Q&A
NASDPTS Leadership Comments on State of Industry
McManamon
Simmons
Patrick McManamon of Vermont and Mike Simmons of Arkansas discuss changes in school transportation as seen from the presidential suite Written by Ryan Gray |
ryan@stnonline.com
L
ast month marked three years since the Na- tional Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) last met for its Annual Conference. In the chronology of
things, this year should have been the 56th such event in the association’s storied existence. But COVID-19 had other plans.
After settling for a virtual meeting in 2020 during the
pandemic and canceling outright last fall, the NAS- DPTS Annual Conference returned last month for the 54th time. It was also the last for Patrick McManamon, a lieutenant and training officer with the Vermont De- partment of Motor Vehicle’s enforcement and safety division, at least as NASDPTS president. Maybe. That is because he was succeeded by Mike Simmons, who also served as president in 2011 and 2012. Simmons agreed to once again lead the organization after previous presi- dent-elect Pat Schofill announced his resignation from the Georgia Department of Education in June. As McManamon prepared to pass the torch back to
Simmons, School Transportation News asked both in- dustry professionals to look back over the past two years plagued by COVID-19 and historic school bus driver shortages as well as to look forward to what lies ahead for NASDPTS and the entire industry.
STN: Based on NASDPTS’ own word of “epidemic,” published in the recently released 2022 National School Bus Illegal Passing Survey, technology doesn’t seem to be working in reducing these dangerous motorist be- haviors, and neither is public outreach. So, what in your estimation can be done?
Patrick McManamon: This problem really comes 20 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2022
down to motorist behavior. We must continue to educate drivers as to the laws as well as to their responsibilities. Drivers are more distracted now than ever before and work as an industry on this issue is simply not done.
STN: During your presidency, the industry has seen an explosion in the number of non-traditional student transportation providers in the form of TNCs and other non-yellow providers, largely because of the bus driver shortage. Is this merely the tip of the iceberg?
McManamon: There has definitely been a change in this space in recent years, but change is coming from many different angles with states enacting laws support- ive of this type of school transportation, school districts making cuts and needing assistance, and parents want- ing options. At the end of the day, student safety is the more important aspect of this conversation.
STN: What are your thoughts on the business model
of the yellow school bus remaining relevant amid con- tinued driver shortages experienced at school districts and bus companies as well as the increasing prices of purchasing new school buses when these non-tradi- tional options are in the long run costing less in terms of operations, staff wages, vehicle maintenance, etc.?
McManamon: Again, students have to be safe. There
are many factors at play as you indicate, but the safety of our nation’s children has always been and will continue to be the greatest concern of this industry.
STN: Electric buses have also gained so much steam over the past two years, as seen with the new Clean
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