

- #SCHOOL BUS DRIVER DRIVERS#
- #SCHOOL BUS DRIVER UPDATE#
- #SCHOOL BUS DRIVER DRIVER#
- #SCHOOL BUS DRIVER FULL#
- #SCHOOL BUS DRIVER WINDOWS#
School buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road they’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries and in every state, stop-arm laws protect children from other motorists.
#SCHOOL BUS DRIVER DRIVER#
Your child should not try to pick up the item, because the driver might not be able to see them. If your child drops something near the school bus, like a phone or book, the safest thing is for your child to tell the bus driver right away. Your child should also make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see that they’re crossing to avoid the danger zone. If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, tell them to walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street to a place at least five giant steps (10 feet) in front of the bus before crossing. Your child should never walk behind a school bus. Your child should use the handrails to avoid falling. When the school bus arrives, your child should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay to get on or off. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play. Ahead of the new school year, visit the bus stop and show your child where to wait for the bus - at least three giant steps (six feet) away from the curb. Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. Parents, it’s important to talk to your child, or children, about bus stop safety. We say they bleed yellow.Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses "There's a segment that just love doing what they do.
#SCHOOL BUS DRIVER DRIVERS#
In the meantime, Macysyn says, schools and private school-bus contractors will continue to try to recruit drivers who are civic minded and appreciate the part-time hours and spending time with children.
#SCHOOL BUS DRIVER WINDOWS#
Macysyn says that while measures such as distancing and opening windows seem to be pretty effective, "we certainly understand if folks have those concerns," especially if they have risk factors.Ĭhicago's mayor, Lori Lightfoot, is reportedly talking to ride-share companies like Lyft or Uber, or even paying parents to drive their own children to school.
#SCHOOL BUS DRIVER FULL#
School buses are full of children, and children under 12 can't yet be vaccinated against COVID-19.
#SCHOOL BUS DRIVER UPDATE#
A second factor in the shortage, Macysyn pointed out, is that in many places over the past year and a half, departments of motor vehicles were closed or had limited operations, so people couldn't get their road tests or update their qualifications.Ī third concern cited was safety. ( reports the median school bus driver earns $35,421 per year, which varies by region.)īrand-new bus drivers can't be hired on the spot like retail or fast-food workers they need commercial driver's licenses. Respondents to the survey were most likely to say that the pay they were able to offer was a major factor affecting their ability to recruit drivers. Many drivers were furloughed during the COVID-19 school closures in 2020, while others took the chance to retire. He says there are many reasons for the shortage. "In previous years, we've seen regionalized driver shortages, but nothing to the extent that we're seeing today." "This back-to-school period is nothing like the previous periods we've seen," he told NPR. The move left some 2,100 students, a little less than half of them in special education, without a way to get to school.Īnd in Pittsburgh, the public schools notified families that they are short almost 650 bus seats for the first day of school on Friday.Ĭurt Macysyn is executive director of the National School Transportation Association, which conducted the survey with two other trade associations. In Chicago this week, 70 bus drivers, about 10% of the workforce, abruptly quit over the district's new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to WBEZ's Sarah Karp. In a new nationwide survey, half of student-transportation coordinators described their school bus driver shortages as either "severe" or "desperate." Now, in many places, there is a last-mile problem - quite literally. So far this fall, children heading back to school have faced many obstacles: battles over masks, vaccines, delta-variant surge fears and mental health needs. In a new nationwide survey, half of student-transportation coordinators described school bus driver shortages as either "severe" or "desperate."
