BOISE, Idaho — Gas company employees here learned about the importance of stopping for school buses in a recent presentation titled “The Invisible Bus.”

Miranda Carson, transportation liaison for Meridian-based West Ada School District, said that natural gas distributor Intermountain Gas Co. invited the district to conduct a community safety discussion at the company’s general office safety meeting on Aug. 21.

Carson said that Intermountain Gas Co.’s employees include drivers of company trucks and privately owned vehicles. RD Huntley, student management coordinator for Cascade Student Transportation, took on the task of presenting to the gas company employees. Cascade Student Transportation, which is a division of Student Transportation Inc., provides school bus service for West Ada School District.

Huntley explained the meaning behind his presentation’s intriguing title, “The Invisible Bus.”

“‘Invisible’ because vehicles continue to ignore flashing lights, stop arms, and stop signs,” Huntley said. “I brought the ‘Invisible Bus’ into focus.”

As an example of the stop-arm running issue, a nationwide survey coordinated by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services this year found that nearly 84,000 vehicles illegally passed school buses in one day.

In his presentation at Intermountain Gas Co., Huntley explained Idaho’s law on when vehicles need to stop for school buses. He also shared an illustration showing the different purposes of the yellow lights, red lights, and hazard lights on a school bus.

And — with a slide stating that the “School bus should not be invisible” — Huntley listed typical dimensions, weight ratings, and the “National School Bus Glossy Yellow” color specification of school buses.

The presentation was well-received by the Intermountain Gas Co. team. Carson, the West Ada School District transportation liaison, said that two people from the gas company thanked the district for sending Huntley and gave him glowing reviews.

As one of them put it, “RD combined a great blend of facts and humor to keep us engaged during his presentation.”

Another gas company correspondent said that several employees had complimented the session, and that Huntley “did a terrific presentation on school bus safety, and did a great job outlining issues involved in busing children to and from school.”

Cascade Student Transportation operates 210 route buses for West Ada School District. West Ada is ranked No. 89 in SBF’s Top 100 School District Fleets list for 2018, which appears in the October issue of the magazine.