New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association

December, 2020

Members and interested parties –
As we will soon have the year 2020 in our rearview mirrors, we are optimistically looking ahead with prospects for an improving world-wide situation and with our own business challenges presented by the pandemic.

All of us have a new vocabulary that intersperses our daily conversations as we have learned to “pivot” during “unprecedented times” as we maintain “social distancing” while establishing safe “bubbles” “cohorts” and “pods” for our “in-person” interactions.

The list goes on -“Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)”; “Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)”; “CDC Guidance”; “A3904”; “contact tracing”; “electrostatic fogging” and “remote, hybrid, and in-person learning” – and it has felt exhausting as we have worked to overcome the challenges of finding the best course of action.

The resilience of our industry, our businesses, our employees, and ourselves has been greatly tested but, from adversity comes strength. In addition to our new jargon, we developed a new set of business survival techniques. We look forward to using our new-found skills to be even more successful as we continue to provide to our communities the safest, most efficient form of school transportation services.

The NJSBCA has many plans to solidify our place as a valued resource to you. We had no idea of what was to come a year ago, and we certainly don’t have a crystal ball to foretell what the coming year of 2021 will bring, but we do know we are better able to address any challenges we face together, as an Association.

As you think about your business planning and budgets, please include your membership to the NJSBCA. Soon we will start our 2021 membership drive and you will hear how to join as a new member or re-new your current membership. It has been a tough year financially for everyone, but the investment you make in your Association comes back multi-fold. We facilitate and offer benefits you do not get individually. Together, we have a collaborative political voice. As a member, you will have an opportunity to affiliate with those who share a common goal to demonstrate professional and ethical business practices. We share information and are a source of valuable industry “intel” you may not readily find elsewhere. As a group, we can create bulk purchasing opportunities and offer other advantages that you only get from your NJSBCA membership.

With the holidays near, as we think upon this past year and all of its opposition, we are thankful that we had each other to lean on. We look forward to an improving situation with the pandemic so we can enjoy a return to health, prosperity and unity in the New Year.

On behalf of myself and the NJSBCA, I hope you and your family enjoy all that the Holiday Season has to offer.

Eric K. Raphael,
NJSBCA President