Dean Transportation marks 50 years of serving Michigan communities
LANSING, Mich. – The traditional yellow school bus is taking on a brighter hue.
Dean Transportation is celebrating its golden anniversary. The nationally recognized name in student transportation is marking 50 years of transporting students safely to and from their school day.
The company’s humble origins to assist special-needs students reflect its mission of safety and service that have stood firm over five decades. With more than 2,400 employees today, Dean Transportation now serves school districts, intermediate school districts and public transit agencies throughout the state of Michigan. It has become one of the largest privately owned transportation companies in the country.
“We are extremely proud to have been an integral part of communities throughout Michigan for the past 50 years,” said Kellie Dean, president of the company. “We have worked hard during the past half-century to provide safe and reliable transportation to and from school for 80,000 students every school day. We are committed to further serving our communities and look forward to transporting the children and grandchildren of today’s passengers in the future.”
Initially begun as a station wagon service that transported individuals affected by polio to and from Lansing area schools in the 1950s, the company was incorporated in 1969 as Special Transportation by former Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Lt. Lyle L. Stephens. In 1986, Kellie Dean left his post of 14 years as a teacher’s aide, special education teacher and special education administrator for the Lansing School District to join the transportation company.
In 1991, Special Transportation was rechristened as Dean Transportation Inc., and four years later Stephens retired after 26 years in the school transportation industry. In the years since, Dean Transportation has served as a vanguard in the specialized transportation industry. Dean Transportation was one of the primary entities to engage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation in a victorious five-year legal battle to develop federal safety guidelines and establish equipment specifications to safely transport passengers in wheelchairs.
“After 50 years of quality service to our communities, Dean’s commitment to students and parents continues to grow stronger,” Dean said. “Our goal is to continue living up to our core values of integrity, trust, respect, compassion, quality, communication, teamwork and advocacy as we enter our next 50 years serving Michigan families.”
Dean Transportation has twice been named the top school bus company in North America and has expanded its service offerings to include Dean Charters and Tours – now Dean Trailways. Never content with the status quo, Dean Transportation remains dedicated to set the standard for the rest of the pack through endeavors such as its environmental initiatives and its proprietary school bus health care training curriculum, which is taught in partnership with local community colleges.
As a trailblazer in the transportation industry over the past 50 years, Dean Transportation is continuing to adapt and adjust to the changing needs, technologies and innovation that will guide the industry well into the future.
