A management & maintenance magazine for school transportation fleets
Issue link: https://sbf.epubxp.com/i/334511
38 S C H O O L B U S F L E E T • J U L Y 2 0 1 4 Service was stopped for several days at Murphy Bus Lines' terminals this winter due to the low temperatures in the company's area of service. Pictured is a bus in the company's Mitchell, Ontario, yard. ARVA, Ontario — Murphy Bus Lines was one of the many pupil transpor- tation operations impacted by this year's harsh winter, but in the face of the challenges it presented, the compa- ny's employees worked together and remained focused on safely transport- ing students. Vice President Rob Murphy said the company experienced mornings when the temperature was minus 25 de- grees Celsius (which is minus 13 de- grees Fahrenheit), and for two days af- ter Christmas break, bus service was brought to a halt when the tempera- ture fell even lower due to the wind chill factor: minus 40 degrees Celsius (which is minus 40 degrees Fahren- heit). This was the lowest temperature the area had experienced in 20 years, according to Murphy. "By the middle of January, many days were lost due to snow squalls off Lake Huron coming straight through our service area," he added. "In total, for 10 days, students cheered, as bus- es did not leave many yards in south- western Ontario." Throughout the season, staff at the company's terminals and at local pupil transportation consortiums used DTN Weather, a weather system provided by Schneider Electric, to track weath- er patterns, local radar and storm pre- dictions. When conditions were safe for buses to run, experience and teamwork kept routes running smoothly. "Our knowledge of the area, help from local snow plow operators and cooperation between bus operators, consortiums and drivers ensured that our precious cargo was taken care of each and every day," Murphy said. Piles of snow like the one pictured at the company's Arva, Ontario, location also con- tributed to the halt in service, but when buses did run, the company's team worked together and focused on safely transporting students. Murphy Bus Lines keeps students safe during harsh winter W.L. Roenigk Inc. receives women in business honor SARVER, Pa. — W.L. Roenigk Inc. was re- cently named the No. 1 largest Pittsburgh area woman-owned business for 2014. The company has 925 employees, accord- ing to President Susan Roenigk. The list is compiled by and included in the Pittsburgh Business Times. Also, Jeanne Roenigk, owner of W.L. Roenigk, celebrated 60 years with the company and in the school bus industry on June 2. That date also marks the 60th anniversary of her marriage to William Roenigk Sr., who founded the company. "At age 82, she [Jeanne] still works every day in the main offce in Sarver," Susan Roenigk said. STA secures $10M contract WALL, N.J. — Student Transportation Inc. subsidiary Student Transportation of America Inc. (STA) has been awarded a new fve and a half year contract with San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in California. The $10 million con- tract was recently awarded, and service will begin in January 2015. STA will pro- vide 133 new, ultra-low-emission vehicles and 31 propane autogas vehicles as part of the contract. First Student helps collect 12,300 items for Illinois food pantries BELLEVILLE, Ill. — First Student recently partnered with Belleville School District #118, Harmony School District #175 in Belleville and the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce to collect 12,300 items of non-perishable food for the seventh annual "Drive Away Hunger" campaign. Offcials said that the campaign flled 10 school buses, and the items were do- nated to four food pantries in the area. "We strive to be a valued member of the community we serve," said Donna Griffn, location manager of First Student Belleville. "We are pleased to help out such a worthwhile cause, and I am proud of my team's effort to help those in need here in Belleville." TOP 50 CONTRACTORS NEWS