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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherMarch 12, 2012

Tips for an outstanding maintenance operation

In the March 2012 issue of SBF, I wrote an article wherein pupil transportation professionals at operations shared with me their thoughts on what helps keep school buses in good operating condition. The people I interviewed offered many more tips, which I'll share with you here.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherFebruary 24, 2012

Insight on transporting students with special needs

Providing school bus service can be challenging, but transporting students with special needs can present a wide range of additional challenges. I discovered this when I was working on our Special-Needs Survey earlier this year. But it seems to me that serving these students would also be rewarding. ...

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonFebruary 13, 2012

Kids tell it like it is

As I did after the previous edition of the Children's Choice contest, I put together a collection of amusing and moving comments from the kids' essays. They provide a clear picture of how much school bus drivers mean to their passengers — and how dedicated the drivers are to the kids' well-being. ...

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherJanuary 30, 2012

Frightening experiences on the job

I was driving to San Diego recently with my boyfriend’s aunt when a vehicle in the carpool lane of the freeway spun out of control and entered our lane, almost hitting us. The near-accident got me thinking about frightening experiences — specifically, those that have occurred in your work environment. As you know ...

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonJanuary 23, 2012

The 10 Commandments for Pupil Transportation

Transportation Supervisor Louk Markham wanted something to help his employees work better as a team. He came up with a list of "commandments" — ranging from licensing requirements to bus inspections to treatment of others — and shared them with his 22 drivers ...

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherDecember 16, 2011

No shortage of holiday spirit

Quite often during this time of year, we hear about work that pupil transportation officials across the country are doing to help those in need. Here, I’ll share with you details on a few efforts that I learned of recently.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonDecember 12, 2011

Yellow buses: a worldwide beacon

The U.S. catches a lot of flak — from inside and outside of its borders — regarding its military involvements, its other foreign policies, the practices of its businesses and on and on. But one area in which our great nation is widely admired by the rest of the world is school transportation. At the recent ...

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherNovember 28, 2011

Drivers get creative with bus safety musical

School bus drivers at Mercer Island (Wash.) School District developed and performed in a play called “School Bus: The Musical” to teach elementary school students about bus safety. It presents several rules regarding waiting for the bus, crossing the street safely and correct bus passenger behavior.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherNovember 11, 2011

School bus company helps promote music education

Music influences me on many levels, so I was intrigued when SBF received word that school bus contractor Student Transportation Inc. was involved in a media art and music education project. The company recently unveiled a mobile recording studio in partnership with Carolina Studios, a nonprofit organization.

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonOctober 28, 2011

Out of my control

While I’m well aware that the statistics show that the yellow bus is the safest form of school transportation, the thought of letting someone I don’t know drive my sons is, to be honest, a little scary. This raises a pertinent question: Do some parents decline the school bus because they feel it’s safer for their kids to ride with Mom,

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Thomas McMahonOctober 17, 2011

Does bus seat height affect behavior management?

Two years ago, a federal rule went into effect that raised the minimum height of seat backs on new school buses from 20 inches to 24 inches. The goal was to help prevent taller and heavier children from being thrown over the seat in a crash. But can the taller seats have an unintended impact on another aspect of bus safety?

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School Bus Fleet Blogby Kelly RoherSeptember 16, 2011

Target bus stop dangers

This summer, I heard the harrowing story of Jaycee Dugard’s life for nearly two decades after she was abducted from a school bus stop in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., in 1991 by convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and held captive in the backyard of his home. This got me thinking about what school districts can do to maximize student safety at bus stops.

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