Message from ASTSBC President Robyn Stephenson

The Association of School Transportation Services of British Columbia

“Your Child’s Safety Is Our Business” Message from ASTSBC President Robyn Stephenson

I am very pleased for the opportunity to share with Ops Talk magazine readers the exciting work being done by the ASTSBC. Our members continue to safely and effectively manage and contribute to the delivery of the most precious cargo transported in British Columbia: our future, our children. We come together annually to improve our skills and knowledge and to network with one another on best practices and new ideas to improve safety and to increase effectiveness and efficiency. Working together we help to maintain the prestigious title of “The Safest Mode of Ground Transportation” – the black and yellow school bus.

Some of the highlights offered at the July 2013 conference were: • NAPT: Managing Human Resources: A must for transportation professionals with human resources responsibilities. • Software solutions: Educational presentations from Transfinder, Edulog, Tyler

Versatrans, and Zonar. • D250: Update on new D250 regulations. • STSBC Annual Trade Show. • Two action-packed days of School

Bus Technician Training from Allison

Transmission training to wheelchair-lift maintenance.

We look forward to providing another high-caliber agenda at the upcoming conference in 2014.

I gratefully must say that this association has provided me personally with networking, training, and mentoring and has also given me some of the important tools I need to successfully manage a school transportation system. I am happy to be giving back to ASTSBC members in the role of president this year.

We are proud to honour ASTSBC School Bus Driver of the Year from School District No. 23 (Central Okanagan) – Mr. Robert “Bob” Prettie, a 33-year accidentfree school bus driver. Congratulations to Bob and to School District No. 23.

Mr. Frank Marasco, serving our association as past president this year, is involved on many committees as a representative from the ASTSBC and offers the following updates from those committees.

Robyn Stephenson

ASTSBC President b