WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Manitoba Pupil Transportation Unit has approved First Light Safety Products’s Illuminated School Bus Sign following a year-and-a-half long pilot.   

The illuminated signs are now approved to be installed in Manitoba on new buses and on an aftermarket basis on current fleets after a pilot project that involved Louis Riel, Interlake, and Seine River School Divisions, according to the school bus product safety supplier's website.

“The sense of dignity knowing our province has granted approval, where we design, engineer, and manufacturer our patent-pending Illuminated School Bus Signs and Fully Illuminated Stop Arms, is both overwhelming and exciting,” said Cam Quan, director of sales, marketing, and customer relations for First Light. “Our passion was inspired, driven, and led by the safety of our kids and their futures.”

First Light is also working with Manitoba Pupil Transportation Unit and Winnipeg School Division #1 on a pilot project for the supplier’s Fully Illuminated Stop Arm, which uses the same illuminated technology as the Illuminated School Bus Sign. The pilot is set to wrap up at the end of the first quarter of 2021.

The Illuminated School Bus Signs meet National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures (NCTSP) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) D250 national standards, Quan told School Bus Fleet. First Light is working with each of the respective National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services’ state directors to ensure the signs meet individual state requirements. To date, 35 states have been confirmed, with other states going through pilots to gain approval.

"With visibility of over 1,000 feet, and readability of over 300 feet, our illuminated technology surpasses minimum specifications and provide the motorist the most time to recognize the school bus,” said Kevin Smith, president of First Light Safety Products. “Because of this, the motorist is able to react accordingly, thereby, reducing accidents and fatalities. We are thrilled with the Manitoba approval and look forward to seeing the buses in Manitoba with our signs shining bright."