First Student and Samsara Set New Standard for Safety and Performance in Student Transportation
First Student's leading HALO™ technology platform with insights from Samsara's AI-powered platform raises the bar for safety, visibility, and operational performance
CINCINNATI, Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- First Student, North America's leader in student transportation and innovator of the award-winning HALO™ technology platform, today announced it will equip its ~46,000 vehicle fleet with Samsara's industry-leading technology, including Video-Based Safety, Telematics, Commercial Navigation, Door Monitors, and student ridership insights. By leveraging real-time data collected from Samsara's Connected Operations® Platform, First Student will build the most advanced safety and performance ecosystem in the student transportation industry. Together, First Student and Samsara will set a new standard for how drivers, districts, families, and students experience safe, reliable, and efficient student transportation services.
The partnership combines First Student's unmatched leadership in safety and digital innovation with Samsara's advanced AI technology and world-class fleet safety and efficiency platform. By bringing these capabilities together into HALO, the companies can deliver continuous innovation, AI-powered safety, real-time insights, and operating performance at an unprecedented scale.
"This partnership between two industry leaders enables us to leverage advanced technology to deliver safer, smarter, and more connected student transportation," said John Kenning, CEO and President of First Student. "By integrating Samsara's AI insights into HALO, we are living out our value of setting the highest standards and redefining what student transportation can be. With Samsara's AI capabilities, predictive analytics, and real-time safety monitoring, we are taking HALO to the next level - anticipating risks, preventing incidents, enhancing driver satisfaction, and advancing our mission to provide every student with the best possible transportation experience so they arrive at school ready to achieve their full potential."
"We are proud to partner with First Student, which operates at an unmatched scale, serving millions of students daily across North America," said Sanjit Biswas, CEO and Co-Founder of Samsara. "By integrating our AI-powered platform with First Student's HALO, we are taking innovation to the next level to create a safer, more efficient experience. Together, we're bringing students the best possible transportation experience, powered by data-driven insights."
First Student lives its values by setting the highest standards in safety, performance, and care for the students, families, and districts it serves, as well as for the drivers it employs. This powerful partnership accelerates the adoption of AI across the student transportation industry.
A Better Transportation Experience for Everyone
- For Students: Safer, smarter rides powered by AI that can predict risks and help prevent incidents.
- For Families: More accurate ETAs and real-time updates through the enhanced First View® app, reducing "where's the bus?" calls and providing greater peace of mind. Ridership insights also allow First Student to share key updates with families, including the time of their student's boarding and disembarking.
- For Drivers: Helpful tools that provide turn-by-turn directions and real-time visibility, streamline coaching to support safe driving, and build stronger trust between drivers and their managers.
- For Districts: Tech-enabled fleet operations that optimize routes, reduce delays, and streamline maintenance, all while elevating safety standards. Onboard Wi-Fi connectivity enables buses to communicate with one another and with the broader system, strengthening overall fleet coordination and performance.
Smarter, Safer Rides for Students
Through the integration, Samsara's AI-powered platform will unlock key safety features in HALO across First Student's fleet of vehicles, including:
- AI Cameras: AI-powered risk detection with in-cab alerts.
- Collision Avoidance & Hazard Detection: Alerts drivers to pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, stopped or slowed vehicles, and more.
- Predictive Safety Analytics: Combines data from vehicle sensors, AI cameras, and external factors to generate insights. Samsara's models learn from billions of minutes of video footage to help identify and address risks proactively.
- Post-Trip Insights: Gives supervisors visibility into trends and coachable moments to continuously support safe driving.
Tech-Enabled Fleet for Efficient District Operations
The enhanced HALO platform also transforms daily driver operations with connected tools that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, including:
- Tablet-Based Pre- and Post-Trip Inspections: Improves safety checks and maintenance response.
- Smart Navigation: School bus-specific routing improves accuracy and efficiency.
- Driver Performance Dashboards: Real-time feedback supports recognition, self-correction and continuous improvement. With Samsara's AI coaching tools, drivers receive personalized support and training, creating a better overall driver experience and resulting in stronger retention rates.
First Student and Samsara demonstrated the impact of their collaboration through select pilots run last school year at locations across North America. These pilots confirmed how Samsara's AI platform can be successfully integrated into First Student's HALO platform to enhance safety, visibility, and communication. Building on this success, First Student is now deploying the technology across all of its ~46,000 vehicles, bringing the benefits of the industry's most advanced safety and performance ecosystem to every student, family, and district served, and to every driver employed.
To learn more about First Student and HALO, visit: https://firststudentinc.com/halo/
To learn more about Samsara, visit: https://www.samsara.com/
About First Student
First Student is the leading provider of school transportation solutions in North America, transporting more passengers per day than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly trained drivers and the industry's best safety record, First Student provides unmatched care and protection for the students it serves. Our innovative, award-winning HALO™ technology platform delivers real-time tracking, AI-powered safety tools, and operational insights that set the standard for the industry. Recognized in 2025 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, First Student partners with school districts to deliver safe, efficient, and reliable transportation solutions, from traditional yellow buses to alternative transportation and electrification.
About Samsara
Samsara (NYSE:IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations® Platform, which is an open platform that connects the people, devices, and systems of some of the world's most complex operations, allowing them to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. With tens of thousands of customers across North America and Europe, Samsara is a proud technology partner to the people who keep our global economy running, including the world's leading organizations across industries in transportation, construction, wholesale and retail trade, field services, logistics, manufacturing, utilities and energy, government, healthcare and education, food and beverage, and others. The company's mission is to increase the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the operations that power the global economy.
Samsara is a registered trademark of Samsara Inc. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
First Student Media Contact
Brenna Rudisill
[email protected]
Samsara Media Contact
Stephanie Burke
[email protected]
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SOURCE First Student