First Student, North America’s leader in student transportation, today announced the acquisition of Falcon Transportation, a Chicago-based provider of school and charter transportation services.
“We see this as a logical step for First Student, both in terms of expanding our operations in a key area and in terms of leveraging market opportunities for growth,” said First Student President Dennis R. Maple. “We will continue to search for opportunities to use our resources, insight and expertise to benefit school districts, students and families across North America.”
First Student’s commitment to invest heavily in driver training, safety and technology allows it to deliver a ride that’s twice as safe as the industry average.
“I’ve long admired First Student and its commitment to the school districts, parents and students they serve,” said Ed Peterson, owner of Falcon Transportation. “First Student is the clear industry leader and we’re proud to partner with them.”
Falcon Transportation started in 1996 and expanded to a fleet of 94 school buses. Its primary customer was Chicago Public Schools.
With the acquisition, First Student extends its market presence in Illinois and expands its relationship with Chicago Public Schools. In the 2017-2018 school year, First Student will operate approximately 180 routes for the district. Chicago Public Schools’ first day of class is September 5.
“Falcon, like First Student, believes that great transportation partnerships are built on the foundation of understanding, commitment, service performance and trust,” said Maple. “We welcome Falcon employees to the First Student team.”
About First Student, Inc.
As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, and charter services for 1,100 school district contracts. firststudentinc.com
