Once its passengers are seated and relatively quiet, Student Transportation of America (STA) is ready to roll. The company provides bus services for school districts -- mainly in rural and suburban areas -- in about 10 states. It also provides charter bus services. STA, which was founded in 1997, is a unit of Canada-based Student Transportation Inc., which was created to facilitate a 2004 IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange. A sister company to STA, Student Transportation of Canada, provides school bus services in Ontario. Together, the companies serve about 200 school districts with a fleet of about 6,300 buses. STA was founded in 1997 by Chairman and CEO Denis Gallagher.