This special section on student transportation offers a case study of a school system that recycles buses for safety drills; articles on fuel-saving strategies, the pros and cons of contracting for transportation services or operating a publicly owned bus fleet, and advice on full cost accounting for transportation costs; and a transportation…

Over the past several decades West Virginia has closed scores of small, locally-based schools (primarily high schools), as part of district-level consolidation. These consolidations have affected families and students in numerous ways. Most notably, students living in outlying towns are now required to travel much longer distances to reach…

In suburban-rural Albemarle County (Virginia), computer assistance in evaluating manually-designed school bus routes helped increase efficiency in pupil transportation and reduce the number of routes, buses, and vacant seats. (RW)

Commonly recommended strategies for improving school bus order and safety include developing and communicating basic rules and consequences, ensuring consistency between bus and school rules, assigning teachers to supervise bus loading areas, providing bus drivers with training in preventing disruptions, installing radio systems, and involving…

Examines the characteristics of three types of motion detectors: Doppler radar, infrared, and ultrasonic wave, and how they are used on school buses to prevent students from being killed by their own school bus. Other safety devices cited are bus crossing arms and a camera monitor system. (MLF)

The primary question posed in this study is whether premium or regular gasoline is more cost effective for the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) bus fleet, as a whole, when miles-per-gallon, cost-per-gallon, and repair costs associated with mileage are considered. On average, both miles-per-gallon, and repair costs-per-mile favor premium…

Improvements in school bus construction and driver training have increased passenger safety significantly. Seat belts would be expensive to install and maintain and would decrease seating space; their use would be very difficult to enforce; and research has not clearly shown whether they add to or decrease bus safety. (PGD)

Reviews safety considerations, district responsibilities, and court litigation related to pupil transportation. Highlights litigious issues involving selection of bus stops, driver responsibilities when transporting and disembarking students, and school bus safety requirements. School districts lacking medical emergency and disruptive behavior…

Provides tips for decreasing liability, containing costs, and promoting smooth operation of special education transportation. Schools need to review wheelchair transportation procedures, length of bus rides, arrival times, integration of special needs students on regular routes, driver training documentation, record keeping, transportation, staff…

Reports on a northern Illinois school bus fleet converted to propane fuel in 1981 and 1982. Includes tables showing, first, total annual fuel costs before and after conversion and, second, fuel efficiency for 16 buses using propane and three using gasoline. Notes precautions for propane use. (MCG)

This document provides a summary of selected school bus crash statistics for 1989. Information was obtained from the following data sources: the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), the General Estimates System (GES), and the School Bus Fleet Annual Fact Book. The data are organized into four sections: (1) a summary of national and selected…

This report details the data requirements and procedures used to develop new school bus routes for Six Mile Elementary School in South Carolina. The project examined the current routes of the school and applied computer based techniques to develop new routes given the existing bus stops. Bus routes were developed so that distance and travel time…

A representative of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration weighs advantages and discusses issues associated with installing seat belts in school buses. Federal regulations and research findings are considered. A list of guideline questions for school districts planning to install seat belts is included. (PP)

In 1982-83, the Austin (TX) Independent School District chose to use its Chapter 2-Formula funds for two sets of activities: bus monitors and extracurricular transportation for desegregation purposes. This report summarizes the evaluation findings for these two activities, as well as what happened to programs funded under the Emergency School Aid…

Examines critically the National Transportation Safety Board's post-1977 school bus standards, which encourage but do not require seat belts. (JBM)