Congress moves into the appropriations process, we urge our leaders to maintain Head Start funding for the children currently served. Decision makers must not only have the integrity to protect and preserve past obligations, as they have demonstrated by this compromise, but they also must have the foresight to make wise, long-term investments in our future — a robust future made stronger by the window of opportunity that Head Start offers to our nation’s most vulnerable children.” Te American Public Transportation Association said last


month that an initial analysis of the law reveals no specific im- pact on transportation accounts or the Highway Trust Fund. At this writing, it was still expected that House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-FL) would continue to pro- ceed with his six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill at reduced funding levels.


individual modules or as a complete suite of applications including a school bus tracking & manifesting module, classroom attendance module, access control module, asset tracking module, cafeteria sales module and emergency management module. Radiant will issue student ID cards with embedded RFID tags to student bus riders for all 72 of the district’s regular routes. Combined with Motorola’s FX 7400 read- ers, Radiant RFID’s innovative platform detects directionality of student on or off the bus, reads multiple RFID tags at once, uses standard Gen 2 protocol and stores and forwards RFID tag reads and associated data when communication is not available. Radiant’s solution also enables asset tracking using RFID as well as student accountability with one af- fordable, modern and integrated RFID solution. Radiant RFID and Durham partnered on the development of an on-


line registration and payment portal at www.busrideonline.com for parents to use prior to the start of school.


Rush Enterprises, a Blue Bird dealer based out of New Braunfels, Texas,


opened a new multimillion-dollar bus dealership on July 29 in nearby Sel- ma. Te six-acre, $3 million site is located along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin. It has the capacity to house as much as $6 million worth of new vehicle inventory, or about 40 to 50 buses. Te dealership includes about 16,500-square feet of showroom and service space. Te company added in a statement that the development was nec-


essary to provide a greater presence in the San Antonio area and is “a critical element” in the plan to go after at least half of the commercial bus business in Texas. Rush entered the bus business about three years ago.


School Bus Safety Company (SBSC) reported it that now has sold


copies of its “Driver Training Course” to six of the eight largest school bus contractors in the nation. Illinois Central School Bus is the most re- cent company to place an order for 64 copies of the training DVD and workbooks. Other companies in the fold are Atlantic Express, Student Transportation Inc., Petermann Bus, Cook-Illinois Corporation, George Krapf, Jr. and Sons Bus. Jeff Cassell, president of SBSC, says other contrac- tors are also evaluating the training, and 550 school districts nationwide that operate their own fleets are already using the course for their driv- ers, including 31 of the 100 largest fleets.


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