After decades of serving the school bus industry, you’d think the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) might have run out of ways to keep things fresh. On the contrary: Their abundance of bright ideas continues to show itself in a number of ways.
The association’s Annual Conference and Trade Show is a great example. In Grand Rapids, Mich., in late October, the conference — its 33rd edition — boasted a program full of must-attend events, from the bus-hijacking simulation to the wide variety of workshops to the thoroughly entertaining awards-banquet-turned-talk-show.
In September, NAPT launched a cutting-edge tool for sharing information with its members: a video blog. Executive Director Mike Martin hosts the online show, dubbed NAPTV, which features a refreshing mix of pertinent subject matter and lively comedic embellishments.
I commend Mike and the rest of the staff at NAPT for taking this bold step and for spending the time and effort needed to produce the show on a regular basis.
Weighing the proposal
The December episode of NAPTV provided an update on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on school bus passenger crash protection.
Key points in the new proposal include raising seat backs in all school buses from 20 to 24 inches, requiring lap-shoulder belts instead of only lap belts in small buses and providing guidance for voluntarily installed (or state-mandated) lap-shoulder belts in large buses.
As Mike explained, NAPT is not satisfied with the proposal. The association is still looking for three items from NHTSA:
