JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Students boarding buses for the first day at many Duval County Public Schools next week will be greeted by some familiar faces, thanks to the successful recruiting efforts of Student Transportation of America (STA), the new school bus company selected earlier this year to provide busing in the Arlington/Beaches area. STA announced today that 85 percent of the former drivers, monitors, maintenance and administrative personnel have accepted offers to join the STA family of companies.
“The response from former drivers and other local applicants was excellent,” said Chris Ingold, manager of STA’s Duval County terminals. “We conducted hundreds of interviews and were impressed by the level of professionalism, experience and commitment demonstrated by the driver candidates. Virtually every employee who served the school district last year was offered his or her job back and we are extremely pleased that so many of them accepted.
“The interview process gave us the opportunity to reassess the qualifications and credentials of all Duval County drivers providing district administrators, parents and children with the highest level of confidence in their safety and security. We are working very closely with district administrators and have a great team of drivers, monitors and support staff ready to go back to school with Duval County students.”
While the school bus drivers will be familiar, the buses that will carry students in the Arlington/Beaches area are brand new. Committed to supporting the local community and buying from local vendors, when possible, STA has purchased its fleet of 275 vehicles from Jacksonville-based Rivers Bus Sales and added state-of-the-art technology including:
- A video system that monitors activities inside and outside the
- vehicles
- A unique alarm system called the Child Check-Mate Safety System, which acts as an electronic reminder to ensure that all children have safely disembarked the vehicles upon completion of each run.
- Two-way radios with direct communications to a dispatcher
- Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
“All materials and supplies for our two terminals – from office equipment to radios and furniture – were purchased from Jacksonville-area merchants,” Ingold said.
STA is new to Florida but operates a family of local school bus companies serving school districts in 10 other states where it is an industry leader in the use of environmentally-friendly fuels and maintenance practices.
Ingold said that her staff is excited about a pilot program to convert 10 buses to run on cleaner-burning biofuel. Biofuel is North America’s fastest growing alternative to diesel fuel, reducing greenhouse emissions and generating cost savings. The company also makes recycling an integral part of its operations in its maintenance garages where oil, batteries and other items are reused and recycled. The efficient use of supplies and energy also are top priorities in the company’s administrative offices.
“We welcome new drivers, monitors and mechanics to the STA family and look forward to delivering students to school safely and on-time this fall,” Ingold said. “We already are active members of the Greater Jacksonville community and look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with the school district and local families.”
About Student Transportation of America
Founded in 1997, Student Transportation is the third-largest provider of school bus transportation services in North America, conducting operations through local operating subsidiaries. Student Transportation has become a leading school bus transportation company by aggregating operations through the consolidation of existing providers and conversion of in-house operations and currently operates more than 6,300 school vehicles in North America. For more information, please visit www.rideSTA.com.
Source: Student Transportation of America Ltd.
ONTACT: Lynette Viviani, (973) 534-1004, lynette.viviani@vivianipr.com
