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)

Tough new environmental laws, coupled with fluctuating oil prices, are likely to prompt hundreds of school systems to examine alternative fuels. Literature reviews and interviews with 45 government, education, and industry officials provided data for a comparative analysis of gasoline, diesel, natural gas, methanol, and propane. (MLF)

Summarizes the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 requirements, discusses problems engendered by new state laws, and tells how school administrators can ensure that their state's law does not inhibit school bus driver recruitment and retainment. Basically, multiple commercial licenses are now illegal, and alcohol impairment standards are…

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…

Some pioneering school systems are making travel time more productive by playing videotapes or audiotapes on board school buses. A California district uses a traveling computer laboratory to visit 10 elementary schools. Safety and bureaucratic regulations are considered. (MLF)

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…

A comprehensive school bus safety program designed and implemented in Euclid (Ohio) involves participation by students, drivers, parents, and the community. This article was originally submitted in application for, and the author received, a 1993 Pinnacle of Achievement Award from the Association of School Business Officials. (MLF)

Because student misbehavior on school buses can endanger the driver, other students, motorists, and pedestrians, schools are considering technological solutions, such as mounted video cameras. The cameras deter misbehavior and help administrators detect inappropriate activities and determine appropriate action. Program implementation is…

Through a joint venture between the school district and the municipality of Scarsdale (New York), the district's buses are serviced in a $2 million maintenance and ground facility. The arrangement has reduced vehicle down time, saved wear and tear on the buses, and reduced fuel consumption. (MLF)

A booming economy and low unemployment make it harder than ever before to lure and retain good school-bus drivers. Lack of money for good wages has prompted some innovative recruitment and retention tactics. Chicago has turned to the rolls of people going off welfare as a source of bus-driver candidates. The Trans Group, headquartered in Chestnut…

A study comparing rural and suburban school bus rides surveyed 1,194 elementary principals in five states. Rural elementary schools were more likely than suburban schools to have bus rides of 30 minutes of more, attendance areas greater than 10 square miles, rough rides, and older students on the bus with elementary students. (Contains 41…

This reexamination of Hawaii's student transportation service program revealed that student safety is a concern despite improvements over the past 12 years. One problem is continued use of pre-1977 school buses that do not meet federal safety construction standards. Students also travel in unsafe van-like "type-III" school buses and in…

Developed for teachers and members of the pupil transportation staff who conduct school bus drills, these 10 lesson outlines are intended for classroom instruction on school bus safety. Lessons may be adapted to fit the grade level, intelligence, and special needs of students. Topics covered are: preparing to ride the bus, boarding and proceeding…