Dennis Anderson

Aug 28, 2024 | schoolbusfleet.com | Dennis Anderson

Norman Mars is celebrating his 60th year in the transportation industry. His first job at age 18 was as a school bus driver. Today he’s the director of transportation at Harmony-Emge School District No. 175 in Belleville, Illinois. This is Mars’ 53rd year in student transportation management. His first management role was dispatcher and operations manager in 1971.   “I tried retirement for about six weeks in 2018, but that just wasn't for me,” Mars said.

Aug 9, 2024 | schoolbusfleet.com | Dennis Anderson

Here is a round up of school bus-releated news this week. School Bus Carrying Rome High School Football Team Crashes, Other Driver Arrested A driver has been taken into custody in connection with the crash that caused a Rome High School bus carrying a football team following a scrimmage to overturn on Thursday night. Details here.

Aug 1, 2024 | schoolbusfleet.com | Dennis Anderson

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Rooney will be the keynote speaker at School Bus Fleet ConneX (SBFX) on Sept. 23 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rooney is a decorated F-16 pilot and the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation, a nonprofit providing scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military and first responders. Since 2007, the Folds of Honor foundation has awarded nearly 44,000 scholarships totaling $200 million.

Aug 1, 2024 | schoolbusfleet.com | Dennis Anderson

Storytellers rely on new experiences and connections to inform their work, and I’ve had a lot of new experiences and opportunities in the past year after my newspaper career ended. I’ve worked on a successful campaign to change the public funding mechanism for mental health care in my home county. I’ve been a full-time substitute teacher. I’ve written freelance articles for School Bus Fleet magazine. And now I’m SBF’s new executive editor.

Jul 31, 2024 | schoolbusfleet.com | Dennis Anderson

It's been nearly 20 years since Congress created the Safe Routes to School program aimed at helping communities reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, as well as encouraging children to walk or bike to school. In that time, individual programs have evolved. Some communities, such as Lawrence, Kansas, have seen their Safe Routes to School programs grow to exceed Congress's original objectives.