Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Speakers: Erick Cole & Bryant Maxey

Description: See how Zonar Bus Suite, our all-in-one routing platform, keeps routes on time and riders safe. In this interactive lab + demo, Zonar experts will walk through how districts plan, monitor, and optimize routes in real time. From dispatch visibility and driver coordination to the driver experience and parent communication, you’ll see how routing, student tracking, and driver tools come together in one platform to make daily operations safer, smoother, and more efficient.

Location: Carolina Ballroom

Speaker: Shea Marstaller

Description: This course introduces how utilizing tablet-based technology with Transfinder supports more efficient school bus operations by improving communication, reducing paperwork, and connecting drivers, technicians, and transportation staff. Participants gain a practical understanding of how tablets and onboard hardware are used to support daily operations.

Location: Fairway Ballroom

Speakers: Doug Campbell, Julian Fosty, & Graham Matthews

Description: When motorists clearly see a school bus, they have more time to react and stop. Illumination is becoming the standard for school bus safety across North America.  

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Location: Carolina Ballroom

Speakers: Jason Riley and Weston Bartlett

Description: Responsibility at its core. Insight and Efficiency in every action. Control where it matters most. The next generation of transportation solutions is here and this bus doesn’t wait. Are you on board?

Location: Fairway Ballroom

Speakers: Marty Savino & Dave Weber

Description: School-Radio provides the best options available to ensure reliable communication and connectivity across the United States. Our solutions can be implemented even in situations where budgets are tight, and traditional, old-school radio systems are being relied on.

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Speakers: Jason Kierna of First Student, along with representatives from IC Bus and Samsara

Description: This session will show how new technology is making student transportation safer and more efficient. It’s perfect for transportation professionals, fleet managers, and school administrators who want simple, practical ideas to improve fleet operations.

• Best Practices from Industry Leaders: Discover proven strategies for leveraging connected fleet technology to streamline daily operations, enhance driver accountability, and ensure compliance with safety protocols.
• Customer Perspectives: Gain firsthand insights from school transportation leaders on implementing and scaling connected fleet solutions. Hear about challenges faced and lessons learned in the journey toward fleet modernization.
• Understand the role of IC Bus in advancing student transportation through seamless integration with connected technologies, supporting a smarter and more adaptive fleet ecosystem.

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Moderator: Steve Whaley

Panelists: Tom Hopkins, Anthony Jackson, & Monte McLeod

Description: Ensuring the safe transportation of students is the top priority for every school district. Fortunately, safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of performance or operational savings. Propane-powered school buses deliver on all fronts—providing reliable range for daily routes and trips, while offering a cost-per-mile savings of $0.27 compared to diesel-powered buses.

Beyond cost efficiency, propane buses are environmentally friendly. They are certified to produce 90% fewer toxic emissions than current EPA standards, qualifying fleets for near-zero emission grant funding opportunities.

In this session, our panelists will share their insights on:

• The latest propane vehicle and fueling technologies
• Building and maintaining fueling infrastructure
• Real-world experiences managing a mixed fleet of propane, EV, and diesel school buses

Join us to learn how propane can propel your fleet forward—safely, sustainably, and cost-effectively.

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Speaker: Craig Berndt

Description: In this session Craig Berndt from Geotab will review the interconnected legacy systems you may have and how to gain a higher degree of visibility on your student transportation operation.  Learn how to draw insights from your data with targeted AI, not just add to the pile of data you don’t have time to review.  Understand the daily data journey of your students, vehicles and drivers by pulling it all together with Geotab.

Location: Carolina Ballroom

Facilitator: Lori Jetha

Panelists: Joe Allen, Chris Fox, Julian Jimenez, & Jeff Obechina

Description: Illegal passings, parent concerns, driver coaching needs—transportation teams face real challenges every day. In this dynamic session, Safe Fleet experts walk through three, real‑world scenarios and show how AI‑enabled safety technologies reduce incident investigation time from hours to minutes and help alert students to danger and avoid tragedy at the bus stop. Learn how districts can move from today’s reactive workflows to tomorrow’s connected, proactive safety ecosystem—starting with the equipment already on your buses.

Location: Fairway Ballroom

Speaker: Ellyn Echols

Description: In the world of student transportation, we know many transportation teams spend 95% of their time solving transportation for the last 5% of their students—the complex IEP requirements and increasing last-minute McKinney-Vento transportation needs—that represent the highest operational complexity. In these high-stakes scenarios, low visibility can lead to a reactive stance that increases district friction, creates safety gaps, and impacts student well-being.

This session will explore a modern approach to these hurdles, shifting the focus from reactive problem-solving to proactive safety and operational control. Join HopSkipDrive, the industry leader in student safety, for a deep dive into the technology and data currently transforming subcontracted transit into a transparent, high-visibility operation. 

Through discussion, technology demos, and interactive activities, attendees will gain data-driven insights to:

• Elevate Driver Vetting and Care Standards: Analyze why a 15-point certification, video screening, and empathy-based assessments are critical for ensuring drivers are equipped for neurodivergent and trauma-impacted riders.

• Leverage Behavior-Based Telematics: Understand the mechanics of the Safe Ride Support® system, which uses telematics to detect risky behavior and prevent a ride from even starting if safety standards aren’t met.

• Eliminate Information Gaps: See how purpose-built dashboards like RideIQ and the Daily Queue empower your staff with real-time data, solving routing problems in minutes rather than days, reducing parent phone calls to the transportation office, and minimizing staff burden. And, learn how Ride Recording: In-App provides an extra layer of safety and peace of mind for staff and caregivers.

Join us to learn how your district can gain total visibility and control, ensuring that transportation never stands in the way of a child getting to school safely and on time — and how to evaluate vendors in a world where everyone says safety is number one.

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Facilitator: Ryan Gray

Panelist: Tracie Franco & Joshua Hinerman

Description: Strong coordination between school transportation departments and first responders is essential to ensuring student safety during emergencies. This session will explore how transportation leaders can build and sustain effective partnerships with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies.

Panelists will share practical strategies for communication, joint training, and emergency preparedness, including lessons learned from real-world incidents involving school buses. Attendees will gain insight into aligning transportation operations with incident command structures, clarifying roles during emergencies, and improving response and recovery efforts.

This session is ideal for transportation professionals seeking to strengthen collaboration, improve emergency readiness, and enhance safety outcomes for students and staff.

Location: Carolina Ballroom

Facilitator: Launi Harden

Panelists: Teena Mitchell & Stephanie Walker

Description: Imagine if we stopped treating bus attendants as “extras” or IEP checkboxes and started seeing them as essential safety staff. With a trained attendant on board, we could change the entire ambiance of the bus, strengthen public trust, and grow ridership. Attendants can actively prevent bullying and harassment, de‑escalate student‑to‑student conflicts, and be an extra set of eyes and ears for students’ mental health needs—turning the ride to and from school into a safer, calmer, more supportive part of the school day.

Location: Kannapolis Ballroom

Speaker: Jim Ellis

Description: Hear from a veteran student transportation leader the importance of aligning staff and systems to avoid the mixed messages and crossed wires, duplicated work and wasted time, and inconsistent policies that pull staff in different directions.

Location: Carolina Ballroom

Speaker: Derek Graham

Description: The problem of illegal passing has been well documented in the industry and is at the forefront of safety concerns for student passengers when accessing the school bus as pedestrians. The Investing in Infrastructure and Jobs Act mandated that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration take on a multi-pronged study of school bus illegal passing incidents. In addition to a summary of state laws on illegal passing, which was released earlier this year, NHTSA developed a toolkit for planning safety school bus stops and routes. NHTSA is also evaluating the many technology options that target illegal passing and their effectiveness. This presentation will summarize NHTSA’s activities and findings thus far and suggest appropriate actions to improve school bus safety.

Join us for A Day at the Track at the legendary Charlotte Motor Speedway. This high-energy, racing-inspired event brings the Green Bus Summit and Bus Technology Summit to life with up-close bus and technology showcases in the NASCAR Cup Series Garage and the Quarter-Mile Oval Track, hands-on demos and training stations featuring the latest in clean fuels, AI, routing, and fleet management, plus a lively networking reception and dinner with great food, drinks, and entertainment. Educational sessions will be held earlier at the host hotel before attendees head to the Speedway for this unforgettable experience that blends innovation, connection, and celebration at one of motorsports’ most iconic venues.