Grant Winners to Receive up to $50,000 for the Latest School Bus Transportation Security, Safety and Efficiency Technology Hardware
Seattle Wash. – November 9, 2015 – Zonar, a leading transportation technology company, installed on one out of every three school buses on the road in North America, and The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) announced today the 2015 winners of the annual Don Carnahan Memorial Grant. This year’s eleven recipients with combined fleets of almost a 1,000 school buses will receive up to $50,000 each for the latest school bus security, safety, and efficiency technology hardware.
Zonar is providing the recipients fleet management technology that will provide the school districts transparency and control of their bus opperation through real-time tracking and monitoring. The solution verifies maintenance and inspections are up-to-date and remotely detects and flags mechanical issues to significantly reduce performance problems and help eliminate break downs. In addition to enhancing inspections and maintenance, Zonar technology is able to monitor idling and speed to enhance fleet efficiency.
The grant recipients will be awarded best practice, fleet management technology from Zonar including: Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR) found on either the Zonar 2010 or 2020, Global Position System (GPS) V3, Real Time Engine Diagnostic Reporting, Student Tracking (Z Pass), and Ground Traffic Control (GTC) web-based software.
Recipients of the grant are NAPT members and that were selected based on their proposed plans with expected ROI for using Zonar’s Fleet Management Solutions. The winners are:
- Sherri Lawson, Director of Transportation, Spring Branch ISD, Houston, TX
- Jason Osborn, Director of Transportation, Temecula Valley Unified School District, Temecula, CA
- John P. Hennessey, JR., Director of Transportation, Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, MA
- Sandi Pettey, Transportation Supervisor, Rincon Valley Union School District, Santa Rosa, CA
- Matthew Thomas, Director of Transportation, Anaheim Union High School District, Anaheim, CA
- Greg Liedl, Transportation Coordinator, Bemidji Area Schools, Bemidji, MN
- Rick Lewis, Director of Transportation, Anaheim City School District, Anaheim, CA
- Steve Hull, President, Hull Bus Lines Ltd., Petrolia, Ontario
- Steve Bui, Director of Transportation, Montebello Unified School District, Montebello, CA
- Frances Lemons, Transportation Manager, Lompoc Unified School District, Lompoc, CA
- Justin Dennison, Director of Transportation, Kent School District, Kent, WA
“NAPT applauds Zonar for its many contributions to the school bus industry, and for this generous grant. Every school district is facing tight budgets. The grant winners will be able to implement efficiencies and reduce maintenance costs with Zonar’s powerful technology,” said Mike Martin, executive director, NAPT “The winning districts will also be to track the location of their students as they travel to and from school. You can’t put a price tag on the peace of mind that Zonar technology provides for these communities.”
“We are thrilled to provide this year’s grant winner with technology solutions to help increase safety of their vehicles and real-time information about the transportation of their students to and from school, said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president of business development, Zonar Systems. “I look forward to working with them and sharing in the success stories of this year’s winners.”
The award, previously known as the Zonar/NAPT Grant, has been renamed the “Don Carnahan Memorial Grant” in recognition of Don’s lifelong contributions to the student transportation industry. Don Carnahan dedicated 45 years to the education and pupil transportation industry including school district administration, Department of Education Administration and private sector employment partnering with education institutions. Don joined Zonar in 2003 served 11 years as a company leader. He was also a two-term President of NAPT.
To be considered as a future Don Carnahan Memorial Grant recipient, a school system must be an ongoing NAPT member as well as a member at the time the application is submitted. School systems currently using alternate technology that want to upgrade to Zonar are also encouraged to apply. Applications that include matching funds will be considered. For more information visit: http://www.napt.org/communication
About NAPT
NAPT is the school transportation industry’s largest and most diverse membership organization with members throughout the United States and Canada, as well as several countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. NAPT is headquartered in Albany, NY. www.napt.org
About Zonar
Zonar is a transportation technology company that helps public and private fleet managers improve regulatory compliance, increase fleet efficiency and improve safety. Fleets utilize Zonar’s solutions to capture vehicle and GPS-related data that integrate with other backend systems or are viewed through Zonar’s web-based Ground Traffic Control application. The telematics platform includes an onboard system that captures data directly from the vehicle’s engine and sub-systems, as well as external GPS satellite data. In conjunction with the telematics platform, the mobile platform includes user-enabled devices that capture information supplied by a driver, operator or rider. Identifying the right data for a fleet’s specific needs is an important step in the process. Zonar helps fleets determine their data and telematics needs and create information streams that improve decision-making. For more information about Zonar Systems, go to www.zonarsystems.com