Nick Simonette
Vehicle Maintenance Technician Denver Public Schools, Colorado Number of Vehicles Maintained: 330 buses, 500 white fleet vehicles Number of Maintenance Staff: 30 mechanics, 12 technicians, 2 part-room clerks
Forty-three years ago, Nick Simonette got
an after-school job pumping gasoline. He said he’s always had a passion for the automotive industry, as it’s so mysterious with all its parts, sounds and smells. Over the years he worked his way up from pumping gas to cleaning the shop, to working on customer’s vehicles. With some schooling, he said his passion and desire to be the best he could be, grew. “I’ve had jobs in the public automotive
world, both in dealerships and privately owned mom-and-pop shops,” he said. “I’ve always favored the latter for the wide opportunities, for experience over learning one brand or one area of the automobile. … As the years went by and the automobile advanced into very sophisticated, yet complicat- ed parts of our lives, maintenance over repairs was more of the norm, with mileage intervals between services increasing, along with expenses for the consumer and competition increasing, I found myself wanting to still help customers but not in the indus- try I was in.” He said in 2012 a friend suggested he put his talents to use and
work on school buses. “In the time I have been in this industry, I feel that it has given me a chance to strive to be better as well as thrive to provide for the future citizens,” he said. “I have assisted our shop by being a lead from time to time which has given me the opportunity to learn, lead, and grow from that experience. I have been able to develop my expertise in mechanical systems as well as leadership in my school bus career.” Simonette said it wasn’t long before he figured out that his
customers are the future of the nation. “And we owe them the saf- est ride possible to and from any school related destination,” he added. “Allowing me to, and knowing that the work I do is correct, efficient and reliable, whether it be doing an annual inspection, driver write ups, driving a route or even towing a broken-down vehicle back to the shop. I love that I contribute to our youth.” Simonette said his current role is performing annual inspec-
tions. The staff was preparing for the new school year, with the deferred repairs and major breakdowns of the 2022-2023 school year. He added that Denver passed a board resolution last year, which calls for a 90-percent reduction in the district’s carbon footprint. To meet that goal, he said, DPS is making a commit- ment to purchase electric vehicles, first by replacing diesel with gasoline buses as a transitional step. Currently, there are three electric buses in the fleet, and the maintenance team has been instrumental in the data collection from those vehicles. “We have only performed annual inspections and preventive maintenance on these buses because it will be five years before repairs outside the warranty period will be needed,” he added. “We will have to
36 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2023
determine what additional training will be needed to work on these buses over the next four to five years.” Simonette added that DPS is also currently updating its infra-
structure to accommodate electric vehicles and is working with Xcel Energy on an assessment of the grid capabilities at both terminals. “We are continually updating software and computer infrastructure,” he shared of other shop updates. “The latest soft- ware/hardware upgrade is our fuel management system.” However, one challenge DPS is facing is the 30 percent or more
price increases on parts. “This has led to extended periods in the shop,” he shared. “Sometimes disrupting the flow of work and leading to inefficiencies. It has also created an increased problem with certain years of buses being considered for auction because essential parts are not available. We are still trying to determine the long-term effects of this market and whether or not any re- covery will be possible.” Outside of work, Simonette can be found working with today’s
youth. He is an alumni of and has been an adult volunteer for a 74-year-old local organization, The Westernaires, that encour- ages and helps kids ages nine through 19 develop self-respect, responsibility and leadership through horsemanship and family participation. “I’m Involved in other community programs that helps others and promote healing, faith with spiritual ways of living,” he added. Parris Casados, staff trainer II for DPS, stated in their nomina- tion of Simonette that he is a leader in their fleet. “Mr. Simonette takes the time to learn about new innovations regarding school buses and industry development,” Casados wrote. “… Mr. Simon- ette pays special attention to detail while he is maintaining and repairing our units. When one of our vehicle technicians cannot figure out a solution to a problem on a unit, Nick comes to the rescue with his expertise.” Simonette said he is honored to work with a fantastic group of
people, who are driven for the same goal. “It really does take a team of dedicated professionals to make the wheels of the bus go round and round and the wipers go swish swish swish.”
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