Join us in an open-ended conversation about children and school buses – and the people who bring them together.
After years of pandemic setbacks, the 50th School Bus Driver Safety Competition returned to Austin, showcasing top drivers and a new permanent site.
As the pace of fleet electrification increases and charging infrastructure continues to pose challenges, many fleets find themselves puzzling over the question: how do I install charging infrastructure faster and more cost-efficiently?
Executive Editor Wes Platt offers parting thoughts as he parks the School Bus Fleet bus to focus on ultra-local community journalism, making way for someone else to take the wheel as the pupil transportation industry continues to evolve.
"Previously, NSTA worked with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to craft three different UTH waivers – each lasting for a period of 90-days. While those waivers were adopted on a time limited basis, we received feedback that motor vehicle agencies around the country were reluctant to adopt the waiver because of the limited time duration involved."
Children's Mental Health Awareness Day underscores the significance of school bus drivers in fostering supportive environments during students' journeys. SAMHSA's initiatives, including stigma reduction and access to resources, complement the Biden-Harris administration's funding efforts to enhance youth mental health services and workforce development.
Our coalition continues to grow with public and private operators, as well as parents all seeking a remedy to keep students on the big yellow bus. We are encouraged by this groundswell of support and want to take advantage of it – in order to make permanent and lasting change for students.
How do you think the potential shift to permanent Daylight Saving Time or standard time would impact our daily lives and routines, especially considering the divided approach across various states?
Overall, it is important to remember that insurance companies are interested in their bottom line: if they can settle a claim sooner rather than later it costs them less in labor, and they have an opportunity to increase rates because rates are based on exposure and frequency.
I remain impressed by the matter-of-fact heroism that’s often demonstrated by school bus drivers like Deona Washington who are caught in these situations where the best of us might lose our cool and panic. But, then again, bus drivers are a unique breed.
Most applicants sought grant funding to acquire electric school buses, with propane coming in a distant second. No one indicated plans to purchase compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in this round. That’s not terribly surprising, I suppose, given how few school districts listed the inclusion of CNG buses in their fleets for our 2023 top district fleets survey.
Calendar pages keep flipping toward the mandates set in states like New York and California to transition their school bus fleets from diesel to zero-emission, but there’s plenty of reluctance and pushback.
Today, California prides itself on utilizing the most zero-emission (ZE) school buses in the country with over 1,689 being used by California school districts; and while the state is on a positive health trajectory thanks to a decree to eliminate gas and diesel vehicles, more work needs to be done to improve children’s well-being.
There are 500,000 ICE school buses in the United States that need to be replaced. Currently there are 33,000 ICE and electric school buses produced each year. At the current production rate, it will take a minimum of 15 years to turn over the school bus fleet to electric.
Bus drivers are the primary caretakers of children during their commute and thus bear responsibility for their safety. By prioritizing proper operating procedures, maintenance checks, and additional precautions, drivers can help avoid the loss of precious young lives under their care.
FMCSA proposes to amend certain Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to ensure the safe introduction of automated driving systems (ADS)-equipped commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) onto the nation’s roadways. The proposed changes to the CMV operations, inspection, repair, and maintenance regulations prioritize safety and security, promote innovation, foster a consistent regulatory approach to ADS-equipped CMVs, and recognize the difference between human operators and ADS.
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