NSTA, Zonar Offer Grant For Safer School Transportation

by Jake Tully - Published: 4/16/2018

Fleet management technology company Zonar announced earlier today that it would join the National School Transportation Association in order to jointly sponsor the Don Carnahan Memorial Grant of $50,000 worth of smart fleet technology to Contractor members.

According to sources at Zonar, this grant will support and promote improved safety, effectiveness and overall efficiency of transportation programs for pupils across Canada and The United States, marking the ninth year that the company has partnered with the National School Transportation Association (NTSA) to offer the grant.

“We know that NSTA members understand the value of having leading edge solutions to advance student safety and reduce business costs for the schools they serve," said senior vice president of business development for Zonar, H. Kevin Mest. "Our first priority at Zonar has always been the safety of passengers – especially students, which is why I was eager to serve as Vice Chair of the NSTA Safety & Security Committee this year.”

Zonar reports that the Don Carnahan Memorial Grant allows school bus contractors to use the company’s smart fleet management technology in order to effectively manage school bus operations with services provided such as high-definition GPS fleet tracking, subsystem and diagnostic information, and student tracking features among other capabilities.

Tiffany Boykin, executive director of the NTSA reports that partnering with Zonar to provide the grant to contractor members allows for greater safety on the road as well as providing a simple way for fleets to utilize safety-related technology.

“We’re proud to be long time partners with Zonar because we know the impact of how technology can help improve student safety while on the road,” said Boykin. “The NSTA and Zonar recognize the financial challenges school bus contractors face in their efforts equip their fleets with the leading-edge technology systems, which is why we are committed to supporting this initiative in student safety.”

In order to be considered for the grant, Zonar reports that applicants must be current NSTA members at the time of submission of the application, in which applications will be considered for partial and full grants to cover hardware costs up to $50,000.

More information as well as the platform for application submissions may be found at the NSTA’s site.