California Supreme Court Rejects State's Appeal of Lower Court Ruling: Raids on Public Transportation Funding Are Illegal
SACRAMENTO - In a resounding victory for those who provide and those who depend on public transit in California, the State Supreme Court late yesterday rejected the Schwarzenegger Administration's appeal of a lower court ruling that annual raids on transit funding are illegal. By declining to accept the Petition for Review filed by state officials, the high court upheld the ruling of the Third District Court of Appeal that recent funding diversions violated a series of statutory and constitutional amendments enacted by voters via four statewide initiatives dating back to 1990.
"By denying the state's appeal, the Supreme Court has affirmed once and for all what we always maintained was true: that it's illegal to shift dedicated state transit funds away from transit agencies and their riders," said Joshua Shaw, Executive Director of the California Transit Association and lead plaintiff in the case. "This decision validates our position that this practice has been illegal since even before 2007, and that the definition of mass transportation adopted by lawmakers since then to mask these diversions is illegal."
Public transit officials now hope to work with the Administration and Legislature to restore those funds taken since the Association filed the initial lawsuit in October, 2007, on the heels of the 2007-08 state budget package that raided $1.19 billion from the Public Transportation Account (PTA). Since that agreement, more than $3 billion in transit funding has been re-routed to fill holes in the General Fund.
"This is a clear victory for the millions of Californians who depend every day on public transit to get to work, go to school and access vital health care facilities," said Michael Burns, General Manager of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Chair of the Association's Executive Committee. "Public transit has certainly borne more than its fair share of the budget burden in recent years, and we see the effects of that throughout the state in the form of fare increases, transit service reductions, job layoffs and more. We're very hopeful that the high court's decision will now enable us to work with lawmakers to restore these funds and help us to meet the ever-increasing demands for transit services in California."
In its original lawsuit, the Association maintained that several successful ballot measures -- from 1990's Proposition 116 through Proposition 1A of 2006 -- established the PTA as a trust fund and require that PTA revenues must be spent on "mass transportation purposes."
The initial Superior Court decision, issued in January of 2008, ruled that the 2007-08 budget violated the law by diverting $409 million from the PTA to reimburse the General Fund for past debt service payments on Proposition 108 bonds. The ruling declared that the shift "does not serve any transportation planning or mass transportation purpose." At the same time, however, the Court permitted an additional $779 million transfer from the PTA to cover home-to-school busing and other programs that public transit advocates argued did not meet the definition of "mass transportation" as expressed in Proposition 116, which voters approved with the intent of establishing the PTA as a trust fund to support true public transportation service.
Just two weeks after the Superior Court ruling, the Legislature re-instated the $409 million worth of cuts by reconfiguring the law on which the court's decision was based, meaning that the entire $1.19 billion rightfully intended for public transportation funding had been raided. The Association filed its appeal of the Superior Court decision last September.
On June 30 of this year, the appellate court dismissed the State's claims that it is legal to divert PTA revenues before they are deposited in the PTA, and also that it is within the purview of the Legislature to transfer "spillover" funds from the PTA to the Mass Transportation Fund (MTF). "The MTF was created in 2007 by budget writers as a mechanism to perpetrate the diversion of transit funding to non-transit purposes," Shaw explained. "By shifting PTA money into the 'Mass Transportation Fund,' they sought to create a veneer of legitimacy for these diversions.The appellate court rejected this legerdemain."
Another key component of the appellate court's decision was its definition of "mass transportation purposes" specified by the initiatives. The court denied the state's contention that the definition permitted the transfer of funds for home-to-school bus service, transport of disabled persons to regional centers funded by the Department of Developmental Services, repayment of Proposition 42 loans, payment of Proposition 116 bond debt service, and payment of the General Fund's obligation to fund bond debt service for non-transit general obligation bonds. These are all programs historically supported only by General Fund revenues; thus, when the budget writers diverted transit dollars to these programs, they hoped to achieve General Fund "savings."
"While we agree that these are all worthy programs, they simply don't fit the public's definition of mass transportation," said Shaw. "We feel the voters intended 'mass transportation' to mean 'public transportation' or 'public transit,' and the appellate court agreed."
By skirting the intention of the initiatives, budget crafters diverted more than $5 billion of transit funding this decade - nearly $3.5 billion in the last three budget cycles alone. Transit funding took an additional critical blow when the budget agreement enacted in February of this year eliminated the State Transit Assistance program.
But proponents of the legal action saw the suit as being about more than just money to keep transit moving.
"Four times since 1990 - and with overwhelming approval - voters have clearly and repeatedly expressed their demands for dedicated transit funding," Shaw noted, "and their will has been repeatedly circumvented by those responsible for crafting the state budget."
"Furthermore, our original lawsuit strikes at the heart of the gimmicks that have been employed year after year in putting together the state budget," he added. "We recognize the horrendous crunch that the budget crafters face, but the fact that the California Supreme Court would not even hear the state's request for an appeal of the appellate court decision is one more obvious sign that the whole budget process needs serious reform."
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Industry News from National Bus Sales
IC Bus, North America’s largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, solidifies its dealer network with the announcement of new dealerships in Tennessee, West Virginia, California and Western Canada.
“We are pleased to welcome these dealers to the IC Bus family,” said John McKinney, Vice President and General Manager for IC Bus, a Navistar, Inc. company. “These dealers symbolize the strength and ideals of IC Bus and will provide IC Bus customers in the commercial and school bus markets the service they expect and deserve.”
The four new dealerships span the United States and Canada, bringing the total number of dealers in North America to 47. The new dealerships include:
Cumberland IC Bus Sales, [Nashville, Tenn..]
The authorized IC Bus dealer for both school and commercial applications in the state of Tennessee, Cumberland IC Bus Sales is a complete integrated transportation solution that encompasses parts, service, technician training and more.
“Cumberland International continues to expand to better serve the needs of our customer and is proud to announce a new addition to our family, IC Bus,” said Terry Minor, Dealer Principal for Cumberland International. “Cumberland IC Bus Sales is dedicated to setting a new standard in the bus business through world class products and services.”
BWAB International [White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.]
Covering the state of West Virginia, BWAB International brings a history of solution-based selling and customer focus to the IC school and commercial bus product line.
“In addition to selling our full line of IC products, BWAB International will maintain a strong focus on customer service and after-sale support throughout West Virginia,” said Mike Touey, Dealer Principal for BWAB International.
Creative Bus Sales, [Chino, Calif.]
Creative Bus Sales, the nation's largest commercial bus dealership, has always focused on how to best meet the needs of their customers. This focus will now be extended to the school bus market in California.
“In addition to being one of the largest and most successful commercial bus dealers in North America, Creative Bus Sales brings a seasoned school bus sales team to California,” said Tony Matijevich, Dealer Principal for Creative Bus Sales.
Western Canada IC Bus, [Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia]
The most recognized International Dealers in Canada have joined together to create Western Canada IC Bus with over 40 parts and service locations in place to ensure customer satisfaction for the life of the bus. Their goal is to ensure customers have the safest bus with the most up-time and the lowest cost of ownership.
“We understand that getting our bus customers’ ‘Precious Cargo’ to its destination and back, safely and reliably, is the number one concern,” said Patrick Braaten, CFO for Western Canada IC Bus.
“We are pleased to welcome these dealers to the IC Bus family,” said John McKinney, Vice President and General Manager for IC Bus, a Navistar, Inc. company. “These dealers symbolize the strength and ideals of IC Bus and will provide IC Bus customers in the commercial and school bus markets the service they expect and deserve.”
The four new dealerships span the United States and Canada, bringing the total number of dealers in North America to 47. The new dealerships include:
Cumberland IC Bus Sales, [Nashville, Tenn..]
The authorized IC Bus dealer for both school and commercial applications in the state of Tennessee, Cumberland IC Bus Sales is a complete integrated transportation solution that encompasses parts, service, technician training and more.
“Cumberland International continues to expand to better serve the needs of our customer and is proud to announce a new addition to our family, IC Bus,” said Terry Minor, Dealer Principal for Cumberland International. “Cumberland IC Bus Sales is dedicated to setting a new standard in the bus business through world class products and services.”
BWAB International [White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.]
Covering the state of West Virginia, BWAB International brings a history of solution-based selling and customer focus to the IC school and commercial bus product line.
“In addition to selling our full line of IC products, BWAB International will maintain a strong focus on customer service and after-sale support throughout West Virginia,” said Mike Touey, Dealer Principal for BWAB International.
Creative Bus Sales, [Chino, Calif.]
Creative Bus Sales, the nation's largest commercial bus dealership, has always focused on how to best meet the needs of their customers. This focus will now be extended to the school bus market in California.
“In addition to being one of the largest and most successful commercial bus dealers in North America, Creative Bus Sales brings a seasoned school bus sales team to California,” said Tony Matijevich, Dealer Principal for Creative Bus Sales.
Western Canada IC Bus, [Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia]
The most recognized International Dealers in Canada have joined together to create Western Canada IC Bus with over 40 parts and service locations in place to ensure customer satisfaction for the life of the bus. Their goal is to ensure customers have the safest bus with the most up-time and the lowest cost of ownership.
“We understand that getting our bus customers’ ‘Precious Cargo’ to its destination and back, safely and reliably, is the number one concern,” said Patrick Braaten, CFO for Western Canada IC Bus.
Industry News from National Bus Sales
The number of school buses sold in North America fell 8.1 percent in 2009, marking the third year of decline in a row.
North American school bus sales dropped 8.1 percent in 2009, marking the third year of decline in a row.
There were 35,740 school buses sold in the U.S. and Canada in the 2009 sales year (Nov. 1, 2008, to Oct. 31, 2009), down from 38,873 in 2008. Compared to the 2006 peak of 47,614 units sold, the 2009 total was down 25 percent.
School bus operations across the nation have been hit hard by budget cuts, prompting many to delay the purchase of new buses to replace aging models. National Bus Sales is an ideal solution to budget problems. Because we specialize in late model fully reconditioned buses, you can get more value for your money.
There had seemed to be the possibility of a jump in sales this year due to pre-buying ahead of the 2010 EPA emissions standards, which will raise the price of a school bus. Although there was a significant such sales increase in 2006, before the 2007 EPA standards, that trend did not materialize in 2009.
In SBF’s recent School District Survey, only 10 percent of respondents said they bought more buses this year than they normally would have due to the 2010 standards.
Despite the price increases next year, school bus manufacturers told SBF that they are projecting sales to be about the same.
A full breakdown of sales in 2009 as well as previous years will appear in SBF’s forthcoming 2010 Fact Book.
North American school bus sales dropped 8.1 percent in 2009, marking the third year of decline in a row.
There were 35,740 school buses sold in the U.S. and Canada in the 2009 sales year (Nov. 1, 2008, to Oct. 31, 2009), down from 38,873 in 2008. Compared to the 2006 peak of 47,614 units sold, the 2009 total was down 25 percent.
School bus operations across the nation have been hit hard by budget cuts, prompting many to delay the purchase of new buses to replace aging models. National Bus Sales is an ideal solution to budget problems. Because we specialize in late model fully reconditioned buses, you can get more value for your money.
There had seemed to be the possibility of a jump in sales this year due to pre-buying ahead of the 2010 EPA emissions standards, which will raise the price of a school bus. Although there was a significant such sales increase in 2006, before the 2007 EPA standards, that trend did not materialize in 2009.
In SBF’s recent School District Survey, only 10 percent of respondents said they bought more buses this year than they normally would have due to the 2010 standards.
Despite the price increases next year, school bus manufacturers told SBF that they are projecting sales to be about the same.
A full breakdown of sales in 2009 as well as previous years will appear in SBF’s forthcoming 2010 Fact Book.
Approaches to Protect Students in Loading Zones
Recent student fatalities highlight the importance of maximizing safety in and around this area at schools. Pupil transportation industry professionals offer many effective ways to do so, from separating groups of traffic to implementing detailed policies for bus drivers to providing training for students. Communicating with school staff and parents is essential.
Pictured is the bus loop at Highland Elementary School in Derby, N.Y. Motorists are prohibited from entering the bus loops at all of Lake Shore Central School District’s elementary schools to help prevent students from being injured.
Data published by the Kansas State Department of Education indicate that there have been several student fatalities in bus loading and unloading zones at schools in recent years.
According to the latest National School Bus Loading & Unloading Survey, from 2004 to 2007, one fatality occurred while students were unloading from buses in the morning, and one fatality occurred while students were boarding buses in the afternoon.
This year, SCHOOL BUS FLEET has learned of two fatal bus drop-off accidents at schools. In January, pre-kindergartner Jameer Woodley was crossing his school's parking lot in Courtland, Va., after disembarking his bus when he was struck by another bus. The Southampton County Sheriff's Office investigated the accident. The second bus had completed its unloading, and the driver received a signal that the area was clear. The driver pulled the bus out of its parking space and made a right turn into the travel lane of the parking lot. Woodley was crossing the travel lane when he was struck by the bus.
The following month, fourth-grader Christopher Beltz left his bus in the parking lot at Spring Mill Elementary School in Indianapolis' Washington Township. A lieutenant for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a news conference that when Beltz ran out of his bus, he darted between a row of cars parked between where he was dropped off and the school building. There was also a bus there that had just dropped off another student at the curb. As that bus was leaving, Beltz ran in front of it.
These fatalities show that industry officials must remain vigilant and employ every means at their disposal to maintain student safety in bus loading zones to prevent accidents.
"I think the event in Washington Township serves as a reminder that just because you've done your process for umpteen years, it deserves evaluation for the potential of improvement," says Pete Baxter, school transportation director at the Indiana Department of Education (DOE).
Southampton County Public Schools (SCPS) and Metropolitan School District of Washington Township (MSDWT) officials recognized this in the wake of the accidents on their school campuses this year and have changed their loading zone policies.
Pupil transportation industry professionals have numerous suggestions for how to maximize student safety in loading zones, and many practices have been implemented at operations around the country.
Districts enforce preventive measures
Following the accident in Courtland, Va., SCPS changed its bus unloading procedure. Superintendent Charles Turner wrote in a letter to parents that students would be "unloaded directly in front of the entryway at the curb during the morning, one bus at a time."
MSDWT took the fatality at their elementary school very seriously as well. "I'll never get over it," Superintendent James Mervilde says. "We need to do everything we can to make sure this never happens again."
The district's preventive measures are comprehensive. A safety task force that includes transportation officials, school administrators, traffic experts and educators was formed to evaluate transportation practices and associated traffic issues at each school.
Each school now has a schematic drawing created by the task force that displays an approved traffic flow for morning drop-off and afternoon pickup by buses and cars. School maps and the schematics are distributed to the bus drivers and parents and posted on the schools' Websites.
Traffic supervision has also improved. At least one trained security officer is required to be on duty at each school to direct traffic during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. In conjunction, more school staff members are assigned outside during arrival and departure times to ensure safety and parent compliance with revised procedures. To notify parents of the revised procedures, Mervilde taped a back-to-school message asking parents to listen to school officials in regard to where they are allowed to park their cars.
"We have some new principles," he adds. "When kids are moving, the buses can't be moving, and when the drivers are at their stops, they must turn off their buses." The drivers are also required to drop off kids at the curb, preventing them from walking across lanes of traffic.
In addition, MSDWT hired CSO Architects to conduct a district-wide evaluation of the school buildings, paying particular attention to traffic flow by school buses and cars. Upon completion, the company submitted proposal projects to improve safety and traffic flow at all of the schools. Spring Mill Elementary now has concrete barricades that define a crosswalk from a guest parking lot to a sidewalk on the north side of the building. Moreover, all buses must park on the front side of the school, and cars are restricted to a side parking lot.
Analyzing and separating traffic is encouraged
Pupil transportation professionals agree that analyzing the traffic flow in and around loading zones and separating school buses from other types of traffic are excellent ways to prevent loading zone fatalities.
"Take a step back and look at the design of the loading zone," says Kathy Furneaux, executive director of Syracuse, N.Y.-based Pupil Transportation Safety Institute. "When you have a big melting pot of traffic, it really becomes problematic because of the blind spots around a bus."
Furneaux says separating traffic to increase safety does not always involve a major overhaul. She was recently asked by officials at a school in Liberty, N.Y., to evaluate their loading zone because they were having problems with traffic.
"It was as simple as moving a section of a parking lot over and putting in another lane," Furneaux reveals.
Ted Finlayson-Schueler, president of Safety Rules!, in Syracuse, N.Y., says that one of the best ways to analyze loading zones is to start before the buses arrive and continue until all stragglers have left. He recommends videotaping the process from a location where the entire area can be seen (the school rooftop, for instance) so that each vehicle's movement can be studied.
He also suggests getting a map of the school property and noting all of its entrances as well as parking lot/street entrances and identifying where each group (school buses, parents in their personal vehicles, school staff, students who walk to school, etc.) is currently accessing the building and its surrounding area.
Like Furneaux, Finlayson-Schueler encourages separating each class of traffic. This can be accomplished with space or time. "If parents are not let onto the school grounds in the afternoon until the buses have left, you have two loading zones separated by time instead of one that is dangerous and congested," Finlayson-Schueler explains. "In the same way, driving staff and students can be held in their parking lots until the buses are released, creating space for the buses to leave without having to share the roadway."
Schematics, like this one for Spring Mill Elementary, that display approved traffic flow for buses and cars have been created for all schools within the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township in Indianapolis to increase safety.
Finlayson-Schueler notes that special attention should be given to students who walk to school. "Walkers need to have clear direction about how to access and leave the school, and careful consideration should be given to their ability to do that without having to cross traffic while coming to or leaving the school. If walkers are held in the school until the buses leave, it can significantly reduce congestion," he says.
Fuel incentive program saves department $28K
WALLED LAKE, Mich. — At its back-to-school meeting last year, Walled Lake Consolidated School District’s transportation department implemented a fuel incentive program that has increased its miles-per-gallon average, reduced bus idling and facilitated substantial cost savings.Tim Stage, the department’s head mechanic, had calculated each school bus driver’s miles-per-gallon average for the last two months of the previous school year. The drivers were told during the meeting that he would also calculate their averages for the first two months of the upcoming school year.
“Tim calculated their averages in May and June first so that the drivers wouldn’t come in at the beginning of the school year and try to, by accelerating quickly, braking hard, etc., get their averages up,” explained Jill Segal, the district’s transportation supervisor.
Once it was determined that the drivers were achieving the same rates for the two time periods, the goal was for them to improve their averages by adhering to the district’s idling policy. The two drivers — one who operates a regular-ed bus and another who operates a special-needs bus — who improved their averages the most by the end of each month were allowed to park their buses in the department’s garage for the entirety of the following month while they were not on routes.
Stage used FleetVision by Tyler Technologies Inc. to assist in calculating each driver’s monthly average.
“Each time the buses fuel up, the mileage is recorded, so I write a report at the end of the month and it indicates the miles per gallon for each bus,” he explained.
Segal said that in determining the special-needs driver winners, the department took into consideration that the drivers may have idled their buses longer to accommodate the students’ needs during loading and unloading.
The program was implemented to help enforce the district’s idling policy and to offset rising fuel costs.
“Over the entire year, we averaged an increase from 7 miles per gallon to 7.5,” Segal revealed. “Using our price-per-gallon average for fuel last year, it ended up being a savings of about $28,000.”
Based on the program’s success, the department planned to run it again during the 2009-10 school year.
Industry News from National Bus Sales
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the fourth annual Love the Bus campaign just a couple of months away, materials are available to help operations honor their school bus drivers, raise awareness about school bus safety and to present the value of yellow school buses to students, parents and the community throughout the month of February.
The materials, created by the American School Bus Council, include a press release template for local media market use and a Love the Bus toolkit to help operations participate in Love the Bus activities.
The press release template contains information on the purpose of the Love the Bus program, ways for parents, teachers and children to demonstrate their appreciation for bus drivers, and the qualifications necessary to become a school bus driver. There are spaces in the press release for school districts or bus companies to insert information and data about their operation.
The toolkit offers numerous suggestions for celebrating the program and bus drivers, including asking students to submit testimonials on their favorite bus drivers, creating valentines for drivers and presenting them on Valentine’s Day, and inviting parents and local media to attend a Love the Bus event to show bus drivers how much they are valued.
Moreover, fact sheets within the kit can be distributed to students and parents to teach them about school bus safety; the kit also provides tips on how to communicate school transportation information to parents.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and the National School Transportation Association have sent the materials to their members and encouraged them to participate in Love the Bus.
The materials, created by the American School Bus Council, include a press release template for local media market use and a Love the Bus toolkit to help operations participate in Love the Bus activities.
The press release template contains information on the purpose of the Love the Bus program, ways for parents, teachers and children to demonstrate their appreciation for bus drivers, and the qualifications necessary to become a school bus driver. There are spaces in the press release for school districts or bus companies to insert information and data about their operation.
The toolkit offers numerous suggestions for celebrating the program and bus drivers, including asking students to submit testimonials on their favorite bus drivers, creating valentines for drivers and presenting them on Valentine’s Day, and inviting parents and local media to attend a Love the Bus event to show bus drivers how much they are valued.
Moreover, fact sheets within the kit can be distributed to students and parents to teach them about school bus safety; the kit also provides tips on how to communicate school transportation information to parents.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and the National School Transportation Association have sent the materials to their members and encouraged them to participate in Love the Bus.
Industry News from National Bus Sales
BARRIE, Ontario — Shareholders have approved a resolution to change the corporate name of Student Transportation of America Ltd. to Student Transportation Inc.
Shares of the company, the third-largest school bus contractor in North America, will continue to trade under the ticker symbol "STB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
"By changing our corporate name, it better represents our North American footprint and will serve us well as we continue to grow," said Denis J. Gallagher, chairman and chief executive officer.
The company will retain the names Student Transportation of America for its U.S. subsidiary and Student Transportation of Canada for its Canadian operations.
"On the local level, we will also continue to retain the identities of the many companies we have acquired, preserving the goodwill they have built with their customers and communities," Gallagher noted.
The company also announced that its board of directors is considering a dual listing of its common shares on a U.S. exchange. The listing, which could happen as early as the fall of 2010, would require certain regulatory approvals that would allow the company to market and sell its common shares to U.S. investors, something it believes would further increase liquidity by attracting new shareholders.
"Being able to list and market directly in the U.S. would allow us to expand our investor base and increase our relationships with U.S. and international investment banks familiar with our industry," Gallagher said.
Shares of the company, the third-largest school bus contractor in North America, will continue to trade under the ticker symbol "STB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
"By changing our corporate name, it better represents our North American footprint and will serve us well as we continue to grow," said Denis J. Gallagher, chairman and chief executive officer.
The company will retain the names Student Transportation of America for its U.S. subsidiary and Student Transportation of Canada for its Canadian operations.
"On the local level, we will also continue to retain the identities of the many companies we have acquired, preserving the goodwill they have built with their customers and communities," Gallagher noted.
The company also announced that its board of directors is considering a dual listing of its common shares on a U.S. exchange. The listing, which could happen as early as the fall of 2010, would require certain regulatory approvals that would allow the company to market and sell its common shares to U.S. investors, something it believes would further increase liquidity by attracting new shareholders.
"Being able to list and market directly in the U.S. would allow us to expand our investor base and increase our relationships with U.S. and international investment banks familiar with our industry," Gallagher said.
Q&A: Still Secure After 25 Years
As Q’Straint hits a milestone, President Jean-Marc Girardin discusses the company’s continuing quest to bolster the safety of passengers who use wheelchairs.
For 25 years now, Q’Straint has focused on the safety of passengers who use wheelchairs in school buses, transit buses and other vehicles.
In the 1970s, a team of students and specialists at Queen’s University in Ontario began exploring how wheelchair passengers could be safely secured while being transported. What they came up with was the first fully integrated four-point wheelchair passenger securement system. Q’Straint was then formed in 1984 to introduce the system to the transportation industry.
In a testament to Q’Straint’s reputation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the company in 1991 to contribute its expertise, testing and real-world experiences to the development of wheelchair transportation regulations related to the Americans with Disability Act.
Q’Straint President Jean-Marc Girardin discussed with SBF how the company and its securement technologies have evolved over the past decade and a half — and what challenges have appeared along the way.
SBF: Tell us about how Q’Straint was started.
JEAN-MARC GIRARDIN: The company was founded in 1984 as a result of acquiring the rights to an idea of the Queen’s University Mechanical Engineering Department. It was originally tried and used in Kingston, Ontario, on a fleet of paratransit vehicles for wheelchair passengers. From there, it was refined and introduced to the rest of Canada and into the U.S. market.
What have been some highlights in the company’s history?
One of our first big highlights was that we were the first securement company to apply sled crash testing to a wheelchair securement system. To date, we have independently tested over 300 different wheelchairs and mobility devices.
How have the company’s securement systems changed over the years?
There have been a lot of changes to securement technology over the years; we are proud to have led the way from the industry using a manual belt system to our revolutionary fully automatic retractors that are self-tensioning and knobless. With these, drivers no longer need to bend down and turn knobs, making their jobs much easier and reducing the possibility for back injuries.
How has the company itself changed over the years?
As the company has grown, our systems and processes have evolved and adapted to continually meet our customers’ needs. There have also been significant improvements in the use of technology, and enhancements to all aspects of our operations, quality systems and testing. However, the things that have not changed are our people’s commitments to continually improve our company and to keeping our customers happy. We always strive to do the right thing.
What would you say are the key innovations that Q’Straint has made?
We are proud of many things we have been fortunate to be the first to introduce. Some of those firsts that come to mind are: a fully integrated wheelchair and occupant restraint system, compartmentalized floor pockets instead of L-track, serialized kits, a comprehensive training program and training certificate, automatic and self-tensioning retractors (as mentioned earlier), the positive lock indicator on our L-track fitting, and first national training seminar, which is one of a kind.
We are also currently collaborating with 4One to introduce the first ever wheelchair securement station for the transit industry, called the Q’Pod. Already customers have stated that this is the most significant innovation our industry has seen in at least a decade and it will become the new standard in wheelchair passenger safety and simplicity.
How have wheelchairs changed in terms of safety since Q’Straint was founded?
Wheelchair design has been a big concern in our industry from the beginning. Wheelchair manufacturers have historically taken an ostrich approach to wheelchair transportation: buried their heads in the sand by stating that their wheelchairs were not designed to be transported. The reality is that all of the wheelchairs today are transported in some form, so it makes it very difficult to design wheelchair securements without the collaboration of the companies designing those wheelchairs.
Also, electric wheelchairs have now become the most popular style of wheelchair, but have been designed with little to no attachment points for the wheelchair restraints, making it extremely difficult for drivers to secure them.
However, we see this starting to change, as many wheelchair manufacturers are getting involved with standards like WC-19, which addresses designing wheelchairs to make them more transportable. This standard is not well known, but we hope it will be widely used in the near future to improve the safety of wheelchair passenger transportation.
What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the school bus industry?
Funding without a doubt. Retrofitting existing vehicle fleets to use state-of-the-art wheelchair and occupant securements is becoming more of a reality. It’s an upfront investment, but in the long run, we’ve demonstrated that using the latest technology will not only improve the efficiency and effectiveness of securing wheelchair passengers, it will save the agencies money by reducing driver injuries, system maintenance and the liability created by the use of older, defective systems. So getting adequate funding to address this — safe, easy, universalized securement on all buses in a fleet — would be a major step toward reducing the current issues. Q’Straint is also introducing a special program specifically designed to help with this, and we look forward to partnering and sharing it with the school bus industry.
Q’Straint has been providing free training seminars each year for school bus professionals. Tell us about why the company does that.
Improper use of our wheelchair securement systems is one of the biggest challenges we face today. We believe proper training is absolutely critical and the most effective way to address this. Any company can say this, but we decided to put our money where our mouth is and made sure lack of funding was never a barrier. So each fall we host three two-day seminars where transit, paratransit and school bus agencies can send their key training personnel to be trained by us directly for free. In addition to this, we also provide onsite training by request and have a full line of comprehensive training programs for all our systems.
What is the company’s greatest strength?
Our customers and our people; they have made Q’Straint what it is today and continue to be the key to our success. We would not be here without our customers, and our people understand that. So everyone is committed to making our customers and their needs our No. 1 priority.
Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?
Since this year is our 25th anniversary, I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all of our customers for their support, and to all of our people for their loyalty to Q’Straint. I am also very proud that Q’Straint will continue to be a family-operated company for many years to come, as my three children, Julie, Eric and Patrick, are actively involved in Q’Straint and are committed to continuing to serve our customers.
For 25 years now, Q’Straint has focused on the safety of passengers who use wheelchairs in school buses, transit buses and other vehicles.
In the 1970s, a team of students and specialists at Queen’s University in Ontario began exploring how wheelchair passengers could be safely secured while being transported. What they came up with was the first fully integrated four-point wheelchair passenger securement system. Q’Straint was then formed in 1984 to introduce the system to the transportation industry.
In a testament to Q’Straint’s reputation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the company in 1991 to contribute its expertise, testing and real-world experiences to the development of wheelchair transportation regulations related to the Americans with Disability Act.
Q’Straint President Jean-Marc Girardin discussed with SBF how the company and its securement technologies have evolved over the past decade and a half — and what challenges have appeared along the way.
SBF: Tell us about how Q’Straint was started.
JEAN-MARC GIRARDIN: The company was founded in 1984 as a result of acquiring the rights to an idea of the Queen’s University Mechanical Engineering Department. It was originally tried and used in Kingston, Ontario, on a fleet of paratransit vehicles for wheelchair passengers. From there, it was refined and introduced to the rest of Canada and into the U.S. market.
What have been some highlights in the company’s history?
One of our first big highlights was that we were the first securement company to apply sled crash testing to a wheelchair securement system. To date, we have independently tested over 300 different wheelchairs and mobility devices.
How have the company’s securement systems changed over the years?
There have been a lot of changes to securement technology over the years; we are proud to have led the way from the industry using a manual belt system to our revolutionary fully automatic retractors that are self-tensioning and knobless. With these, drivers no longer need to bend down and turn knobs, making their jobs much easier and reducing the possibility for back injuries.
How has the company itself changed over the years?
As the company has grown, our systems and processes have evolved and adapted to continually meet our customers’ needs. There have also been significant improvements in the use of technology, and enhancements to all aspects of our operations, quality systems and testing. However, the things that have not changed are our people’s commitments to continually improve our company and to keeping our customers happy. We always strive to do the right thing.
What would you say are the key innovations that Q’Straint has made?
We are proud of many things we have been fortunate to be the first to introduce. Some of those firsts that come to mind are: a fully integrated wheelchair and occupant restraint system, compartmentalized floor pockets instead of L-track, serialized kits, a comprehensive training program and training certificate, automatic and self-tensioning retractors (as mentioned earlier), the positive lock indicator on our L-track fitting, and first national training seminar, which is one of a kind.
We are also currently collaborating with 4One to introduce the first ever wheelchair securement station for the transit industry, called the Q’Pod. Already customers have stated that this is the most significant innovation our industry has seen in at least a decade and it will become the new standard in wheelchair passenger safety and simplicity.
How have wheelchairs changed in terms of safety since Q’Straint was founded?
Wheelchair design has been a big concern in our industry from the beginning. Wheelchair manufacturers have historically taken an ostrich approach to wheelchair transportation: buried their heads in the sand by stating that their wheelchairs were not designed to be transported. The reality is that all of the wheelchairs today are transported in some form, so it makes it very difficult to design wheelchair securements without the collaboration of the companies designing those wheelchairs.
Also, electric wheelchairs have now become the most popular style of wheelchair, but have been designed with little to no attachment points for the wheelchair restraints, making it extremely difficult for drivers to secure them.
However, we see this starting to change, as many wheelchair manufacturers are getting involved with standards like WC-19, which addresses designing wheelchairs to make them more transportable. This standard is not well known, but we hope it will be widely used in the near future to improve the safety of wheelchair passenger transportation.
What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the school bus industry?
Funding without a doubt. Retrofitting existing vehicle fleets to use state-of-the-art wheelchair and occupant securements is becoming more of a reality. It’s an upfront investment, but in the long run, we’ve demonstrated that using the latest technology will not only improve the efficiency and effectiveness of securing wheelchair passengers, it will save the agencies money by reducing driver injuries, system maintenance and the liability created by the use of older, defective systems. So getting adequate funding to address this — safe, easy, universalized securement on all buses in a fleet — would be a major step toward reducing the current issues. Q’Straint is also introducing a special program specifically designed to help with this, and we look forward to partnering and sharing it with the school bus industry.
Q’Straint has been providing free training seminars each year for school bus professionals. Tell us about why the company does that.
Improper use of our wheelchair securement systems is one of the biggest challenges we face today. We believe proper training is absolutely critical and the most effective way to address this. Any company can say this, but we decided to put our money where our mouth is and made sure lack of funding was never a barrier. So each fall we host three two-day seminars where transit, paratransit and school bus agencies can send their key training personnel to be trained by us directly for free. In addition to this, we also provide onsite training by request and have a full line of comprehensive training programs for all our systems.
What is the company’s greatest strength?
Our customers and our people; they have made Q’Straint what it is today and continue to be the key to our success. We would not be here without our customers, and our people understand that. So everyone is committed to making our customers and their needs our No. 1 priority.
Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?
Since this year is our 25th anniversary, I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all of our customers for their support, and to all of our people for their loyalty to Q’Straint. I am also very proud that Q’Straint will continue to be a family-operated company for many years to come, as my three children, Julie, Eric and Patrick, are actively involved in Q’Straint and are committed to continuing to serve our customers.
Industry News from National Bus Sales
IC Bus, North America’s largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, solidifies its dealer network with the announcement of new dealerships in Tennessee, West Virginia, California and Western Canada.
“We are pleased to welcome these dealers to the IC Bus family,” said John McKinney, Vice President and General Manager for IC Bus, a Navistar, Inc. company. “These dealers symbolize the strength and ideals of IC Bus and will provide IC Bus customers in the commercial and school bus markets the service they expect and deserve.”
The four new dealerships span the United States and Canada, bringing the total number of dealers in North America to 47. The new dealerships include:
Cumberland IC Bus Sales, [Nashville, Tenn..]
The authorized IC Bus dealer for both school and commercial applications in the state of Tennessee, Cumberland IC Bus Sales is a complete integrated transportation solution that encompasses parts, service, technician training and more.
“Cumberland International continues to expand to better serve the needs of our customer and is proud to announce a new addition to our family, IC Bus,” said Terry Minor, Dealer Principal for Cumberland International. “Cumberland IC Bus Sales is dedicated to setting a new standard in the bus business through world class products and services.”
BWAB International [White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.]
Covering the state of West Virginia, BWAB International brings a history of solution-based selling and customer focus to the IC school and commercial bus product line.
“In addition to selling our full line of IC products, BWAB International will maintain a strong focus on customer service and after-sale support throughout West Virginia,” said Mike Touey, Dealer Principal for BWAB International.
Creative Bus Sales, [Chino, Calif.]
Creative Bus Sales, the nation's largest commercial bus dealership, has always focused on how to best meet the needs of their customers. This focus will now be extended to the school bus market in California.
“In addition to being one of the largest and most successful commercial bus dealers in North America, Creative Bus Sales brings a seasoned school bus sales team to California,” said Tony Matijevich, Dealer Principal for Creative Bus Sales.
Western Canada IC Bus, [Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia]
The most recognized International Dealers in Canada have joined together to create Western Canada IC Bus with over 40 parts and service locations in place to ensure customer satisfaction for the life of the bus. Their goal is to ensure customers have the safest bus with the most up-time and the lowest cost of ownership.
“We understand that getting our bus customers’ ‘Precious Cargo’ to its destination and back, safely and reliably, is the number one concern,” said Patrick Braaten, CFO for Western Canada IC Bus.
National Bus Sales in Tulsa, Oklahoma leads the nation in providing quality, used, late-model, low-mileage buses at the lowest price. We offer the highest quality pre-owned and reconditioned buses available. We sell used school buses, activity buses, wheelchair lift buses, child care buses, church buses, passenger motor coaches, and shuttle buses. Whether you are a school district, bus contractor or tour operator, we can serve virtually any need.
“We are pleased to welcome these dealers to the IC Bus family,” said John McKinney, Vice President and General Manager for IC Bus, a Navistar, Inc. company. “These dealers symbolize the strength and ideals of IC Bus and will provide IC Bus customers in the commercial and school bus markets the service they expect and deserve.”
The four new dealerships span the United States and Canada, bringing the total number of dealers in North America to 47. The new dealerships include:
Cumberland IC Bus Sales, [Nashville, Tenn..]
The authorized IC Bus dealer for both school and commercial applications in the state of Tennessee, Cumberland IC Bus Sales is a complete integrated transportation solution that encompasses parts, service, technician training and more.
“Cumberland International continues to expand to better serve the needs of our customer and is proud to announce a new addition to our family, IC Bus,” said Terry Minor, Dealer Principal for Cumberland International. “Cumberland IC Bus Sales is dedicated to setting a new standard in the bus business through world class products and services.”
BWAB International [White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.]
Covering the state of West Virginia, BWAB International brings a history of solution-based selling and customer focus to the IC school and commercial bus product line.
“In addition to selling our full line of IC products, BWAB International will maintain a strong focus on customer service and after-sale support throughout West Virginia,” said Mike Touey, Dealer Principal for BWAB International.
Creative Bus Sales, [Chino, Calif.]
Creative Bus Sales, the nation's largest commercial bus dealership, has always focused on how to best meet the needs of their customers. This focus will now be extended to the school bus market in California.
“In addition to being one of the largest and most successful commercial bus dealers in North America, Creative Bus Sales brings a seasoned school bus sales team to California,” said Tony Matijevich, Dealer Principal for Creative Bus Sales.
Western Canada IC Bus, [Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia]
The most recognized International Dealers in Canada have joined together to create Western Canada IC Bus with over 40 parts and service locations in place to ensure customer satisfaction for the life of the bus. Their goal is to ensure customers have the safest bus with the most up-time and the lowest cost of ownership.
“We understand that getting our bus customers’ ‘Precious Cargo’ to its destination and back, safely and reliably, is the number one concern,” said Patrick Braaten, CFO for Western Canada IC Bus.
National Bus Sales in Tulsa, Oklahoma leads the nation in providing quality, used, late-model, low-mileage buses at the lowest price. We offer the highest quality pre-owned and reconditioned buses available. We sell used school buses, activity buses, wheelchair lift buses, child care buses, church buses, passenger motor coaches, and shuttle buses. Whether you are a school district, bus contractor or tour operator, we can serve virtually any need.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Steve and Shannon Henshaw owners of National Bus Sales, Inc....we will be using
this blog site to keep our current customers and potential customers updated
on thing going on within our organization, specials ect...along with posting
new articles about the industry to help keep transportation directors up to date
on things going on in the industry or their state....
this blog site to keep our current customers and potential customers updated
on thing going on within our organization, specials ect...along with posting
new articles about the industry to help keep transportation directors up to date
on things going on in the industry or their state....
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