Special Needs Transportation

Explore best practices for safely and effectively transporting students with disabilities and special transportation needs. We cover accessibility, wheelchair securement, equipment, training, student behavior, regulations, and specialized transportation services.

Kelli Goterba, the 2026 Special-Needs Driver of the Year, stands with her arms crossed in front of a Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities school bus.

News

Kelli Goterba Named 2026 Special-Needs School Bus Driver of the Year

Through building trust with students and strengthening her transportation team, Goterba exemplifies the impact special-needs drivers can make.

Digital Cover Features

The Most Common Wheelchair Securement Mistakes on School Buses (and How to Fix Them)

A wheelchair user operates a school bus wheelchair lift equipped with BraunAbility’s LiftSentinel barrier system as another person stands nearby with a handheld control.

News

BraunAbility Introduces New Safety Barrier for Wheelchair Lifts

A close up image of a hand holding a phone with HopSkipDrive's platform and CareDriver information on the screen.

News

HopSkipDrive Launches New Safety, Driver Consistency Features for 2026-27 School Year

Articles•by Staff•November 1, 2004

Teen dies after climbing out school bus window

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An emotionally troubled 15-year-old died after falling from a window of a moving school bus, authorities said. Rocky Joe Dock...

Articles•November 1, 2004

Keys to communicating with the hearing impaired

By understanding the various types and degrees of hearing loss, along with the more effective ways of interacting with hearing-impaired passengers, sc...

Articles•November 1, 2004

What You Need to Know About Transporting Service Animals

Students with disabilities have the right to bring their service dogs not only to school with them, but also on the school bus. It is important to have procedures in place for transporting these four-legged companions.

Articles•by Staff•October 1, 2004

Need-to-know needs

How much medical information do bus drivers at your operation have access to regarding special-needs passengers? How much do they need to know? Member...

Articles•by Staff•October 1, 2004

PTSI launches new in-service package

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A new in-service training program has been released to help Head Start drivers and monitors foster safety consciousness and maintain ...

Articles•June 1, 2004

How to identify and respond to insect sting allergies

Special-needs drivers and teams must take extra precaution during the summer to protect students with disabilities and severe allergic reactions again...

Articles•by Staff•June 1, 2004

Special-needs training materials

Product Review The following review was contributed by Kathleen Furneaux, director of operations at the Pupil Transportation Safety Institut...

Articles•by Staff•April 1, 2004

Wheelchair securement, harassment are key topics

ATLANTA — About 450 special-needs transporters assembled to share innovative practices and forge valuable relationships at the 13th National Co...

Articles•by Staff•April 1, 2004

Supporting students with diabetes on the bus

According to the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), approximately 206,000 people under the age of 20 have diabetes, which is up from 151,000 ...

Articles•by Staff•March 1, 2004

Identifying key challenges in special-needs transportation

In SBF’s 2004 exclusive special-needs survey (see February issue, pg. 20), transportation directors and managers from across the country were a...

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