Cooperative Research Project 1605 was concerned with the use of a computer (in the IBM 1620 SPS programing language) in designing school bus routes. This is the concluding report of that project which is here converted into the FORTRAN language. Other objectives were to expand and refine the program, increase its speed, and reduce its costs. The…

Article supplied data for the school year 1973-74 on the transportation of public school pupils' in the United States. (Author/RK)

Even if all buses were to meet the new federal standards, there is a lot more that administrators can do to keep school children safe. (Author)

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)

Financing enables school districts to operate new buses when funds for outright purchase are not available. This article examines reasons, sources, and pitfalls of school bus financing. (MLF)

Discusses driver and human relations training for school bus drivers. A driver training program in California aims at reaching all 19,000 school bus drivers. A human relations training program in Seattle focuses on bettering student-driver and driver-administrator relations. (DN)

Choosing the number, types, and sizes of school buses requires analysis of the following factors: the number and distribution of students who need transportation; characteristics of the district such as topography, narrowness of streets, and rural or urban location; extracurricular activities and special education programs; and economics and…

Questions based on observations of a Chicago (Illinois) school bus program deal with driver capability, procedures for bus evacuation in an emergency, bus comfort for passengers, safety, fuel efficiency, and creative use of students' bus time. (MLF)

A synopsis of the results of a study conducted for the Bozeman, Montana, Public Schools. The study evaluated the feasibility of a district-owned vs a contracted pupil transportation system. Various aspects of school transportation were analyzed by their relationship to safety, control, service, and cost. (Author/MLF)

Discusses elements of an efficient, comprehensive school bus safety program. (Author/MLF)

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…

Describes actions taken by the Missouri School Bus Contractors Association to resolve bus-handrail defects. Describes cooperative efforts to develop national standards from 1936 to the present, public perceptions of school-bus safety, and recent improvements and requirements in school bus safety. (LMI)

After a South Carolina school bus accident, involving the death of an automobile driver, the district was faced with a lawsuit. Advises school administrators not to rely on police authorities to gather all the evidence but to compile a thorough school-system accident report, written in close cooperation with a school attorney. Lists report…

A 1988 school bus disaster in Kentucky killed 27 passengers. A new book, "Reckless Disregard: Corporate Greed, Government Indifference, and the Kentucky School Bus Crash," by James S. Kunen, recounts the accident and the long court struggle to prove why the children died. Cites federal standards for bus safety that have been upgraded several times…

In Antelope Valley, California, a regional transportation consortium, cooperatively run by six adjacent school districts, is operating an electric-powered school bus as a pilot project. Although the prototype bus cost nearly six times more than a traditional school bus, lower operating and maintenance expenses and safety factors appeal to many…