SchoolWheels Direct

Committed to making a positive difference in the lives of the students we transport.

Compassion • Caring • Customer Service

SchoolWheels Direct is a member of the Student Transportation of America (STA) family of companies, and was created to help parents secure transportation to their students in the ever-changing school environment. STA is the fastest-growing and most progressive provider of school bus transportation in North America, with a longstanding culture of compassion and caring, and a focus on safety and customer service. STA partners with close to 240 school districts and operates more than 10,000 vehicles, while providing safe, on-time service to customers and ensuring the happiness of their team members. As a subsidiary, SchoolWheels Direct is backed by STA’s full financial, operational and managerial support network.

Together, SchoolWheels Direct and STA are aiming to change the culture of school transportation, creating an atmosphere that focuses on caring for the school children that depend on the safety of our buses every day. We always seek to utilize our extensive industry experience in order to offer our customers the best service possible, while also providing cost-saving opportunities and maintaining our concentrated focus on individual needs. This knowledge and experience also provides us with the flexibility to adjust to new innovations within the school transportation industry, as well as rapidly changing market conditions. By doing this, we allow you to spend your time and resources where they matter most: on the education of your school children.

Our commitment at SchoolWheels Direct is to make a positive difference in the education of the students we transport. Starting each day with a smile and a familiar face is an important step in the education process, and we train our drivers to be compassionate and confident in the management of the passengers on their bus. Drivers receive sensitivity training for working with Special Needs students, bullying awareness and prevention methods, and First-Aid techniques. We follow training programs recommended by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), and we sponsor our local managers in their participation with NAPT’s Special Needs Transportation Certification Endorsement program. We remain at the forefront of the industry with our safety and training programs, which often exceed Federal and State regulations.

Above all else, SchoolWheels Direct is dedicated to developing and nurturing a unique company culture that focuses on three groups of critical stakeholders – our employees, customers and communities.

Our commitment to our customers is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective student transportation. We work with our partners to find a customized transportation solution that is right for the school district and that treats them as valued members of our family.

Our commitment to our communities is two- fold. First, our management team values the tradition of service established by its family of local companies. While larger competitors concentrate on maximizing their strength in numbers, SchoolWheels Direct has grown by understanding that s c h o o l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n is a “local business.” Second, our family of companies strives to make an impact through various community- giving initiatives and services to others. We are also committed to cuttingedge, environmentally conscious programs across North America, reducing emissions and promoting better health for our passengers and communities.

About SchoolWheels Direct Founded in 2011, SchoolWheels Direct is dedicated to providing parents and school districts across North America with safe, secure, and reliable transportation services. We partner with some of the most trusted service providers in transportation, security, and technology in order to make your students’ travel to and from school a safe, one-of-a-kind experience. Although student transportation services will remain a core component of the educational system and critical to a school district’s long- term success, districts are confronted with the reality of providing these services while operating under unprecedented fiscal restraints.

Our Direct-To-Parent school bus service is a fee-based service that allows busy parents to continue sending their children to and from school every day in the safety of a school bus. Parents can sign up, manage their account, browse and choose routes, and pay for service all with the click of a mouse through our website.

By signing up for service with SchoolWheels Direct, you receive the highest level of safe, reliable and costeffective student transportation that has led the industry for years. Drivers, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, terminal managers and others who are caring members of your community, whom you know and trust, deliver our services.

Why Choose SchoolWheels Direct's Bus Service?

Thinking of carpooling? While this may seem like a viable option, remember that a school bus is the safest vehicle on the road. Studies show that a child is 13 times safer in a school bus than when riding in a car. Also, carpooling leads to heavy traffic and pollution in and around schools, which not only damages the environment, but also wastes time and uses more of your personal vehicle’s gas.

Thinking of using another service? The SchoolWheels Direct service is supported by:  An easy to use online system  Young, state-of-the-art vehicles driven by highly trained professionals  Our safety and service are unparalleled in the industry What makes SchoolWheels Direct different? o Direct service to your child’s school – which means no transfers between buses o Monthly payment plans for parents with tighter budgets or planning concerns o Online registration and route maps make the process easy for our customers

Innovative Technology 

SafeStop™: This is a revolutionary new security feature that enables parents to manage their time most effectively, and to feel confident knowing their child is transported safely to and from school every day.

Parents can know exactly when their child's bus is around the corner or where the bus is along its route by logging on to SafeStop™ from their computer or mobile device.

 Child Check-Mate Alerts: It is the driver’s responsibility to check for children who may be left on the bus at the end of their routes. This system is intended to be an aid to the driver to ensure that this responsibility is not inadvertently omitted by providing audible and visual alerts when the bus ignition is turned off at the end of any route or activity trip.

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Digital Camera Surveillance: Cameras are an important safety tool that helps to protect our drivers as well as assist in the safe management of our passengers. Our camera systems include clear color video, simultaneous audio and time and date recordings.

Our Employees Qualifications for Employment It is SchoolWheels Direct’s goal to hire and train drivers and transportation personnel who are committed to the tasks of safety, compassion, caring and customer service. We ask our employees to maintain the type of professional attitude that will reflect positively on themselves, our company and the school districts we serve. Drivers represent the district in the community and should be able to help generate a positive public image by setting a good example of conduct for the students they transport.

Our qualification standards have been developed to ensure that all drivers share our values and goals of operating in a safe, legal and courteous manner. Drivers offered employment with us are identified on the basis of their abilities, experience, training and personal character without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin or gender. A criminal background check will be processed for every applicant, including a criminal history check, a child and adult abuse and neglect check, Social Security and name trace, and a public records check. A sexual offender check will also be conducted, including a check for drivers on the State Patrol Sex Offender Registry and the United States Justice Department DRU Sjodin National Sex Offender Public website. Pre-employment drug and alcohol screening will also be conducted, as required by the Federal Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Amendment regulations.

Certification Requirements Drivers will be expected to keep all required certifications valid and up-to-date. To operate a school bus or vehicle for SchoolWheels Direct, all drivers must have the following certificates on file: • Appropriate driving credentials for the type of vehicle to be driven, including all proper endorsements • Photocopy of Social Security card • Certificate of physical fitness • Motor Vehicle Records Driver’s Certification of Violations • Certification of criminal conviction and child abuse history investigations • FBI fingerprinting • Pre-employment drug and alcohol screening • State-specific documents, as needed

Training and Safety Driver Training Program We are committed to the safety of the students we transport, and we believe that the driver’s knowledge is the groundwork for safe and dependable service. We continually provide our drivers with up-to-date training, ensuring they are the safest drivers on the road, with monthly safety meetings and training that often exceeds State and Federal regulations. We remain at the forefront of the industry with our safety materials, as reflected by our drivers who consistently rank among the top finalists at the Annual National School Transportation Association (NSTA) International Safety Competition.

Prior to the start of actual service as a driver on any route, we require all new drivers to complete a minimum of thirty-five (35) hours of training. Drivers who already possess a Commercial Driver’s License and have driven a school bus within the last 365 days will be required to participate in a minimum of ten (10) training hours. These training sessions include both Behind-the-Wheel training as well as Classroom instruction.

Currently, we use the NAPT-recommended program, The Driver Training Course, comprised of 15 instructional DVDs with accompanying study guides and posters that are designed to help drivers become safer and more professional in their duties. We are enthusiastic about this program, and have seen significant results since incorporating it into other locations. This program provides extensive training in Classroom training as well as Behind-the-Wheel instruction, including but not limited to: • Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections • Check Your Brakes • Situations and Conditions • Backing • Railroad Crossings • Safe Bus Stops • Emergency Evacuations

• Mirror Adjustments/Reference Points • Safety Basics • LLLC Defensive Driving • Intersections • Student Management • Danger Zones • Post-Accident Procedures

Supplemental Training ST University (“STU”) is an interactive training and education tool, with a web-based platform that can be accessed from any computer with Internet capability. Employees login to the learning system with a unique user name and password to view training modules that consist of videos and presentation-style material covering a wide variety of topics. STU was created with the intention of strengthening the skill sets of managers and employees, and can be tailored to fit the specific needs of your school district. It was designed to provide information that can be called upon in a given situation, with the intent being for learners to recall pertinent knowledge acquired from the STU modules and apply it to resolve or enhance certain situations.

• Enhance driver knowledge and safety awareness through interactive training modules • Communicate important training, policies and procedures with ease and efficiency • Track employee participation to better evaluate the success of the program • Significantly increase employee compliance and accountability • Use STU’s online, web-based platform to conduct In-Service Training sessions People learn most effectively when they are presented with information and materials that are relevant and applicable to their everyday circumstances – e.g., bus evacuation modules for drivers, team building modules for managers, and so on. STU helps to ensure that drivers and employees are exposed to district’s policies, and receive other important safety, training and compliance materials, through STU’s convenient and customizable online access.

These courses are created in part with our Company Councils, groups of managers and regional directors selected for their expertise in specific areas including Communications, Safety, Maintenance and Special Needs. Teaching leadership, safety and interpersonal skills, STU continues to grow and new courses are constantly being developed for the STU Catalog.

Safety • Behavior-based safety • Fire safety and prevention • Preventing strains and sprains • Slips, trips and falls

Special Needs Transportation • Autism Spectrum Disorder • Seizure disorders • Special Needs bus evacuations

Management • Managing student behavior • Morale and team building • Anti-bullying awareness • Anti-bullying strategies

Safety Training Safety is critical to the services that we provide, and it is our policy to hold mandatory monthly safety meetings with all of our employees. Potential discussion items during monthly sessions may include hazardous materials, accident awareness and prevention, slips and falls in the workplace, issues concerning Special Needs or wheelchair students, medical concerns aboard the bus and defensive driving techniques.

Essential Eight Safety Reference Guide We are dedicated, above all else, to the safety of our passengers, our employees and the communities with whom we share the road each day. Our approach to safety is based on behavior and results rather than regulations, alone. Therefore, we are encouraged to collectively raise the bar beyond local regulatory requirements when it will serve the best interests of safety. In summary, the "strictly local" aspects of any branch or regional safety program should always serve to enhance common best practices, rather than dilute them.

1. A current employment application must be completely filled out and reviewed by the manager along with a properly documented interview form.

2. Before a driver is allowed to transport students, they must have acceptable clearances. This may include: negative drug test results; criminal record check; physical; references; Motor Vehicle Record Review.

3. Every driver applicant must meet the following requirements: be at least 21 years of age with a minimum of 3 years driving experience; be free from causing any preventable accident for the past 3 years; have had no more than 2 moving violations within the past 3 years; never have been convicted of an offense involving the operation of a motor vehicle while impaired or under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance.

4. Every new driver trainee will complete The Driver Training Course consisting of: minimum of 20 hours Classroom; minimum 15 hours Behind-the-Wheel; all additional State requirements.

5. Applicants who have driven a school bus within the past year and possess a current CDL with appropriate endorsements will be required to complete training as such: minimum 6 hours Classroom; minimum 4 hours Behind-the-Wheel. Any applicant holding a current license who has not driven a school vehicle in excess of 365 days must undergo the complete 35-hour Driver Training Course.

6. Each driver will be required to participate in 10 hours of in-service training within each school year.

This may include branch pre-season start-up meetings, safety meetings, driver evaluations and District and State required programs.

7. Drivers involved in a preventable accident must complete post-accident retraining prior to resuming their driving responsibilities.

8. Every lighted school vehicle must be equipped with a working passenger reminder system.

Safety Review and Compliance Audits We have implemented a unique program to monitor the safety compliance set forth in our Safety Policy and Procedure Manual. This manual and the review process were developed through a collaborative effort between our Safety Council, a team of our most experienced safety and operations professionals, and our insurance provider, National Interstate. Reviews are conducted on-site by National Interstate personnel, our Safety Directors and third-party contractors who inspect company safety practices, as well as the safety culture of each location.

This extensive audit covers nearly 100 items, including the application process, driver qualification files, training records, accident files, vehicle safety and maintenance records, safety equipment, overall terminal conditions, driver retention and manager involvement in safety practices. Reviewers conduct interviews with the managers, drivers, dispatchers and other transportation personnel to evaluate their knowledge of the Safety Policy and Procedure Manual, and to see the practices at work. All files are inspected and measured to ensure that company policies are being followed, including the submission of Bus Driver Information Reports at the start of each new school year. These reports will include the driver name, date of birth, dates of license issuance and expiration, bus assignment and the dates and types of training received.

Each General Manager is present at the conclusion of the review for a summary of the terminal’s strengths and weaknesses. Collectively, the General Manager and the reviewers create an action plan to address and correct any areas that are in need of improvement.

Student Safety and Management At SchoolWheels Direct, we believe that a positive experience on the school bus carries into the classroom and nurtures a positive experience at school. Our drivers must be compassionate in their management of the students on their bus, while also exhibiting confidence in their control of all aspects of the bus. Drivers are encouraged to establish and maintain a professional and friendly relationship with their passengers; however, they must never arrange “Off Duty� activities with any passenger, such as private meetings, taking students to the movie theater, etc. This includes, but is not limited to, Internet interactions such as Facebook, Twitter or e-mail. Employees violating these provisions will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.

We understand that each school district has specialized and unique disciplinary situations and we work closely with our customers to create a constructive program that is in line with their vision. Drivers can make a positive difference in the lives of the students they transport, and we help prepare drivers to be able to manage any disciplinary situation they may face on the bus by effectively and positively guiding students towards behaving safely.

Anti-Bullying Awareness and School Bus Safety Our parent company, Student Transportation of America, was nationally recognized by Hey U.G.L.Y. (Unique Gifted Lovable You), a non-profit organization that teaches children about peer pressure and bullying, as Company of the Year in 2011 for our company-wide anti-bullying awareness and prevention initiative, “Bullying Stops Here�. Each year on the first Monday of October, we ask all of our employees to wear a light or dark blue shirt to work in recognition of it being Bullying Awareness Month. Signs with anti-bullying messages are posted in all of our buses, and drivers are encouraged to have conversations with their passengers about peer pressure and anti-bullying awareness and prevention. Bullying, or harassment of any kind, will not be tolerated.

Later in the month of October, we celebrate School Bus Safety Week across the company. Our managers often schedule their monthly safety meeting to be coordinated with Safety Week, and use this opportunity to invite members of their local School Board and other district officials to attend the meeting. Managers can also invite police officers or members of the Highway Patrol to attend and share additional information about road safety. Other events throughout the week include poster contests with local schools and award ceremonies for accident-free and safe driving records.

Maintenance Preventive Maintenance Program We have a dedicated Maintenance Council, comprised of managers and regional directors with expertise in the areas of preventive maintenance, repair and manufacturer recommendations. The Council’s objective is to provide our customers with the safest, most reliable and cost-efficient fleet possible through the development, implementation and monitoring of best practices related to fleet maintenance. The Council is committed to these tasks, and to preserving the health and environment of our passengers, employees and the communities in which we operate.

All vehicles and equipment to be used for the transportation of students will be kept in strict accordance with all Federal and State standards, and will be maintained in such an order so as to pass the State School Bus Inspection at all times.

Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections Each vehicle will undergo a thorough daily pre-trip inspection, performed by a driver prior to inservice operation of the bus. Any defects or non-operational items which do not directly effect the safe operation of the bus at the time will be documented in a Daily Bus Report. If a defect is found that will jeopardize the operation of the bus or the safety of the driver and/or passengers, another pre-check bus will be immediately be dispatched and assigned to the driver, and the defective bus will be reported to the maintenance department. If needed, the bus will be replaced; if the bus can continue to operate safely, the problem will be reported on the Defect Report.

We will implement our well-tested and proven preventive maintenance program in our operation with your districts; as such, these procedures will be open to modification, as needed, to conform to the technology of the vehicles in use. Our program will, at all times, be compliant with all OSHA and State requirements and regulations, including our AM and PM inspection procedures and intervals.

This program is not subject to suspension at any time, and will be fully enforced at all levels of management.

Bus Sanitation and Cleaning Sanitation and health are important elements of a student’s ride on the school bus. All drivers are required to keep their bus in a clean and sanitary condition at all times. This includes sweeping the interior and cleaning the seats, floor and driver area on a daily basis. As needed, the exterior and windows will be washed, no less than every two weeks.