harlow's school bus

What harlow's school bus does

Harlow's School Bus Service is a family-owned student transportation company founded in 1973 by Harlow Hageness, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. The company provides contracted student transportation services to public and private school districts across six states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Nebraska — operating from nearly 30 locations. Harlow's serves close to 23,000 students daily, with school district contracts ranging from 6 to 100+ routes and covering daily routes, activities, field trips, and sporting events. The company also offers a charter bus rental service (Rent A Bus) for corporate events, sports teams, church groups, and weddings, accessed via a quote request form on its website.

The company's operational technology stack is built around third-party integrations: Zonar GPS tracking for real-time fleet location and arrival estimation, Z Pass passive RFID for automated student attendance logging, digital in-bus camera systems for incident documentation, and a Bus Bulletin / Rained Out instant notification system for parent and school communication. These are supplemented by a dedicated Customer Advocate service for stakeholder communication and a password-protected Employee Portal. The technology is positioned as a safety, communication, and operational efficiency layer rather than a proprietary platform product.

Harlow's revenue model is primarily recurring contract-based, with long-term agreements negotiated directly with school districts (per-route pricing, not publicly disclosed), supplemented by per-trip charter revenue. The go-to-market is a sales-led B2B motion targeting school district procurement, with a secondary direct-to-consumer motion for charters. The company ranks among the top 30 school bus contractors nationally (2018-2019) and is currently hiring drivers for new routes, indicating ongoing contract expansion. The business is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

harlow's school bus

Legal name

Harlows School Bus Service Inc.

Website

https://harlowsschoolbus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Harlow's School Bus Service is a family-owned student transportation contractor operating nearly 30 locations across six states, serving close to 23,000 students daily via contracts with school districts and a complementary charter bus rental service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Transportation Services

NAICS

School and Employee Bus Transportation (4854), Charter Bus Industry (48551), Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (485)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

School Bus Transportation Operations (Home-to-School, Field Trips, Athletics) (EDAEADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Routing, Scheduling & Dispatch Services (EDAEADAB), School & Youth Group Charters (Non-Route) (THAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Student transportation services
• School bus contracting
• Charter bus rental
• Pupil transportation
• School district fleet services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. School District Transportation Contracts: Contracted student transportation services to school districts across five states. Contracts range from 6 to 100+ routes per district, including daily routes, activities, field trips, and sporting events. Revenue is generated through long-term contractual agreements with school districts.
2. Charter Bus Rentals: Charter services for corporate events, sports teams, church groups, weddings, and other group transportation needs. Customers request quotes through the website. This is a per-trip service revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Harlow's School Bus Service provides contracted student transportation to school districts across five states, operating 6 to 100+ routes per contract covering daily routes, activities, field trips, and sporting events. The company supplements its core school transportation contracts with charter bus rental services for corporate events, sports teams, church groups, and weddings, transporting approximately 23,000 students every school day from nearly 30 locations.

Product overview

Harlow's School Bus Service is a family-owned student transportation company founded in 1973, operating as a single unified service platform offering contracted school transportation to school districts and charter bus rental services. The core School Transportation Services product operates across nearly 30 locations in five states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington), providing routes ranging from 6 to 100+ along with activities and field trips. This core service is enhanced by technology sub-products including Zonar GPS Tracking for real-time fleet location, Z Pass RFID-based student attendance tracking, Bus Camera System for incident documentation, and Bus Bulletin instant messaging for parent notifications. The complementary Rent A Bus charter service extends the company's transportation capabilities to corporate events, sports teams, and private groups. Supporting features include a dedicated Customer Advocate service and an Employee Portal for internal operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Transportation Services Contracted student transportation for public and private school districts across five states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington), covering daily routes, activities, field trips, and sporting events. Contracts range from 6 to 100+ routes per district and include operational technology such as Zonar GPS tracking, Z Pass RFID attendance, in-bus cameras, and the Bus Bulletin instant notification system.
• Rent A Bus (Charter Services) Charter bus rental service for corporate events, sports teams, church groups, and weddings, enabling groups to reserve transportation to destinations of their choice. Booked via website quote request form.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transports close to 23,000 students every morning
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zonar (GPS Tracking Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationZonar provides GPS tracking technology integrated into Harlow's fleet, enabling real-time bus location tracking and arrival time estimates. This is a critical operational technology partnership supporting safety and efficiency.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Student: First Student is the largest school bus contractor in North America, operating across the U.S. and Canada. It is the most direct large-scale competitor to Harlow's in contracted student transportation, with overlapping services including daily routes, field trips, and technology-enabled fleet management.
• Durham School Services: Durham School Services is a national school bus contractor providing student transportation to public and private school districts across the U.S. Direct competitor to Harlow's with the same B2B contract model, multi-state footprint, and growing investment in GPS, RFID, and camera technology.
• National Express / Stock Transportation: National Express operates Student Transportation of America and Stock Transportation in North America, providing contracted school bus services. Directly comparable to Harlow's in core product, customer base (school districts), and multi-state operating model.
• Lamers Bus Lines: Lamers Bus Lines is a family-owned, multi-state school bus and motorcoach operator headquartered in Wisconsin, serving school districts and charter customers across the Midwest. Highly comparable to Harlow's in family-ownership profile, charter plus school bus mix, and Midwest/Great Plains geographic coverage.
• Illinois Central School Bus: Illinois Central School Bus is a regional school transportation contractor serving Illinois and surrounding states. Direct competitor offering the same contracted student transportation services to school districts with comparable technology and safety positioning.
• Cook-Illinois Corporation: Cook-Illinois Corporation is a school bus and charter transportation contractor in the Chicago metro area. Direct functional peer in contracted student transportation, with overlapping fleet technology and customer-advocate service emphasis.
• MOEVE (formerly Atlantic Express): MOEVE operates school bus and group transportation services across multiple U.S. states. Comparable to Harlow's in serving school districts with contract-based routes and offering technology-enabled fleet tracking.
• Waldron's School Bus Service: Waldron's School Bus Service is a regional school bus contractor providing student transportation in the Midwest. Comparable to Harlow's in size, regional multi-location footprint, and contract-based B2B GTM with school districts.
• Go Riteway Transportation Group: Go Riteway is a Wisconsin-based school bus and motorcoach contractor serving districts in the upper Midwest. Comparable to Harlow's regional Midwest peer with similar school bus plus charter mix and family-owned operational history.
• Student Transportation Inc. (formerly STA): Student Transportation Inc. provides school bus transportation services across North America under contract with school districts. Direct competitor to Harlow's in core contracted student transportation with comparable multi-state operations and tech-enabled fleet management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HarlowsServices
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCys5oiuk3bqyBAx6y5K3l3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/harlowsbus
• Instagraminstagram.com/harlowsbus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about harlow's school bus