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School Transportation News Magazine is published by STN Media Group


TAKING SHAPE INSIDE


DISASTER MANUAL GUIDES TRANSPORTERS ON ASSISTING DISPLACED STUDENTS


SAFETY BENEFITS, FALLING COSTS SPUR MORE MARKET ACCEPTANCE OF LEDS


MEASURING DRIVER BEHAVIOR, PERFORMANCE USING TECHNOLOGY


Your September issue was September 2013 In the Clouds


File-sharing technology in the "cloud" is transforming school bus and student transportation operations


STOP-ARM SURVEY: 85K MOTORISTS


ILLEGALLY PASSED SCHOOL BUSES


A HAPPY 20TH


STN EXPO celebrates milestone with timely safety curriculum, networking opportunities


SMARTPHONE, TABLET APPS INCREASE EFFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE


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remarkable regarding the articles on emerging and current technol- ogy applications. I have had many conversations with you surrounding your personal interest and enthusi- asm of the new role that social media is providing to our industry. It was of particular interest and appreciation in this addition of the connection with each of the topics and what our future holds. How do we utilize the technology? What aspects do we pursue first? What are the cost implications if we run ROIs? Will some of the applications become a


distraction? When should we be on the leading edge and when should we wait for the product to evolve or have the bugs worked out? Several times in my career I went down the leading edge path too


soon. For example, in 2004 Salem Keizer pursued wireless down- loads, and found limited success due to the bandwidth issues at the time. Te demonstrations all worked well, however, when it came to the volume information, it did not. Now, vendors offer solutions to address that issue. Is it “Pie in the Sky” to have all this technology available? How to de-


cide? What questions do we need to ask? What is enough information? Tis STN edition certainly caught my attention, interest and got me thinking. Tank you to you and your staff.


Michael Shields, Director of Transportation Services Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Salem, Ore.


Publisher Tony Corpin


Editor Ryan Gray


Managing Editor Sylvia Arroyo


Creative Consultant Vincent Rios


Senior Designer Kimber Horne


Graphic Design Maria Molina


Copy Editor/Reporter Michelle Fisher


Technical Editor Robert T. Pudlewski


CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, John Whelan, Art Gissendaner, Julie Metea, Eric Woolson, Barbara Fasing, Paul Hasenmeier


Vice President Colette Paul


Ad Sales Tony Corpin


Circulation Andrea Hernandez


FOR THE RECORD


Te Special Report “Here to Stay” on page 42 of the Sep- tember edition that discussed the acceptance of LED lighting for school buses went to press before being updated with the estimated number of vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses, as reported by the NASDPTS 2013 Stop-Arm Survey. As was correctly noted in a related article on page 24 of that same edition, and in “Pulling to a Stop” on page 14 in the October edition, 108,436 school bus drivers in the 29 states that partici- pated in the survey said 85,279 vehicles ran past the school bus stop sign and flashing red lights. Te article “At Your Fingertips” on page 66 of the September issue stated that Trapeze offers an app called TMT Bus Pass, a mobile ticketing solution, that is only currently available in the United Kingdom. U.S. Trapeze officials said the solution was introduced in the U.S. this summer and is available to school districts in North America. Tey added that information about the solution will soon be posted on Trapeze’s website, as it is currently undergoing some content updates. Officials said for the school market, the solution is utilized for GPS and student tracking, but it is also being used in the transit market for bus passes.


Marketing Coordinator Diane O'Meara


Marketing Assistant Stephanie Bours


Chairman of the Board Bill Paul, STN Media Group


STN


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Tel: 310/792-2226 Fax: 310-792-2231 stnonline.com


EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD:


Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, National Bus Sales; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant- Seasonal Head Start; Marshall Casey, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County


Schools


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8 School Transportation News November 2013


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