The Bus Stop

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Tony Civitella, President & CEO of Transfinder, an NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Tony recaps the recent Transfinder State of the Union and shares some highlights from the event. Tony and Curt discuss the importance of becoming an all-in-one solution for operators. The duo talk about the importance of not changing suc...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Miles Cole, CEO of CI Solutions - Card Integrators, a new NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Miles outlines his background and how CI Solutions became involved in student transportation. Miles and Curt discuss the benefits of tracking daily ridership and how it can improve safety. Miles then outlines how CI Solutions integrat...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Matt Jandrisavitz, Partner, RC Kelly Law Associates. Matt and Curt highlight the recent extension of the Under the Hood Exemption. Matt outlines some of the misconceptions that some make when considering to utilizing the Under the Hood Exemption in their operation. The duo then covered some of the recent Overtime Rule...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Tim Weaverling, Partner, RWR Group. Tim outlines his background and journey into the school transportation industry. Tim and Curt highlight some recent changes to the Keystone-RWR Royalty Program. Tim provides an update on the insurance market as we enter 2025. The duo discuss some important risk management strategies...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Ramsey Bergeron, Founder and CEO, Bergeron Well-Being, and Keynote Speaker for the upcoming 2025 NSTA Midwinter Meeting in Maui, HI. Ramsey delves into his upbringing and life experiences which shaped his world view. Curt and Ramsey discuss several events that inspired Ramsey to help others. Ramsey gives a preview of h...

Join Executive Director, Curt Macysyn for a special Holiday Edition of NSTA: The Bus Stop as Frank Girardot, Senior Communications Director with BYD | RIDE drops by for an enjoyable episode. Frank and Curt begin the episode with an update on BYD | RIDE. The duo then highlight the city of Pasadena, the Rose Bowl, and some college football talk. Frank and Curt then discuss a Christmas Story and disc...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Dan Kobussen, Owner of Kobussen Buses and NSTA President. The duo recap some of the highlights of the past year for NSTA. Dan and Curt discuss the return of the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition for the first time since 2019. Dan talks about the 60th Anniversary of NSTA and what the means to for the as...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Tim Ammon, Vice President & GM, Passenger Services, Zonar Systems. The duo highlight the findings of the Kansas loading and unloading survey. Tim shares his thoughts on how the illegal passing has reached such epidemic levels. Curt and Tim discuss the recent illegal passing reports from the National Highway Traffic...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Patrick Dean, President, Dean Transportation, and President-Elect of NSTA. Patrick covers some key projects being worked on by the NSTA Business Development Committee, such as the most recent Data Acquisition engagement with Spectrum Consulting Group of Michigan State University and the ongoing NSTA Tradeshow Initiativ...

Join Executive Director, Curt Macysyn for a special Thanksgiving Edition of NSTA: The Bus Stop as Frank Girardot, Senior Communications Director with BYD | RIDE drops by for an enjoyable episode. Frank briefly outlines his professional background and then highlights his interest in film and connection to Hollywood. As we approach the Holiday Season with friends and family, the duo discuss and deba...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Corey Muirhead, Executive Vice President of Logan Bus Company, and member of the NSTA Board of Directors. Curt and Corey delve into the ongoing electrification efforts in New York State. Corey outlines several initiatives being that the New York School Bus Contractors Association have been working on over he past sever...

It's been a week since Election Day and most of the dust has settled on this historic National Election. Hear from NSTA executive director Curt Macysyn as he dissects the events of the past several days and what the impact may be for NSTA. He'll talk about key races and what trends can be determined as the final votes are counted. Support the show

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Spencer Schiefelbein, Director - Channel Development, REI, an NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Spencer delves into the use of Artificial Intelligence as a tool in student transportation. The duo highlights the use of AI to reduce insurance costs. Curt and Spencer then outline how AI can be utilized to improve safety. Lastly...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by  Valarie Higgins, Vice President of Sales – School Bus Division, Gatekeeper Systems. Valarie outlines her background and journey to Gatekeeper Systems. The duo delves into the use of Artificial Intelligence and how it can be utilized to reduce illegal passing. Valarie and Curt discuss the technological evolution of the...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by industry stalwart, Ken Hedgecock, National Sales Manger, United Safety and Survivability Corporation. Ken and Curt celebrate National School Bus Safety Week. Ken uses his industry expertise to discuss the development of the iconic yellow bus and how it has become a symbol of safety. Curt and Ken delve into current safet...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Martin Staples, CEO, Transportant, an NSTA Vendor Partner.  Martin highlights the recent back-to-school period and some observations he's made through this year's return to school. The duo outlines a recent transition to the Transportant platform at an expedited rate with great success. Martin then delves into...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Tim Ammon, Vice President & GM, Passenger Services, Zonar Systems, an NSTA Vendor Partner Member.  Tim highlights some recent initiatives Zonar has been participating in. The duo outlines the continued technological advancements being seen on the yellow bus. Tim delves into technician shortages and what can be done...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Scott Mogensen, Head of Solutions Enablement, Foley Services, an NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Scott outlines his background and his journey into the industry. The duo discuss strategies to reduce an operator's risk profile through consistent monitoring practices. Curt and Scott delve into the upcoming change to the...

 This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Julius Ceaser, Director of Recruiting, Cook-Illinois Corporation. Julius outlines the current state of the recruitment landscape. The duo discusses the recruiting philosophy and several factors he's found to have positive results when hiring drivers. Julius emphasizes the importance of flexibility in the process a...

 This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Kyle McClellan, Practice Leader, NSM Insurance Brokers, a new NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Kyle highlights NSM insurance and outlines his background and his journey to Practice Leader at NSM Insurance Brokers. The duo discuss the unique NSM partnership with the 42 Group and the many benefits it has for school bus contra...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Ronna Weber, Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation (NASDPTS). Ronna highlights the return of the National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) for the first time in ten years, which will take place from May 3-7, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. The duo outline the proces...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Doug Campbell, Director of Sales with NSTA Vendor Partner, First Light Safety Products. Doug and Curt recap the school bus equipped with illegal passing technologies that First Light Safety showcased at the 2024 NSTA Annual Meeting and Convention in Nashville, TN in coordination with the National Highway Traffic Safety...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Greg Jackson, Director of Business Development, School Bus Logistics, a new NSTA Vendor Partner Member. Greg outlined his background and his transition from Transportation Director to School Bus Logistics. Greg and Curt highlight strategies contractors can utilize when heading into the back-to-school period for their ro...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Mark Miller, Substitute Bus Driver, Bellingham Public Schools. Mark outlines his background and discusses his journey to becoming a school bus driver in addition to his role as a pilot. He recaps his experience at the 2024 School Bus Driver International Safety Competition, as Mark won the Type-D (Transit Style) Competi...

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director Curt Macysyn is joined by Kim Martin, Industry Engagement Consultant, Tyler Technologies, an NSTA Vendor Partner. Kim and Curt recap the recent On-Board Technology Panel at the 2024 NSTA Annual Meeting and Convention in Nashville, TN. Kim provides some best practices as operators enter the back-to-school period and how new technology can be impl...