In the News

For school bus contractors, proper access to and handling of confidential student information is important. This is especially true when dealing with special issues related to a child’s care. Businesses and school districts often struggle to balance the protection of student privacy with the disclosure of information necessary for student health and safety. This article discusses access to and protection of confidential information.

On July 2, 2019, Governor Tom Wolf, signed SB 440 into law allowing Pennsylvania schools to have up to five “flexible instructional days” each year in place of face to face classroom time. This means that the number of days that require transportation to and from school could be reduced from the currently required 180 days. While this may be a benefit to school districts, most school bus contracts are based on an anticipated 180 days of revenue. Eliminating five days of transportation could r...

Understanding fuel costs, taxes, and exemptions is an important part of business planning for school bus contractors. Often there is confusion about what the taxing source, federal or state, and how exemptions work. This article describes the processes for obtaining fuel that excludes the Pennsylvania Motor Fuel Tax or how to seek reimbursement for the state tax for fuel used to transport school students to and from school.

In recent months, the topic of illegal passing of stopped school buses has dominated the news and the industry. During the month of May, ABC News highlighted two instances of illegal passing, one in Ohio and another in Minnesota. In the case of the Ohio accident, the student was lucky to escape with minor injuries. However, in the case of the Minnesota accident, the child remains in critical care in the hospital. Most, if not all, school bus operators are able to recount instances in which their...

The end of the school year for students means the beginning of the summer charters season for school bus contractors. Summer camps, church groups, scout groups, and others frequently charter school buses for group trips in the summer. This note will talk about summer charter issues you should consider. But, be aware that all of the issues related to carrying non-student passengers for a fee are far more complex than can be addressed completely in this brief article.

When creating and operating a business, owners must decide how they want their business to be structured. Two factors that should go into every decision regarding the structure of a business are liability protection and tax implications. Liabilit protectiosn protects owners of a business from being liable for the debts and liabilities of the copmany and keeps creditors form pursuing personal assets.

In December 2018, the Uniform Carrier Registration Boac ("UCRB") approved the National School Transportation Association ("NSTA") request for an intrastate school bus fee exemption. This new UCR fee exemption allows school buses that will not cross state lines from their UCR fee calculation. This is a huge savings for contractors who have only a few school buses in their fleet that actually cross state lines.