SPONSORED CONTENT Zonar Turns 20! By H. Kevin Mest, Senior Vice President of Passenger Services at Zonar Wow—Zonar turns 20! We started with one goal: Make the roads safer


for everyone. Twenty years ago, we began that journey by introducing our patented Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR®) system, the only truly verifiable way for school bus drivers to perform required inspections and make sure their bus is safe to operate. Although so much has changed over the years, our goal remains the


same. We’ve evolved EVIR and extended the solution to mobile devices. And we’ve been the driving force behind schools embracing the latest safety and efficiency technologies. Over the past two decades, we’ve expanded our port- folio of smart fleet management and advanced ridership solutions to meet the industry’s growing needs, as well as safety and regulatory demands. With each innovation and patented technology, we’ve earned our reputation


for being at the forefront of fleet health, ridership and driver coaching solutions. But we didn’t do it alone. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think


you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” And thousands of school dis- tricts, transportation directors, school bus manufacturers and contractors said, “We can.” They were willing to push past the widespread stagnation of innovation in the school bus industry. Together, we embraced a joint vision of ensuring that the 26 million students who travel to and from school on the bus do so as safely as possible. “What has always impressed me about Zonar is that their commitment to


safety, people and giving back is more than just a tagline,” said Tony Corpin, publisher of School Transportation News. “I also recall when they were just getting started, the founders gave opportunities to those who might not have as many as the rest of us by employing people with special needs to help produce their EVIR inspection tags. They are also always on the look- out for new ways to serve the industry and not just sell into it. It puts them in to a special category and I congratulate them on their milestone and look forward to continuing to work with them.” We know it’s not just about buses. Parents and guardians need to trust


that their children will be safe on the bus, too. Over the last 20 years, we’ve taken our part in that priority seriously. We partner with schools, school bus manufacturers and contractors to help them adopt new technology—and to gain feedback and insight that informs our newest innovations. All so we can help Zonar customers enhance safety and increase efficiency through advanced school bus fleet technology.


Not long ago, tracking school buses in real time wasn’t possible. Nor was


enabling parents to know exactly when and where their child got on and off. At best, these were nice-to-have luxuries. But today, these safety solutions are table stakes; schools and parents expect them. “We’ve been working with Zonar for over 14 years,” said, Tim Purvis,


director of transportation at Poway United School District in California. “We have the pleasure of working closely with them on the development of new solutions that integrate seamlessly with our other technology investments to keep our district’s children safe every day. We look forward to continuing that journey with them.” Over the past 20 years, Zonar customers have shared stories about their


milestones, setbacks and successes. We’ve heard how Zonar helped change school bus operations for the better and kept children safe. Customers have told us how an EVIR® inspection before the start of shift identified critical defects that were addressed before the bus broke down, leaving children stranded on the road. And we’ve heard how Zonar Z Pass® helped one school reunite a child with their family by showing exactly when and where that child got off the bus. We’re proud of the role we’ve played. Those stories, and many more that


we’ve heard over the years, remind us of a job well done. And they push us improve and innovate every day to deliver new solutions that further enable Zonar customers to keep students safer and fleets running more efficiently. Michael Martin, executive director at the National Association for Pupil


Transportation, sums it up nicely. “Over the last 20 years, the yellow school bus has become a hub of technology. Zonar has been at the forefront of that change, an integral part of it, actually. They’re constantly developing innovative new products and services that make a school bus that looks really traditional anything but.” “By the same token,” Martin continued, “they also do the little things, which in some cases are actually big things disguised as little things, like offering school districts up to $50,000 in safety technology hardware for free in memory of NAPT Hall of Famer and former president Don Carnahan. I mean, that’s just incredibly thoughtful, incredibly generous and incredibly helpful to people.” “We congratulate Zonar on all they have accomplished in their first 20


years and look forward to our continued partnership with them in the future,” Martin concluded.


At Zonar, we’re all so proud to have you as part of the journey over the past 20 years. Hard work, commitment and diligence have been the corner- stones of this industry’s success. And will continue to be the bedrock on which we develop new solutions that support you in the years to come. So,


while we celebrate Zonar’s anniversary, there’s no better moment than now to appreciate everyone who has also played a key role in making the school bus industry more progressive than it was and students safer than they’ve ever been. Thank you.


zonarsystems.com/don-carnahan-grant


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