worked, but kids still get sick, and that means bus drivers can easily fall victim. Many schools have instituted prevention, preparation and response plans just in case.
Friend Me Facebook. Twitter. Linkedin. YouTube.
Flickr. Tese popular Web sites leapt into the social vernacular over the past year, especially in the school transportation industry. School Transportation News em- braced the social networking sites and regularly-posted blogs at the beginning of last year, but everything really came to frui- tion in late October with the relaunch of
stnonline.com. And other companies and school districts have been doing the same. Simply search Twitter for the keyword “school” and you’ll receive hundreds of re- sults from across the country. Te sites are a great way to get your word out quickly and, just as fast, to receive feedback from cus- tomers or readers. But organizations, like with everything else, need a plan. Who’s go-
ing to be the official poster of information? Who’s going to answer questions, com- ments and complaints? Social networking is instant communication, after all, so school transportation vendors and school districts must be prepared to deal with public rela- tions successes as well as disasters.
Big Vehicle Manufacturer Changes In a matter of two short months, the
school bus production landscape took on a whole new shape. Te new year brought a big and wel-
comed change to executive leadership at the school bus vehicle manufacturer level when Tomas Built Buses named Kelley Platt its new president and CEO. Te first woman to hold such an office in the nearly 80-plus-year history of school transporta- tion as we know it, Platt is no stranger to school busing. She played a pivotal role in the 1988 purchase of Tomas by parent company Daimler Trucks North Amer-
ica, and over the years she’s been a part of several milestones, including the 2004 introduction of the C2 Saf-T-Liner. Tis spring, we spoke with the former GM of business excellence at Daimler Trucks about her vision for the company, which includes pushing green technology, new kinds of powertrains and alternate con- struction possibilities for school buses as well as learning more about the challeng- es facing customers. Meanwhile, a couple of months earlier
at the NAPT conference in Louisville, Ky., Blue Bird and Girardin Minibus announced that they were launching a joint venture partnership to produce and market the Type A Micro Bird school bus, rebranded as the Blue Bird Micro Bird by Girardin. Part of the deal stipulated that Girardin would phase out its lines of MB-II and G5 school buses. It also meant that Micro Bird production was returning to Canada. Blue Bird closed its Brantford, Ontario plant in August 2007 and relocated operations
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FINAL.indd 1 O July 24-28 STN 17th annual North American School Bus Expo 2010
www.stnonline.com 79 4/30/10 11:25:52 AM
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