SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Local students will be riding on an entirely new fleet of belted buses this fall.

IMMI won a contract to supply lap-shoulder belt seats for school buses serving San Bernardino City Unified School District.

The district’s contractor, National Express, purchased a new fleet of 280 Thomas Built buses, which will all be equipped with IMMI’s SafeGuard FlexSeat.

The large order replaces an entire fleet of unbelted buses.

“The San Bernardino contract is just one example of how IMMI is serving school districts across the country by improving the safety of the children they are transporting,” said James Johnson, IMMI director of sales.

California was the first state to require lap-shoulder belts on school buses, with the mandate having gone into effect in 2004 for new small buses and in 2005 for new large buses. Texas is slated to start requiring lap-shoulder belts on all new school buses on Sept. 1.

Ken Hedgecock, vice president of sales, marketing and service at Thomas Built Buses, said that the school bus manufacturer was the first to offer the SafeGuard FlexSeat, which allows operations to add lap-shoulder belts without reducing bus capacity.

“We recognize the complexities school districts face in accommodating ridership with enhanced safety, and we are committed to continuing to offer practical solutions,” Hedgecock said.