WESTFIELD, Ind. – July 14, 2010 –Today, IMMI® announced it has won a contract to supply seats for 280 buses serving the San Bernardino School District. This summer the district’s contract carrier, National Express, has purchased an entirely new fleet of Thomas Built buses to service the school district, equipped with the SafeGuard FlexSeat®. Buses will be placed in service beginning this fall.
The state of California was the first in the nation to require lap-shoulder belted seating, beginning with legislation that took effect in 2005. Texas begins requiring lap-shoulder belts on all new buses beginning Sept. 1, 2010. This large order of buses replaces an entire fleet of unbelted school buses, enabling the district to be 100 percent equipped with belted seating as of this fall.
“IMMI is pleased to expand our presence by being the preferred supplier for this large contract in California,” said James Johnson, IMMI Director of Sales. “The San Bernardino contract is just one example of how IMMI is serving school districts across the country by improving the safety of the children they are transporting.”
Ken Hedgecock, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Service at Thomas Built Buses, reflects on the long-term partnership between the companies. “With a long history of safely transporting children to school, Thomas Built Buses was the first school bus manufacturer to offer the SafeGuard FlexSeat, allowing school districts to add lap-shoulder belts without reducing bus capacity,” he explained. “We recognize the complexities school districts face in accommodating ridership with enhanced safety, and we are committed to continuing to offer practical solutions.”
SafeGuard was the first to bring lap-shoulder belts to market on school bus seats in 2002, and now SafeGuard bus seats are protecting more than 200,000 children in more than 40 states.
About IMMI
IMMI, based in Westfield, Ind., has been the industry leader in child and bus passenger protection for more than 30 years. Within the past decade, IMMI has introduced belted seating under its SafeGuard brand to the U.S. school bus and motorcoach industries. Utilizing a modern crash-test facility, sophisticated engineering and advanced manufacturing operations, IMMI develops and supplies innovative, proven SafeGuard restraint systems and seating solutions for customers worldwide.
For more information about SafeGuard brand products, visit safeguardseat.com or call 877-447-2305.
