Company to begin providing transportation for 360 routes; seeks qualified individuals to fill variety of positions.
CINCINNATI — First Student, Inc., the nation’s leader in student transportation, was recently awarded a five-year contract to provide student transportation to the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) in Hartford, Conn. CREC manages the regional transportation system for the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) in response to the Sheff v. O’Neill desegregation efforts. First Student will provide student transportation as needed during the summer, before providing transportation for 360 routes at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. The company seeks more than 450 safety-orientated, qualified drivers, as well as technicians and management staff to fill newly created positions to serve CREC’s contract.
First Student currently provides transportation for 20 of CREC’s routes. Within five years, the company expects to transport students on 400 routes for CREC’s member districts throughout the Hartford area.
“We have worked with CREC for four years and understand the challenges they face in transporting students from multiple locations to districts across the region,” said Linda Burtwistle, president, First Student. “We are pleased the district has chosen to expand our relationship, allowing us to provide safe and secure transportation to even more of their students.”
First Student will bring in additional buses in a variety of sizes to complement its existing fleet. Each bus serving CREC will be equipped with a number of safety features, including cameras to monitor all onboard activities and the Child Check-Mate® electronic reminder system designed to ensure no child is left unattended on a bus.
The buses will also be equipped with Zonar, an electronic and satellite-based tracking system that provides the location and speed of the buses at any given time. The system also includes a vehicle inspection component that can track the buses fuel efficiency and alerts staff to any maintenance issues during the driver’s daily safety inspections, ensuring the buses are operating at maximum safety and efficiency.
First Student will open three new facilities in East Hartford, Hartford and Suffield to accommodate the new routes and buses. The company currently seeks to fill a number of drivers, technician and management staff positions at these locations. Prospective candidates must be at least 21 years old and able to pass all background checks and drug screens. Driver applicants must have at least three years of driving experience and a valid Connecticut driver’s license. They must able to safely transport students in a timely manner and complete all pre- and post-trip shift activities. The company will provide training for driver candidates in need of a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Prospective technicians must have at least four years of related mechanical experience.
All applicants should possess a sincere desire to work with the public, follow all traffic and corporate regulations, and meet additional company requirements. For further details on the open driver positions, call First Student at (877) 285-2646. For information on available technician and management opportunities, visitwww.firststudentinc.com.
About CREC
The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 20 facilities throughout the area, including 15 district magnet schools. You can find CREC on the Internet at www.crec.org.