N.J. school bus provider awarded 4M contract, hiring drivers in Minn.

A Wall-based provider of school bus transportation has been awarded a new $4 million contract with the St. Paul Public Schools in Minnesota.Student Transportation Inc. is the third-largest provider of school transportaion services in the U.S. Its subsidiary, Student Transportation of America Inc., was awarded the contract, the company announced Tuesday.

The contract will begin next month and features 65 new vehicles and a refurbished facility located in St. Paul. The contract also marks its expansion in Minnesota, where it currently operates more than 100 vehicles for another school district.

“The Twin Cities area is a hotbed for innovation and progressive thinking, so our company values and strategy in using alternative fuels and technology should create an exciting partnership with the community,” STI CEO Denis Gallagher said in a prepared statement. “We have been in Minnesota for almost 10 years now and saw an opportunity to expand across the southern part of the state to St. Paul, which we thought would welcome some new ideas. We’re creating over 75 new jobs in the community for drivers, dispatchers, and vehicle technicians and we feel everyone will enjoy working in our family culture and driving the new, state-of-the-art equipment. The vehicles are easy to drive, quiet, and parents will like that they burn 60 percent less carbon monoxide than typical school buses.”

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