Paster oversaw First Student's October 2007 acquisition of Laidlaw Transit, Inc., as the company's president and CEO. He worked for First Student for a total of 10 years, starting in 1999 with the company's acquisition of Ryder Student and concluding in 2009 as CEO of First Student's commercial development team. Carey also is a former National School Transportation Association board member.

He told STN in June of 2007 that he had ridden school buses ever since he was an 8-year-old school boy.

The Abington, Mass., resident steps into a newsly created position to increase National Express' presence in the marketplace through its Durham School Services branch in the United States and Stock Transportation in Canada. National Express Corp. is owned by the UK's National Express Group, plc.

“I am very pleased to welcome Carey to National Express,” said David Duke, chief executive officer of National Express, in a statement. “He is an industry veteran, and his expertise will help us continue to grow our business across North America.”

"This accomplishment by our diesel engine partner is excellent news for our school bus customers and fully supports our leadership position in offering green solutions to the school bus industry," said Phil Horlock, President and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation, which has produced more than 10,000 SCR-equipped school buses. "Blue Bird is focused on providing customers with the best in affordable, green technology and Cummins’ SCR technology gives our customers the ability to achieve near-zero emissions.”

The company said Coweta County Schools in Newnan, Ga., about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta, operates 2011 and 2012 model-year powered by the Cummins ISB and reports that maintenance service has been minimal.

"Our Blue Bird buses with SCR technology provide us with seamless operation. System maintenance is minimal with upkeep performed during regular scheduled maintenance intervals," said Keith McCullough, shop foreman at Coweta County Schools. "We have zero complaints with our Blue Bird buses.”

Earlier this month, Tom Hodek, GM of Cummins' Bus Business, said the certification reaffirmed the company's confidence in utilizing SCR technology to meet emissions standards.

The certified Cummins ISB 6.7L is equipped in all Blue Bird Vision and All American school buses.

The forum will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. The public will be able to view the forum in person or by webcast at www.ntsb.gov.

"In generations past the norm was an attentive driver with occasional distractions, but today distractions are competing full-time for the driver's attention," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "Our forum will identify how distractions affect behavior behind the wheel and focus on measures that promote attentive driving."

The one-day forum will look at the broad range of distractions that compete for driver's attention, characterize the various distracted driver laws, and discuss the differences in how states have adopted restrictions.

The forum will also explore national and state education campaigns and consider the effectiveness of active safety technology currently being deployed in vehicles. The forum offers a timely opportunity for researchers and industry to discuss the Visual-Manual Driver Distraction Guidelines recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Panelists participating in the forum will represent federal and state government and law enforcement, as well as researchers and industry groups. A detailed agenda and list of participants will be released closer to the date of the event.

The 17th annual Edulog conference runs from March 19-22 in Las Vegas.

The company started the STLC event seven years ago to provide an open forum specifically designed for transportation directors and administrators to network, share ideas, and develop professional relationships. STLC actually got its start in what the company called an "unexpected result of the annual Edulog training conference." Company leaders noticed the benefits of the professional networking opportunities and decided to organize a separate forum outside of the Edulog run conference.

The new conference welcomes transportation professionals from any school district regardless of the software or system they use. Utilizing this open forum concept, STLC has become a platform where the very largest urban school districts can interact with the smallest of rural districts. Gathering seasoned transportation professionals in an open forum setting brings a distinct depth of knowledge and invaluable experience that is unmatched by other industry gatherings.

Edulog said STLC is a way of contributing back to the professional community by facilitating the sharing of valuable information and experiences between districts that might otherwise be isolated in addressing common challenges. After the organization of STLC, Edulog steps away and embraces the same role as any other member at the conference.

The focus and topics taken up for discussion at STLC are determined by the members themselves based on changing priorities and interests every year. Topics of considerable interest within the conference have included efficiency, technology, savings, and benchmarking.

STLC allows professionals across the nation to bring the most pressing issues in the student transportation industry to the table and allows attendees to look at other districts' technologies and to engage in networking opportunities that Edulog said has "become essential as the transportation industry embraces the interconnected future of the industry."

More information on the 2012 Student Transportation Leaders Conference is available by calling (406) 728-0893.

By the end of the month, Congress must find some $160 billion in new spending cuts or new revenues for a 10-month extension of the payroll tax holiday, unemployment benefits and the doc fix, reports the National School Transportation Association (NSTA). This dollar amount is based on the House-passed version from late last year that includes a two-year doc fix.

The biggest obstacle the committee faces is how to cover the estimated $100 billion cost of a full-year extension. At this point, almost any pay-for is very controversial, NSTA stated. Some of the “pay-fors” that have recently been floated include: a federal employee pay freeze for civilians (House bill), spectrum auctions (House bill), a millionaires’ surtax (recently offered by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi), a repeal of oil and gas tax benefits for energy companies (President Obama’s State of the Union address); and a repeal of all or parts of the new health care law (House-passed measures).

“Some believe that the scope of pay-fors for this exercise will be more narrow than the range of options listed above. It is likely some balance of spending reductions and revenue increases will be necessary to achieve passage,” said NSTA.

Democrats want the surtax on individuals earning more than $1 million, while Republicans support the pay freeze for government workers.

“We may not be able to do all that we want to do if we cannot find agreement on how to pay for it,” Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), chairman of the conference committee, said in a statement after the initial Feb. 1 meeting.