Tristar Transportation
Tristar Transportation Co. is a family-owned Central Ohio specialized passenger carrier, founded 1992, providing door-to-door school transportation for special-needs students across 25 districts and, since 2019, non-emergency medical transportation for seniors and disabled adults.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tristar Transportation does
Tristar Transportation Co. is a privately held, family-owned (3rd generation) specialized passenger transportation company headquartered at 682 E. Lincoln Ave., Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1992. The company operates two core service lines: school transportation for students with special needs, IEP-driven routes, and McKinney Vento requirements across 25 Central Ohio school districts; and, since 2019, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) for seniors and disabled adults via wheelchair-accessible vans, hospital contracts, Medicare/Medicaid broker relationships, and on-demand private-pay trips. The company runs a fleet of ADA-, FMVSS-, and QVM-compliant wheelchair-accessible vans equipped with Samsara AI dash cameras, and supports operations with approximately 150 part-time drivers and a 6+ member management team covering recruiting, driver performance, fleet maintenance, safety/loss control, and business operations/analytics. The company reports 10,000+ trips per month and operates as the self-described #1 provider for special needs school transportation in Central Ohio, with BBB A+ accreditation and membership in OAPT, CTAA, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
Tristar Transportation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tristar Transportation
- Legal name
- Tristar Transportation Co.
- Website
- https://tristarcolumbus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Tristar Transportation Co. is a family-owned Central Ohio specialized passenger carrier, founded 1992, providing door-to-door school transportation for special-needs students across 25 districts and, since 2019, non-emergency medical transportation for seniors and disabled adults.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Tristar Transportation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tristar Transportation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- School Transportation Services: Contract-based transportation services for 25 school districts in Central Ohio serving students with special needs, IEP-related requirements, and McKinney Vento needs.
- Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT): Adult transportation services for seniors and disabled adults. Services include private for-hire trips as well as contracts with local hospitals, facilities, COTA, and Medicare/Medicaid transportation brokers.
- On-Demand Transportation: On-demand NEMT service available, accommodating trips from at least 1 hour to months in advance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | School Transportation - Contract-based |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | NEMT - Contract and Private Pay |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Tristar Transportation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tristar Transportation is a Central Ohio specialized transportation company providing door-to-door student transportation for students with special needs across 25 school districts, and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) for seniors and disabled adults. The company operates a fleet of ADA-, FMVSS-, and QVM-compliant wheelchair-accessible vans and supports both on-demand and pre-scheduled trips via contracts with school districts, hospitals, healthcare facilities, COTA, and Medicare/Medicaid transportation brokers.
Product overview
Tristar Transportation operates as a specialized transportation company offering two core services: School Transportation for students with special needs (serving 25 school districts in Central Ohio since 1992) and Adult Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) services (since 2019). The company operates a fleet of wheelchair accessible vans and provides safety monitoring through AI dash camera technology. Both services are supported by a dedicated team of approximately 150 drivers who undergo continuous training on safe vehicle operation, defensive driving, and specialized care for passengers with disabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- School Transportation Services Specialized door-to-door student transportation services for K-12 students with special needs, serving as an extension of school district transportation teams. Services include IEP-related transportation, McKinney-Vento needs, and coordination with Special Education Coordinators and counselors across 25 school districts in Central Ohio.
- Adult Specialized / NEMT Transportation Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services for seniors and disabled adults using ADA-, FMVSS-, and QVM-compliant wheelchair-accessible vans. Includes private for-hire trips and contracts with local hospitals, healthcare facilities, COTA, and Medicare/Medicaid transportation brokers, with on-demand service available from one hour to months in advance.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000+ trips per month
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tristar Transportation
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tristar Transportation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Tristar Transportation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 25 School Districts in Central OhiocorePartnership with 25 school districts in Central Ohio for specialized student transportation services including IEP-related and McKinney Vento transportation needs.
- Mount Carmel HospitalcoreContract partnership for adult non-emergency medical transportation services to hospital patients.
- Provide A RidecorePartnership for customized non-emergency medical transportation services.
- COTA MainstreamcorePartnership for on-demand transportation services for people with disabilities.
- MatureWorksminorOver 10-year collaboration assisting those in the 50+ workforce find employment opportunities. MatureWorks refers mature workers to Tristar for driver positions.
- Columbus Chamber of CommerceminorMember in good standing of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
- Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation (OAPT)minorMember of the Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation.
- Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)minorMember of the Community Transportation Association of America.
- The Transportation AllianceminorMember of The Transportation Alliance, a trade association for the private passenger transportation industry.
- Medicare/Medicaid Transportation BrokerscoreContracts with Medicare and Medicaid transportation brokers for adult NEMT services.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tristar Transportation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- First Student: North America's largest provider of student transportation, serving school districts with dedicated bus services. Comparable as a school transportation incumbent, though First Student is much larger and less specialized in special needs / door-to-door service than Tristar.
- American Medical Response (AMR): Large national medical transportation provider including NEMT services for health plans and hospitals. Comparable as a scaled, multi-state NEMT operator that hospital systems like Mount Carmel may also contract with, representing potential competitive overlap on healthcare facility deals.
- Modivcare: National NEMT broker and manager serving Medicaid and Medicare health plans with a large managed-transportation network. Comparable as a counterpart on the broker side of NEMT contracts that Tristar fulfills, and a consolidator reshaping the NEMT landscape.
- Student Transportation of America: Large North American school transportation provider serving public and private school districts. Comparable as an incumbent school bus competitor for district-level contracts, though less specialized in special needs door-to-door service.
- MTM Transit: Major NEMT management broker for state Medicaid programs, coordinating trips for members nationwide. Comparable as a buyer of NEMT capacity similar to the brokers Tristar contracts with, and a structural counterparty in the value chain.
Emerging players
- HopSkipDrive: Tech-enabled student transportation platform focused on youth with specialized needs, serving school districts and families. Comparable as a younger, venture-backed counterpart addressing the same special-needs school transportation category Tristar dominates regionally.
- Uber Health: Healthcare-focused arm of Uber providing non-emergency rides for medical appointments, including partnerships with health plans and providers. Comparable as a competing NEMT delivery model for ambulatory trips, though it lacks wheelchair-accessible specialization that anchors Tristar's fleet.
- Lyft Healthcare: Rideshare-based NEMT offering for health plans and care providers, including partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans. Comparable as a tech-enabled competitor targeting the same ambulatory NEMT demand pool as Tristar's adult services.
Regional players
- Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Mainstream: Public transit agency's paratransit service for people with disabilities in the Columbus region. Comparable as a partner and adjacent service provider in Central Ohio for ADA paratransit trips, overlapping with Tristar's adult NEMT riders.
Direct peers
- Provide A Ride: Ohio-based paratransit and NEMT provider offering customized non-emergency medical transportation. Comparable because it operates in the same regional market with overlapping NEMT services and is a current Tristar partner.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tristar Transportation social profiles
Digital presenceTristar Transportation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tristar Transportation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Tristar Transportation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tristar Transportation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tristar Transportation
What does Tristar Transportation do?
Tristar Transportation is a Central Ohio specialized transportation company providing door-to-door student transportation for students with special needs across 25 school districts, and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) for seniors and disabled adults. The company operates a fleet of ADA-, FMVSS-, and QVM-compliant wheelchair-accessible vans and supports both on-demand and pre-scheduled trips via contracts with school districts, hospitals, healthcare facilities, COTA, and Medicare/Medicaid transportation brokers.
Is Tristar Transportation a public or private company?
Tristar Transportation is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Tristar Transportation founded?
Tristar Transportation was founded in 1992. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Tristar Transportation based?
Tristar Transportation is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tristar Transportation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. School Transportation Services are the primary driver. The others are non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) and on-Demand Transportation.
Who are Tristar Transportation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are First Student, American Medical Response (AMR), Modivcare, Student Transportation of America and MTM Transit. Emerging players are HopSkipDrive, Uber Health and Lyft Healthcare. Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Mainstream is listed as a regional player. Provide A Ride is listed as a direct peer.
Does Tristar Transportation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tristar Transportation.