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Dallin Orton
Nathan Cole
English 2010
13 October 2015
Are School Buses the safest way of Transportation?
In the past years, there has been much debate on the topic are school buses the safest way
of transportation? The majority of us have agreed that school buses are in fact the safest way and
have been for many years. Although there have been many debates throughout history as to the
safety of school busses, there have been improvements made on the busses, the bus hiring
process has become stricter and we have lots of statistics to show that bus safety has been
successful in the safety of the students. In contrast there is a desperate need for more bus drivers,
which could be causing the school districts to be lax in their hiring standards.
Public education started up in the nation during the mid 1600’s. In the 1800s, pupil
transportation formed and had become very popular in thirty states in 1910. The first vehicles
used to transport students were horse-drawn carts that were borrowed by local farms. Later
automobiles and trucks with gasoline-powered engines replaced school wagons. In the 1920’s
and 1930’s the Nation’s roadway system was expanded and led to a greater need for vehicle
transportation for students. This became the school bus industry. The school bus industry is
known in all states, has been transporting students for many years, as well as had many problems
and tragedies occur. With reoccurrences of bus issues, representatives from each state gathered
together in 1939 and developed the standards and recommendations for school buses. This group
is called the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services
(NASDPTS) and a few examples of the improvements of school buses are listed below:
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
School buses are required to be a bright yellow color so they stand out from other
vehicles.

School buses require outside mirrors that provide the driver with a view in front
and along both sides of the bus.

School buses are required to have lamps, reflective devices and associated
equipment. These include amber and red warning lights that show when a bus is
slowing down and coming to a complete stop to load and unload passengers.
There have been much more improvements to the school buses that have helped decrease the
possibility of fatalities of students. (National Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services, 2000)
Understanding that school buses have been improved and designed to be the safest way
of transportation, there also has been improvements of the hiring process in which a person must
go through. The Untited States Department of Labor has this record.
In the United States Department of Labor, they state that all school bus drivers are
required to have a high school diploma and be the age of 18 years or older to qualify for the job.
Ages may vary according to district policies. To be licensed, certified and registered all bus
drivers must go through fingerprinting and a background check done by the Highway Patrol.
Also, by federal regulations, they are required to have random testing for drug or alcohol abuse
while on duty throughout their career. They will then proceed in getting a commercial driver’s
license (CDL) with a passenger and school bus endorsement. To receive this CDL they are
required to take the knowledge and driver test and have additional knowledge and training
administered by a certified examiner. This is a one to three month training session that includes
an in class and behind-the-wheel driving test. Drivers learn company rules and regulations, state
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and municipal traffic laws, schedules, bus routes, how to interact with passengers and practice
safe maneuvers inside a bus. Drivers will move forward by training in light traffic and gradually
make practice runs on routes they expect to drive, accompanied by an experienced driver who
will evaluate. Finally they will be given a route and run it by themselves. (United States
Department of Labor, 2014)
With the knowledge of both the improvements of school buses and the high secured
requirements of becoming a school bus driver. Statistics have shown that transporting students to
and from school is safer in a bus.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), school
buses are the safest way of transportation. In the year of 2001 to 2008 the annual average of
student fatality during a normal school year is caused 58% by students, 23% by adults, and 1%
by a school bus. According to this study, students are 50% more likely to make it to school alive
if they take a bus, than driving themselves.
As explained in the above paragraph we see statistics that show school buses are indeed
the safest way of transporation to school. I want to shift the view now and see if we still meet
these qualification of safety today.
According to Grace Pastoor, who is Minnesotas transporation director, states that there is
a dramatic reduction of school bus drivers to fill the spots of each bus route in Minisota. Many
school bus drivers are quitting because of less working hours, low pay and no benefits. Pastoor is
working on getting more benefits for all employees as well as higher wages and hours, but for
now she is struggling to find new school bus drivers to fill each route. The transporation district
is in need of hiring new drivers.
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In the desperation to find new bus drivers, have we developed the same situation in our
school districts that occurred in Minnesota? Are we getting the best qualified drivers to transport
our students? Is the system still strict enough in highering the best school bus driver? Or has the
system becom more lax by allowing more drivers to get through the system than should have
been able to make it through the training process? Are the statistics from the above paragraph,
simmilar or better, than the statistics five or ten years ago? Or will we see a dramatic increase in
school bus fatalities?
In conclusion, it can be seen that school buses are the safest way of transporation for our
students. The NASDPTS have improved the standards and recommendations of school buses to
meet the highest qualification of pupil safety. The hiring process is very secure nationally and
gives the best training to school bus drivers. Because of a lack of school bus drivers there
continues to be some concern in the hiring process.
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Work Cited
"History of School Bus Safety -- Why Are School Buses Built as They Are?" National
Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Service. 2000 National
Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, 1 Feb. 2000. Web. 13
Oct. 2015.
"How to Become a Bus Driver." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of
Labor, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Pastoor, Grace. “Minnesota school districts face bus driver shortage.” Duluth News-Tribune
(MN) 04 Sept. 2015: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
"School Buses." School Buses. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2009 Web. 13
Oct. 2015.