First Student Signs New Contract for Student Transportation Services With West Hartford Public Schools in West Hartford, Conn.

CINCINNATI, May. 19 /PRNewswire/ --

CINCINNATI, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- First Student, Inc., the nation's leader in student transportation, has been awarded the contract to provide school bus service to students of West Hartford Public Schools in West Hartford, Conn. The contract is a five-year, full-service agreement that includes operation of 90 school bus routes and a fleet of 99 vehicles.

"We look forward to serving the students and schools of West Hartford," says Chip Johnson, business development manager at First Student. "We are committed to providing these students with safe, efficient and dependable transportation to and from school."

"Safety is our core value at First Student," says Carey Paster, CEO and President Sales, Marketing & Commercial Development of FirstGroup America. "We pride ourselves on our safety record, dedicated personnel and overall performance. All of our drivers are highly trained professionals who must meet extensive requirements before they are cleared to drive a First Student bus. Each driver must pass a comprehensive background check, substance screen and full DOT physical exam, as well as complete more than 50 hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel training. First Student was the first school bus operator to install front safety crossing gates and an anti-theft, electronic child reminder system as standard equipment on its buses."

"Ensuring the safety and security of the children entrusted to us on our buses each day is a responsibility we take very seriously," said Paster.

First Student, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of FirstGroup America, is the largest provider of school bus transportation in North America. With a fleet of 60,000 yellow school buses, First Student safely transports nearly 4 million students to and from school every day across the U.S. and Canada. First Student is dedicated to providing the safest and most efficient student transportation service in North America. For more information, please visit http://www.firststudentinc.com.