Fewer Fleets Grow. This year saw changes in some trends that SCHOOL

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1 Top 0 Contractors Fewer s Grow Among Top 0 Fifty-seven percent of the contractors returning to this year s ranking report a reduction in their fleet sizes or no change compared to last year. Still, the total number of buses in the list increases by,609 units over 0, spurred by significant growth from several companies. By Kelly Roher, Managing Editor This year saw changes in some trends that SCHOOL BUS FLEET had seen among its Top 0 Contractors in past years. In 03, 43% of the companies returning to the list increased their fleet sizes, which is an 8 percentage point drop compared to 0. The percentage of those whose fleets became smaller is 0%. This figure is up 7 percentage points from last year, and it marks an end to a three-year decline in the percentage of companies whose fleets decreased from the previous year. Thirty-seven percent of the companies reported no change in fleet size. Interestingly, the total number of buses in the Top 0 grew in 03. There are 9,6 buses, which is up from 7,93 last year. The increase is due to growth reported by several companies. For example, Birnie Bus Service s fleet grew by 0 units for a total of,47, and the company moved up three spots to No. 9. Dean Transportation moved up four slots to No. and grew its fleet by 93 buses for a total of,087. Royal Coach Lines fleet of 9 buses represents an increase of 49 units over 0, and the company moved up five spots to No. 0. In terms of movement, AA Transportation Co. Inc. made the biggest jump, ascending seven slots from No. 36 to No. 9. Steady top The ranking of the first five companies remains unchanged. First Student continues its longstanding run in the top spot, with 4,40 buses. National Express Corp. is No. with more than,000 units, and Student Transportation Inc. comes in third with 9,00 buses. Atlantic Express Transportation Corp. and Illinois Central School Bus Co. round out the top five at No. 4 and No., respectively, with,80 buses and 3,46 buses. These companies fleets reflect the overall pattern in the rest of the ranking: less growth compared to 0. National Express grew its fleet by,000 buses, and Student Transportation s fleet increased by 400 units. However, First Student s and Illinois Central School Bus fleets had no change, and Atlantic Express fleet decreased by 00 buses. New this year One company joined the list in 03. A.J. Myers & Sons from Export, Pa., comes in at No. 4 with 40 buses. The addition of A.J. Myers & Sons brings the number of companies in the ranking headquartered in Pennsylvania to five. Pennsylvania is one of five East Coast states represented by contractors in the ranking, and overall, companies in that region of the U.S. make up % of the list. kelly.roher@bobit.com Not on the list? Each year, we attempt to contact every school bus company that might qualify for the Top 0. However, we realize that there are probably still some large contractors out there that we aren t aware of. If your company or another that you know of isn t on this list but should be, please let us know. Send an to info@schoolbusfleet.com or a fax to (30) 33-. Include contact information and the current number of school buses in the company s fleet. 46 school bus fleet JULY 03

2 Rank First Student Inc. Cincinnati National Express Corp. Warrenville, Ill. Student Transportation Inc. Wall, N.J. Atlantic Express Transportation Corp. Staten Island, N.Y. Illinois Central School Bus Co. Joliet, Ill. George Krapf Jr. & Sons Inc. West Chester, Pa. Cook-Illinois Corp. Oak Forest, Ill. WE Transport* Plainview, N.Y. Birnie Bus Service Inc. Rome, N.Y. Lamers Bus Lines Inc. Green Bay, Wis. Dean Transportation Inc. Lansing, Mich. W.L. Roenigk Inc. Sarver, Pa. Suffolk Transportation Service Inc. Bay Shore, N.Y. DATTCO Inc.* New Britain, Conn. Huntington Coach Corp. Huntington Station, N.Y. Reliant Transportation (a subsidiary of MV Transportation Inc.) New York, N.Y. The Trans Group LLC Spring Valley, N.Y. 4,40 4,40 0, 43,33,400 6,000,000,000+ 0,000+ +,000 4,670 6, ,000,000+ 9,00 9, ,89 6, ,000,80,80-00,70 3, ,000 3,46 3, , ,360,47,43 +,9, ,000,48,346-98, ,000+,00, ,000, ,000,00,8-8 00, ,000+, , n/a , , , n/a 7, ,000 JULY 03 school bus fleet 47

3 Top 0 Contractors Rank Mid Columbia Bus Co. Inc. Pendleton, Ore. Apple Bus Co. Cleveland, Mo. Royal Coach Lines Inc. Yonkers, N.Y. GO Riteway Transportation Group Richfield, Wis. Alltown Bus Service Inc. Skokie, Ill. Johnson School Bus Service Inc. West Bend, Wis. A.J. Myers & Sons Export, Pa. Robert s Hawaii School Bus Inc.* Honolulu Langs Bus Lines Ltd. Strathroy, Ontario Rohrer Bus Service Duncannon, Pa. Pennsylvania Coach Lines Inc. McKeesport, Pa. AA Transportation Co. Inc. Shrewsbury, Mass. Rolling V Companies South Fallsburg, N.Y. Sunrise Bus Group Chicago Sheppard Bus Service Bridgeton, N.J. Forsythe Transportation Inc.* esville, Texas Transporte Sonnell Inc. Corozal, Puerto Rico , , , , , ,33 40 n/a n/a , , , n/a n/a , , n/a n/a n/a , , school bus fleet JULY 03

4 Rank Dousman Transport Co. Inc. Dousman, Wis. Michael J. Connolly & Sons Inc. Walpole, Mass. Brown Bus Co. Nampa, Idaho Murphy Bus Lines Arva, Ontario The New Britain Transportation Co. Berlin, Conn. Harlow s School Bus Service Bismarck, N.D. Kobussen Inc. Kaukauna, Wis. Le Groupe Gaudreault Inc. St.-Charles-Borromee, Quebec Holcomb Bus Service Inc. Bellmawr, N.J. Kottkes Bus Service Inc. Andover, Minn. Dufour Escorted Tours Inc. Hinsdale, Mass. Barker Bus* Bridgewater, N.J. Island Charter Inc. Staten Island, N.Y. B & L Transportation Inc. Larose, La. Irvin Raphael Inc. East Brunswick, N.J. Hudson County Transport Inc. Jersey City, N.J , , , n/a , , n/a , , , n/a , , , n/a n/a JULY 03 school bus fleet 49

5 Top 0 Contractors Top 0 Statistics Total number of buses: 9,6 st fleet (First Student Inc.): 4,40 est fleet (Hudson County Transport Inc.): 0 Biggest gain in buses (National Express Corp.): +,000 Biggest gain in percentage (Royal Coach Lines Inc.): 33% Average of all loss/gain: +34 For the second year in a row, National Express Corp. s fleet grew by the largest number of buses. The contractor added,000 units to its fleet. Royal Coach Lines Inc. had the biggest increase by percentage, growing 33%. Top 0 Activity 43% Loss 0% Same 37% Forty-three percent of the 49 companies returning to the Top 0 in 03 reported an increase in their fleet sizes, which represents an 8 percentage point drop compared to last year. Breakdown of Companies by State/Province New York New Jersey Illinois Pennsylvania Wisconsin Massachusetts Connecticut Ontario Ohio Hawaii Idaho Louisiana Michigan Minnesota Missouri North Dakota Oregon Puerto Rico Quebec Texas 0 school bus fleet JULY More than half (%) of the companies in the Top 0 are based in East Coast states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecticut)