Over the past few months our association has been hard at work with many projects, including the following:

1.  Western Transportation Exposition (WTE) - ASTSBC joined Motor Coach Canada (MCC) to host their first joint conference (MCC).  This conference promised to be the start of another new journey for all of us. By uniting with MCC we have been able to provide an outstanding line up of sessions for our professional growth. The conference proved to be a huge success and we will be providing more feedback in the coming weeks.

2.  School Bus Driver of the Year - After establishing the criteria for the School Bus Driver of The Year Award, a competition was held and a successful candidate chosen. There were six (6) submissions from throughout the province, and a panel appointed by the Executive selected Bob Sloat as the winner of our first ever School Bus Driver of

the Year Award.  Bob and Dorothy Loat were our guests at our conference in Penticton and participated in all the events.  Bob was honored with  the 2009 School Bus Driver of the Year plaque and a cheque for $500.  In his acceptance speech, Bob encouraged all supervisors to submit entries next year and together with his supervisor Ed Ashley, described how his nomination and the subsequent announcement of his win have done a lot for his and his district's success and commitment to student transportation.  All the candidates submitted were exceptional, and all received letters from our Association thanking them for their contribution to the safe transportation of our students.

3.  NRCan's Train the Trainer Program for SmartDriver for Fuel Efficiency - We have completed training in all five (5) Zones and so far, we have provided this program to over 70 Trainers, giving them the resources to offer this great program to their drivers.  In addition, we have trained over 180 drivers in districts that did not have trainers. Although funding for this program is coming to an end, our association will continue to promote and monitor its success. Our web site will feature a trainers' forum to provide ideas and resources for all those trained as trainers.

4.  ASTSBC Bylaws - The Association Bylaws were reviewed and updated as needed.  Prior to the conference, they were distributed to the membership for feedback. The Bylaws were then presented and passed at our 2009 AGM in April. The new bylaws will provide our association with strength and direction to improve its functionality.   They are posted on our new web site.

5.  Western Canada Transportation News - A number of our executive members have worked hard with STN Magazine to ensure the launch of the inaugural issue of Western Canada Transportation News at the Western Transportation Exposition.  This was successfully done and the magazine was very well received.

6.  http://www.astsbc.org - We have now launched our new web site with a fresh look and additional features including a Discussion Forum and a Members Only section to provide more pertinent information to our members.  As well, many more resources and links will be available to serve you.

With the new bylaws, this year promises to provide the strongest membership yet. We will improve our resources, and provide new initiatives for all in our organization.

No matter what direction we are asked to take, we respond.  Our industry, membership, and executive strive at all times to provide the safest, most professional, environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced operations possible. We all need to look back and congratulate each other for the outstanding success we have accomplished together. This all comes from our motto that we so proudly state.

"Your Child's Safety Is Our Business"

Yours Truly,



Frank Marasco, CDPT
President, ASTSBC