School bus contractor
Encyclopedia
A school bus contractor is a private company or proprietorship that provides student transport
Student transport
Student transport is the transporting of children and teenagers to and from schools and school events. School transport can be undertaken by school students themselves , they may be accompanied by family members or caregivers, or the transport may be organised collectively, using buses or...
services to a school district or non-public school. Of the 450,000 school buses operating in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it is estimated that approximately 39% are operated by school bus contractor
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
s. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(with some still operated by the school boards) and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, almost all school transportation is performed by contractors.
A school bus contractor may range in size from an individual driver with a single bus, to a small company serving a single school or district, to a large multi-national company with as many as 60,000 buses.
Major school bus contractors currently operating in the United States and Canada include Atlantic Express
Atlantic Express (bus company)
Atlantic Express is an operator of transit buses, paratransit, and school buses in the United States, specializing primarily in school bus service, while operating transit buses in New York City...
, First Student, National Express
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
, and Student Transportation Inc.
See also
- School busSchool busA school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
(vehicle) - Student transportStudent transportStudent transport is the transporting of children and teenagers to and from schools and school events. School transport can be undertaken by school students themselves , they may be accompanied by family members or caregivers, or the transport may be organised collectively, using buses or...
(logistics) - School bus yellowSchool bus yellowSchool bus yellow is a color which was especially formulated for use on School buses in North America in 1939. The color is now officially known in Canada and the U.S. as National School Bus Glossy Yellow and was originally called National School Bus Chrome. The pigment used for this color was, for...
- Frank W. Cyr, Father of the Yellow School BusFrank W. CyrFrank W. Cyr, Ph.D. was an American educator and author known especially for his contribution to school busing....