Pupil transportation veteran shifts to Villanova university job

Jerry Rineer, who worked in school transportation for more than 40 years before he retired at the end of December, has taken a position at Villanova University in the parking and transportation section.

In his new role, Rineer works with Villanova students who have mobility issues, providing support for them as they make their way across the 254-acre campus. The private university, which has a total enrollment of about 10,700, has a large fleet of vans and other vehicles to serve its students.

Rineer said that he was attracted to Villanova’s strong commitment to sustainability. For example, the university’s facilities management office is pursuing LEED silver certification on all new construction and major renovations. Also, that office is investigating and implementing energy-conservation measures across the campus, such as lighting retrofits, high-efficiency equipment and building-specific energy monitoring.

Sustainability was a key focus in Rineer’s pupil transportation career. In his most recent position — supervisor of transportation at Lower Merion School District in Ardmore, Pennsylvania — he ran a fleet of 61 school buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). When Rineer worked for the School District of Philadelphia, his operation received grants to transition to ultra-low-sulfur diesel and to retrofit 250 buses with clean-burning technology.

Rineer has also given presentations to explain the operational and environmental benefits of using CNG in transportation. He came to be considered a “go-to guy” for colleagues across the country who are interested in alternative fuels.

This article, written by Thomas McMahon, originally appeared in School Bus Fleet.