Last month over on Daily Routes, we posted a story on school bus fire extrication procedures from a fire fighter's perspective. One of our new readers expressed excitement about putting this issue out there:
"Our goal, of course, is to always keep kids safe. Can we do a better job?? You bet. We can work with our "community partners" to better plan and prepare. If you don't know who your emergency manager, fire chief, police chief is, today is a good day to get acquainted. Ask permission to go to one of their staff meetings. They want to help us and in doing so, we help them."
On the same note, we recently posted a video of Denny Coughlin from Minneapolis Public Schools discussing the importance of training for school bus drivers. In this demonstation from the 2007 School Transportation News EXPO and Trade Show, he expands on the idea and shows what it's actually like inside a smoke-filled bus.
This week we look at a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy on the hydrogen-powered school bus. It seems operators looking for the next green thing are going to have to wait a bit. The technology is too expensive and not durable enough, the report notes:
"Given these issues [public health and fuel economy], school bus operators are increasingly receptive to new technologies, but their willingness to demonstrate and deploy advanced technologies and alternative fuels must be balanced with strict financial and operational considerations."
In the meantime, one product, a kids' DVD on how IC Buses are made is nearly ready to ship. How'd They Build That School Bus?goes on sale later this month. A preview from our YouTube site below.
Today on STNOnline, we report on how the conclusion of the dispute between Ford and Navistar means an end to Navistar's PowerStroke diesel engine in Ford Type-As. Some small bus builders say they're not worried about the announcement because they've already shifted towards gasoline engines or GM competition.
As always, in this month's print edition of School Transportation News we highlight some of the best of the Web, including the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wheel Chair Transportation Safety. We also take a look at how to best maintain your wheelchair lift (look in your magazine for the photo spread with Ricon). Moving on in 2009, we want to create a space for to discuss the day-to-day problems and, more importantly, day-to-day solutions you come across.
In our forthcoming March issue, we look at ways operators can save on fuel cost, including options like 4Refuel, a fuel delivery company. Recently, company CEO Jack Lee answered a question looked at in our September issue: "Why fuel is priced the way it is?" In an earlier post on the same subject, he had looked at what supply and demand had to do with prices:
... unlike other retail products, fuel is also a commodity so supply and demand determine the price on the open market and ultimately at the pump ... While supply is abundant and demand consistent, prices are stable. But when supply is disrupted, short-term inventory is threatened and this affects millions of businesses worldwide. We quickly see demand surge and prices spike. And there are so many things that can interfere with supply.
Now, Lee looks at a recent episode of "60 Minutes" that examined how oil speculators are responsible for bringing up prices at the pump. Lee finds a lot in the report, but concludes:
As consumers, we can’t control the price of fuel, but we can control how we use and manage our fuel consumption. Many companies invest thousands of dollars each month using fuel – in fact, it’s the highest cost of doing business after labor.
While Stop Oil Speculation Now!, a political action group whose members included the National School Transportation Association, has temporarily slowed its efforts to curb oil speculation, the operators and technicians we've talked to say there's still plenty pupil transporters can do to reign in their fuel costs.
Below, a segment of Lee discussing his company's services:
As a cold front swept much of the country, we've been hearing and writing a lot about what's been going on in garages, from one Atlanta district's "Cold Start"program, to early rising in Texas and what one Ohio district does when temperatures drop to 35 below. But what do you do to cope with the cold? What works for you? Plug-in heaters? Indoor storage? Engine pre-heaters?
Side note: if you're worried about biodiesel and the cold, tomorrow STN looks at what really happened to one Minnesota fleet earlier this month. Until then, enjoy one of our favorite recent finds on YouTube: The Hot Rod School Bus.
