On June 29^th and 30^th, the 2024 NSTA School Bus Driver International Safety Competition was held in Austin, TX with 53 drivers competing in three separate vehicle classes – Small Bus, Conventional Bus and Transit Bus. 

After winning 2^nd in the Alberta Bus Road-eo last month, Claudia Christen from Prairie Bus Lines flew down to Austin Texas, USA to compete at the International Bus Road-eo!   

“It was tough competition”, says Claudia. “The Bus Drivers have been practicing for months for this event.  We’re the Best of the Best and we all should be proud to have gotten this far.”

Claudia gave an outstanding performance and brought home 2^nd place in the Small Bus category. This is a significant accomplishment and Prairie Bus Lines is very proud of her!  

CONGRATULATIONS Claudia on your success! We admire your hard work and dedication!

For a full list of winners from across North America, CLICK HERE

One of our veteran drivers/driver trainer proved his exemplary driving skills this past weekend. On Sunday, Nadeem Aslam was driving the U13AA Oil Giants back to Fort McMurray from Slave Lake when the bus was struck by lightning near Wandering River.  

The lightning strike caused both of the front tires to blow and the back tires to start losing air. Nadeem was able to maintain control of the vehicle and brought it to a safe stop with no injuries.

There were 24 passengers on board and a rescue bus picked them up and drove everyone back to Fort McMurray. Nadeem’s exemplary driving skills, quick thinking and focus on safety resulted in everyone getting Safely Home – thank you, Nadeem!

The incredible story was also picked up by a local news outlet. CLICK HERE to read the article.

On Monday, Kevin Petterson, Organizing Committee Chair of the 2024 Prince George Para Nordic World Events, stopped by show appreciation for Standard Bus BC’s role in hosting a very successful Para Biathlon World Championships and Nordic World Cup Finals.

Petterson presented Charters & Industrial Operations Manager Jessica Smith with a certificate of recognition, along with artwork created by Thomas Zipfel from Team Germany. Standard Bus BC was a showcase sponsor of the event, and ensured that the ground transportation of athletes to the venues ran like clockwork.

To view a slideshow of the Para Biathlon World Championships and Nordic World Cup Finals CLICK HERE, and to see local media coverage of the events, CLICK HERE.

Standard Bus Yukon has been busy running several charters dropping off passengers right on the Whitehorse International Airport tarmac. Most recently, they completed a charter for Holland America, picking up guests at a local hotel and transporting them directly to their private flight – offering door-to-door service!

Local tours in the Yukon and into Alaska are common requests, as well as charter services for airport pickups and other events in the area. 

Standard Bus offers affordable and stress-free group travel in all of our units: School Bus, Sprinter Van or Coach. Whether it’s a small or large group, they have the experience and resources to meet your transportation needs. 

What a week, month, year it’s been! On Wednesday June 5th we celebrated Diversified’s 60th birthday and what a day it was!

Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough – to our organizing committee, volunteers, past and present employees, this celebration would not have been possible without you. The countless hours, meetings, projects and last-minute details that provided a seamless event speaks to the volumes of teamwork and dedication by everyone. Check out the video below to see all of the highlights!

A big thank you to our clients, partners, the community and all of the residents for an amazing 60 years. We are all looking forward to what the future holds. As we officially celebrate our 60th Anniversary, Diversified is proud to debut our new company video, professionally crafted courtesy of FreshCut Studios.

This production not only showcases DTL’s rich history and our ongoing commitment to expertly serving our customers but also shines a spotlight on our community involvement and promotes the innovations and new technologies we are developing to ensure everyone gets Safely Home for generations to come.

We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the thousands of Diversified Transportation employees who have called this company home since 1964. From the pioneers who helped launch DTL over 60 years ago to our current family of employees who ensure we remain a world-class transportation company, we can not thank you enough.

You’ve all made Diversified Transportation what it is today. Your invaluable contributions to our history, culture, and character will never be forgotten.

On Friday, SOUTHLAND Halifax paid tribute to School Bus Driver Terrie Brown for his swift response in steering clear of a gravel truck that had careened off a highway overpass, narrowly missing his bus.

Terrie was presented with the Safety Championship Belt and a cheque for this year’s SOUTHLAND Halifax Community Hero Award. The gathering was held at Rocky Lake Junior High on May 24^th and had Terrie’s family in attendance, representatives from the school, the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, the media, and of course, some of his driver colleagues from Rocky Lake Junior High.

SOUTHLAND Operations Manager Coady MacNeil kicked off the ceremony with some well-deserved accolades.

“Terrie, you’re the reason we’re all here, and we can’t thank you enough for your actions that you took last week – saving not only your own life but the lives of the 23 passengers on board.”

Terrie was gracious in accepting the mountain of praise and attention the last couple of weeks had brought him. 

“I’m kind of overwhelmed! I wasn’t expecting all of this publicity and all of that. I’m OK, but it’s going to take some time to completely get right back to normal again because it was quite the ordeal. It really was.”

Terrie, you are a true Community Hero, and we thank you for ensuring your students all arrived Safely Home that fateful day nearly two weeks ago.

*Photos courtesy of CTV Atlantic