The introductory article to the special issue on pupil transportation summarizes the arguments of opponents and proponents of seat belts in school buses. (MLF)

Only two school districts in the entire country require mandatory school bus seat belts. Bus manufacturers favor "compartmentalization"--a set spacing of high-backed padded seats. Two well-documented school bus accidents, where seat belts were not used, are examined. (MLF)

Existing school bus safety standards make the whole vehicle safe and are more effective than seat belts in preventing passenger injuries. (MLF)

The deterrent to school bus accidents is preparedness. Training programs for drivers and mechanics, equipment specifications, and a community support base are some of the ways to prevent tragedy. (MLF)

Management training programs are a necessity for transportation supervisors. Basic and advanced training programs are available through associations for business officials and university fleet management training programs. (MLF)

Analyses of school bus accidents point to five accident-producing categories: (1) rear-end collisions; (2) sideswipes; (3) backing; (4) right turns; and (5) loading/unloading students. Reviews an accident of each type and focuses on the corrective action needed to reduce these accidents. (MLF)

Discusses areas that have provided the bulk of negligence claims against public school districts while transporting students: (1) bus stop locations, (2) duration of responsibility, (3) school bus boarding supervision, (4) driving a bus negligently, (5) driver violations, and (6) inadequate supervision during transit. Appended are 19 notes. (MLF)

Outlines the information necessary for schedule calculation of school bus runs. Describes the use of The Quick Route Optimizer software program for computer calculation of school bus routes. Includes four charts. (MD)

More children are killed outside their school buses than inside. To solve this problem, we should improve bus design, provide driver training programs for all school bus drivers, utilize the latest safety devices available, and improve ridership safety curriculum. (MLF)

Discusses the pros and cons of diesel fuel and propane gas as alternative fuel systems for school buses. (Author/MLF)

During the 1995-96 school year, the Savannah-Chatham County (Georgia) Public Schools averaged 800 daily telephone complaints about transportation. Applying total-quality-management principles improved client satisfaction via a Pareto problem analysis chart, a customer response data-collection team, and driver teams who strategized ways to reduce…

While the appearance of a school bus is important, it is often overlooked. The problem has been economically solved in one school district. (Author/MLF)

Introduces a computer program for school bus routing. (MLF)

Presents factual data on research in school bus safety that shows that seat belts in school buses may actually be detrimental to students. Includes data from surveys and research tests and sources for additional information on seat belts in school buses. (MD)

Outlines two case histories of schools districts that have used microcomputers in the planning and management of pupil transportation systems. Using microcomputers in transportation planning is new and most effective in smaller, rural districts. (MD)