ALBANY, N.Y. — This week marks School Transportation Personnel Appreciation Week in New York state.

The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) reported that during the week, many school district transportation departments and school bus contractors throughout the state will recognize school bus drivers, technicians, attendants and monitors, dispatchers and routers, trainers and safety specialists, and supervisors and managers. They will celebrate with such appreciation events as pizza lunches, coffee and bagel breakfasts and hot dog barbecues.

To further commemorate the state’s men and women who transport more than 2.3 million children in a yellow school bus on a daily basis, NYAPT provided the public with the following statewide data:

• More than 50,000 individuals are licensed to drive children to school on a yellow school bus.

• Some 10,000 men and women serve as bus attendants or monitors to assist children with special needs or disabilities and/or assist the driver in maintaining order on the bus.

• An estimated 1,500 school bus technicians make it their business to ensure that the school bus is roadworthy and a source of safety for children.

• Nearly 1,000 women and men assist in the routing, dispatching and management of the school buses on a daily basis.

• Some 1,200 school bus driver instructors not only prepare drivers for their responsibilities, but also reinforce safety practices among children.

• Over 700 school transportation supervisors and managers oversee their teams of professionals, who all work together for the safety of children.

  NYAPT also provided the public with information on how school buses within the state are built and inspected, the steps necessary to become a school bus driver in New York and the benefits of riding a yellow school bus.