Your School Bus Updates

Your school bus updates from the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation.

Florida Association for Pupil Transportation

Address: P.O. Box 1248, New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168

Phone: (407) 476-3278

Email: [email protected]

Website: faptflorida.org

Click here for more information.

Association

Award nominations deadline approaching

The FAPT is currently seeking nominations for the best Love the Bus Campaign and Pioneer in Transportation and Community Service Awards.

New in 2018 is an award sponsored by the Braun Corporation to highlight the funniest, most unique or zaniest Love the Bus Campaign in Florida with a $500 check.

The FAPT executive committee is also encouraging nominations for the annual Pioneer in Transportation and Community Service Awards. These awards recognize the achievements and contributions of exceptional individuals or groups within the pupil transportation industry in Florida.

Learn more.


	Photo credit: Saddlebrook Resort, aerial 2012.

Where will you be on July 8?

It's not too late to register to attend the 70th Annual FAPT Summer Conference and Trade Show.

The event starts on July 8 and wraps up at noon on July 11. Registration is being handled by the SESPTC Association staff through their online registration program. This year's co-sponsored event promises to be packed with helpful information and tons of fun. Our 13 state counterparts throughout the southeast will be there, and we are looking forward to sharing and learning from each other.

Find out more.

Community

Golf tournament for Florida Missing Children's Day

There are many reasons transportation folks and business professionals play golf. It's a slow, steady and social opportunity to spend time engaged in sport and conversation. You can get to know someone on the golf course over a couple of hours and find out you have a great deal in common, as well as a good or bad swing.

Golf is a fun and effective networking tool for entertaining customers, and as a customer, you get the undivided attention and "backstory" on a product or service you are interested in considering.

The challenge of change

By Louise Piper

Change can sometimes come sweeping in. At other times, change seems to creep up slowly and almost unnoticed. I think our association is experiencing a bit of both.

Speaking as your executive director who has been involved with the FAPT for over four decades, I see a lot happening due to the aging of our members. When I first joined the Florida Department of Education School Transportation Management team, our association members were primarily young and had young children or grandchildren that came as families to our summer conferences. It is the exception now, rather than the rule, for us to have any young children and many attendees do not bring their husband or wife any longer. They see our conference as a work event and not an opportunity for family and peer fellowship while working.

Safety

Introducing the Road Warriors

By Glenn Matthews

Matthews Bus Alliance's team of bus-dedicated road technicians, the Road Warriors, is the best in the business, and not by accident.

First, there is the fearless leader, Donna Matura (pictured center in the elf sweater), who fields the service calls and coordinates everything with the customer and our technicians. Donna's customer service skills and unique ability to multitask and schedule everything for our customers is amazing.

Access denied to trespassers

Thanks to the Escambia County School District (ECSD), it will be written - in law - that trespassing on a school bus is a first-degree demeanor.

Rob Doss, director of transportation for ECSD, says that getting the legislation passed was quite the mission. Currently, it is illegal to trespass on school property, but school buses weren't included in that definition - until now. The law will become effective in October of 2018. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill on Friday, April 6.

Learn more.