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The legislation, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday, adds to the list of convictions that would either permanently disqualify a school bus driver applicant or disqualify the candidate for five years. Crimes for which a conviction would ban a person from becoming a bus driver include aggravated manslaughter in the first or second degree and sexual abuse in the first degree.
Read More →The School Bus Mandate Relief Act would allow boards of education for school districts to reduce the number of seats provided for student transportation if there is a documented history for three years showing that eligible pupils are not using the buses provided by the districts. The legislation was passed by the state Senate last week.
Read More →On May 24, the state Senate adopted a resolution sponsored by Sen. William Larkin that declares Oct. 21, 2011, School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Bus driver Maureen Moore has contacted Larkin since 2005 to request the adoption of the resolution. She tells SBF that her ultimate goal is to achieve a National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
Read More →The legislation would allow for prosecution of such violations based on photographic evidence as well as allow for citations to be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, regardless of who was driving it at the time. NYAPT President David Christopher points out that motorists in the state illegally pass school buses "some 50,000 times each day."
Read More →Officials at school systems around the state point to the costliness of the mandates, which include providing busing and other aid to children attending private schools as a benefit to those taxpayers. In response to officials’ complaints, Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened a statewide mandate-relief committee, and the Board of Regents has identified laws it considers outdated.
Read More →New York Association for Pupil Transportation Executive Director Peter Mannella expresses concerns about the governor’s 2011-12 fiscal year budget, saying that the measures to reduce the overall costs of school transportation could adversely affect operations, student safety and efficiency. He urges the Legislature to consider cost-saving mandates the association has advanced.
Read More →The contractor’s acquisition of Ridge Road Express, along with related companies Grand Tours and Scholastic Transportation Management Services Inc., will add over 320 vehicles, annualized revenues of just over $16 million and six new locations for Student Transportation Inc.
Read More →The new system, which will be put into place starting in February, will reduce the time it takes to run a background check on newly hired school bus drivers from three months to a few days. Electronic fingerprinting will also improve the accuracy of background checks.
Read More →Michael Dallessandro, who began his school transportation career in 1988, is appointed transportation director of Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District. He discusses the new role with SBF.
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Designs for NYAPT's bumper sticker contest, which is in its third year, must include the words "STOP 4 THE BUS" and depict the requirement for motorists to stop for school buses that have their red lights flashing. This year's contest drew more than 200 entries from elementary students across the state.
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