About First Student
First Student is a Transportation, Automotive & Logistics company based in Cincinnati (United States) founded in 1999, and was acquired by EQT in April 2021. School buses are aggregated online and managed for daily operations. First Student has completed 3 acquisitions, including Apple Bus Company, Autobus Dufresne and Total Transportation Corp. Its website firststudentinc.com draws about 132 thousand monthly visits. First Student offers products and services including HALO Technology Platform, First View Vehicle Tracking, Electric Buses, Driver Training Programs, and Charter Bus Rental. Its focus areas include Consumer, Road Transport Tech, Mass Transit and Bus. Its legal entity is First Student, Inc.
Company details
First Student was founded in 1999 in Cincinnati, United States, within the student transportation sector. School bus fleets are aggregated through an online platform. Managed services are offered to support customer-owned vehicles, with day-to-day operations including routing, dispatch, scheduling, and maintenance being handled. These services facilitate efficient school transportation across the region.
- Headquarters Cincinnati, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTransportation, Automotive & Logistics
- Website category Law and Government · Government
- Email••••••••
- Website firststudentinc.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Acquired by EQT (Apr 2021)
- Legal Name First Student, Inc.
- Investors
- Investments & AcquisitionsApple Bus Company
& 2 more
- Acquired byEQT
(Apr 2021)
Products & Services of First Student
First Student offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including HALO Technology Platform, First View Vehicle Tracking, Electric Buses, Driver Training Programs, and Charter Bus Rental.
Platform for monitoring student journeys and enhancing safety features.
App that tracks buses in real-time for parents and districts.
Environmentally friendly vehicles for student transportation services.
Comprehensive programs to ensure safe and skilled drivers.
Options for events, field trips, and after-school transport needs.
Apps and channels of First Student
its YouTube channel FirstStudentInc has 1.17K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from First Student
The most watched videos on First Student's YouTube channel, FirstStudentInc (1.17K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on FirstStudentInc.
Funding Insights of First Student
- Total Rounds 2
All 2 funding rounds of First Student with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | Unspecified | – | – | – | |
| Jun 2022 | Unspecified | – | – | – |
1 investors in total: 1 institutional.
Investors in First Student
First Student has secured backing from 1 investor, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include EQT.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
EQT is recognized as a global investment organization focused on value creation. | 1994 | eqtgroup.com | Stockholm, Sweden |
Investor details for First Student
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of First Student
83 people are tracked at First Student (47 in leadership, 36 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Kevin Matthews | Head of Electrification | Leadership |
Anjana Anna Kuruvila | Sr Director Financial Reporting | Leadership |
Richard Scott Newton | Director Of Risk Finance | Leadership |
Timothy Colleran | Vice President Charter Sales & Operations | Leadership |
Axay Doshi | Mergers And Acquisitions Director | Leadership |
Deirdre Walters | Regional Human Resources Director | Leadership |
Kim Worster | Sr Vice President | Leadership |
Matthew Haas | Director Of Transportation | Leadership |
John Kenning | CEO & President | Leadership |
Claire Miller | Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Communications | Leadership |
Dean Suhre | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Joe Schwaderer | SVP & CFO | Leadership |
Tom Secrest | Vice President, Human Resources and Labor Relations | Leadership |
Seth Mullett | Senior Director, HR Technology | Leadership |
Geoff Gerks | Chief Human Resources Officer | Leadership |
John Billigmeier | Senior Vice President Operations | Leadership |
Rob Messmer | Region Director Talent Acquisition & Onboarding | Leadership |
Katy Powers | HR Director At First Student; West Division | Leadership |
Robert Brutovsky | Senior Director Procurement | Leadership |
George Lee | Senior Vice President Business Development | Leadership |
63 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for First Student
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by First Student
First Student has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 3 companies. Notable acquisitions include Apple Bus Company, Autobus Dufresne and Total Transportation Corp.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall protection and height safety solutions are provided for workers. | autobusdufresne.ca | Sainte Martine, Canada | 1956 | Feb 2023 | •••• | |
Bus transportation services are provided across the United States. | totalbusco.com | Wappingers Falls, United States | 2008 | May 2022 | •••• | |
Educational transportation services are provided for schools and students. | applebuscompany.com | Belton, United States | 2000 | Mar 2022 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for First Student
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of First Student
7 dated milestones of First Student across 25 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded First Student is founded.
- Exit Acquired by EQT.
- Acquisition Acquires Apple Bus Company.
- Acquisition Acquires Total Transportation Corp.
- Funding First funding round.
- Acquisition Acquires Autobus Dufresne.
- Funding Latest funding round, Unspecified,.
Web traffic of First Student
The website of First Student (firststudentinc.com) receives about 131.8K visits a month and ranks #286,367 among all websites worldwide, #9,493 in Government.
- Monthly visits131.8K
▲ 2.7% vs previous month
- Unique visitors37.7K
per month
- Global rank#286,367
among all websites
- Category rank#9,493
Law and Government · Government
- Bounce rate44%
- Pages per visit3.9
- Average visit3 min 09 sec
- DevicesDesktop 54% · Mobile 46%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with First Student. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
durhamschoolservices.com | durhamschoolservices.com | 100% | #2,919,877 | – | |
startcdl.com | startcdl.com | 71% | #747,009 | – | |
| iowadot.gov | 71% | 613.9K | #56,395 | View details | |
progressives-zentrum.org | progressives-zentrum.org | 71% | #1,848,263 | – | |
| smtd.org | 42% | 24.9K | #1,380,282 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 10 similar websites and full traffic analytics for First Student
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 10 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Road Transport Tech
3 companies that operate in the same segment as First Student (Road Transport Tech) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
An online platform providing ride-hailing and food delivery services | 2009 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 13.21 B | USD 52.02 B | 34,000 | |
Electric kick-scooters are rented through an app-based platform. | 2017 | Miami, Florida, United States | USD 765 M | USD 244.66 M | 953 | |
Self-driving vehicle solutions are developed and deployed for transportation. | 2009 | Mountain View, California, United States | USD 27.1 B |
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Related news about First Student
Complete news archive for First Student
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about First Student
First Student was founded in 1999 and raised its 1st funding round 23 years after it was founded.
First Student is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States. It is registered at Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.
First Student was founded in 1999 in Cincinnati, United States, within the student transportation sector. School bus fleets are aggregated through an online platform. Managed services are offered to support customer-owned vehicles, with day-to-day operations including routing, dispatch, scheduling, and maintenance being handled. These services facilitate efficient school transportation across the region.
First Student offers HALO Technology Platform, First View Vehicle Tracking, Electric Buses, Driver Training Programs, and Charter Bus Rental.
First Student has made 3 acquisitions, including Apple Bus Company, Autobus Dufresne, and Total Transportation Corp.
First Student has 1 investor. Key investors include EQT.
First Student operates through First Student, Inc..
Yes. First Student was acquired by EQT in April 2021.
The website of First Student receives about 132 thousand visits a month and ranks #286,367 among all websites worldwide.

