First Student’s Biggest School Year Ever: Safety Enhancements, More Electric School Buses, & 1 Billion Planned Bus Rides in 2024–2025 – CleanTechnica

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First Student, the trusted school transportation provider to millions of families, is gearing up for its biggest school year ever. The company will advance student safety, expand its fleet of clean electric school buses, and make the most student transportation trips in North America. This school year, First Student expects to:

• Complete 1 billion student transportation trips
• Transport 5.5 million students every school day
• Drive 525 million miles
• Serve more than 19,000 schools
• Operate student transportation services in 43 states
• Employ nearly 50,000 drivers

“Back to school is one of the best times of the year for our team because we get to help students start their school year off the right way,” said First Student CEO and President John Kenning. “We are ready to deliver exceptional service with our biggest, safest and most electric school year ever. First Student is proud of our proven, industry-leading solutions in electrification, alternative transportation and fleet management that serve the school districts and families that trust us with their students. We are driving the future with safety, innovation and unparalleled operational excellence, and our goal is ensuring every student receives the best possible ride to and from school.”

First Student is the largest operator of electric school buses in North America and is charging toward its commitment to transitioning 30,000 diesel buses to electric by 2035. The company has been awarded more than $400 million in rebates from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program and other programs, enabling it to accelerate its push to provide healthier and safer rides for students through electrification. This school year, First Student expects to:

• Deploy 110 new electric school buses in 10 school districts
• Pass 6 million miles driven on electric school buses
• Complete 167,400 trips on 465 electric buses
• Reduce carbon emissions by 12,550 tons

FirstServes, the company’s ground-breaking student behavior improvement and special needs student support program, recently announced that the program is significantly reducing disruptive incidents on school buses by as much as 27% year-over-year. Developed in partnership with the foremost authorities on child behavior and special education, FirstServes provides structured planning and support to deliver targeted training for driving staff and on-vehicle monitors. First Student has expanded FirstServes as a standalone option to school districts, regardless of whether transportation is contracted or managed in-house.

“By deploying FirstServes across our school districts and offering it to any district in North America, we can meaningfully reduce behavioral incidents and make bus rides safer than ever,” said First Student Head of Student Services Will McDermott. “We are excited for the 2024-2025 school year because this transformational program will serve more students than ever. We are proud to meet each individual school district’s needs in bridging the gap between the classroom and the school bus, making rides safer and better for everyone on board our buses.”

FirstAlt, First Student’s innovative alternative transportation service, also expects to expand its footprint in the upcoming school year. FirstAlt, which allows school districts to operate more efficiently, and ensures the safe and reliable transport of students with unique transportation needs and students experiencing homelessness, will build on these remarkable milestones from last school year:

• 142% increase in school districts serviced
• 1,035% surge in the number of students transported
• 2,068% increase in trips serviced

“FirstAlt is serving more students with special transportation needs than ever before, alleviating stress for more parents and school districts while providing reliable, trustworthy transportation,” said First Student Vice President of FirstAlt Gregg Prettyman. “FirstAlt has developed custom technology specifically designed to address the unique challenges of alternative transportation and meets kids where they are, both geographically and with their needs. Districts that utilize FirstAlt are delivering well-trained, professional and caring support to the students who depend on them the most.”

First Student is the most chosen school transportation provider in North America. It is also the only school bus company to offer a full-service K-12 transportation solution inclusive of all student needs and vehicle types. First Student has been delivering these proven, innovative and sustainable transportation options to school districts for more than a century.

About First Student

As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. 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, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 45,000 buses. For more information, visit firststudentinc.com.

Source: First Student