School Bus Safety: Rules for Kindergarten Students

 

Is your kid’s first day to kindergarten nearby? He / she will be excited to meet new friends, teachers, school as well as trip from and to school in school bus. What about school bus safety? Students begin and end their day with a trip on a school bus. Is your kid trained to be safe at and around the school bus?

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Many accidents and injuries can be prevented by teaching kids about good behavior while riding in bus. Students are recommended by the National Safety Council (NSC) to take the bus rather than walking or riding with teenagers or parents. The Council recognizes that more school children are killed outside of the bus, during loading and unloading operations than on the bus.

Though the child will learn those safety lessons at school, it is a parent’s responsibility to make their child aware of these safety concerns.

While bus drivers will be alert with safe driving, students should be careful of their surroundings in order to avoid injuries. The following is a list of safety rules advised by the NSC to teach children while getting on and off the bus. Some of these rules are also aimed at good school bus behavior.

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Certain School Bus Safety Tips You Should Teach Your Child

It would be easy if you can take a picture of a school bus and show them the safety rules with images. Visual representation will stay in mind more than just words

  • Do not run. Let the bus stop and the door open
  • Get on to bus one at a time. Do not rush
  • After boarding the bus, remain in your seat facing forward when the school bus is moving.
  • Obey your school bus driver’s instructions
  • Don’t make loud noises. It will distract the driver from driving
  • While boarding as well as exiting, use the handrail
  • Collect your belongings before you reach the stop
  • Do not leave your bags or books in the aisle. It will interrupt the way for other students
  • Stay in your seat till the driver stops the bus completely
  • Cross the road only after the driver permits you to do so
  • While crossing, make sure to look right and left to ensure no vehicle is passing by

Go over these school bus safety rules again and again. As your kid’s first day of school will be something very new, you can also meet them at school just to make sure that the kid is riding safe in bus.

How to Teach Students the Importance of School Bus Safety

 

A positive school bus environment is key to fostering healthy child development and high level learning and is directly linked to student academic performance”

 

One of the important aspects of student transportation is safety. School bus is the vehicle that assures safety the most to students. In order to keep their bus safe, students play an important role. School bus environment is a completely different environment for them. Sometimes they may sing, play and shout inside the school bus.

Most of the kids who are having attention and learning issues may be the victims of school bus bullying. They are responsible for their own safety as well as their fellow students. With the help of school bus safety tips, teachers, students and school authorities are able to ensure safety in school transportation.

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Here follows certain ways by which the importance of school bus safety can be taught among parents, teachers and students:

  • Conduct Mock Drills

Mock drills can be conducted to ensure school bus safety. This demonstration helps the students to prepare for the danger awaiting them in school transportation. They will get an awareness regarding school bus safety tips.

Such mock drills can be conducted by school bus drivers. They can explain the proper procedures to be followed by students to safely evacuate from the bus at the time of emergency. Students should be taught about how to exit the bus from the rear door.

Students must listen carefully and follow the instructions from the driver during emergency situations. The mock drills become successful only when there is full participation from students, parents and school authorities.

  • Create Awareness among Teachers and Parents

Teachers play a vital role in assuring school bus safety. First of all they should have proper awareness about safety. They are responsible for teaching students about good behavior, providing proper discipline and supporting students.

Teachers should have proper awareness about school bus safety tips. With the help of safety experts, teachers can be taught about school bus safety and its importance. With this knowledge, they can provide guidance to students.

Parents also have great concern towards student safety. They can make their child aware about various safety rules. There are so many safety tips and issues that parents are unaware of. Safety experts help them to understand and realize about it.

  • Use Gaming Apps

It is a world of gaming apps. Students will be more interested in apps rather than giving them boring lessons. Hence it is a good idea to popularize games that teach school bus rules which indeed help children familiarize with various safety protocols.

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  • Use Pamphlets or Notices

Distributing notices or pamphlets with interesting graphics related to school bus safety can easily grab the attention of students. Such notices can influence the students in following various safety tips. It is highly informative to the students as well as parents.

  • Use Signs or Indications

It is very much useful and valuable if you keep signs at the right places which attract attention of students. This can give them a proper warning regarding dangers. And it also helps them to get prepared whenever they are trapped in danger.

School bus discipline is one of the major issues faced by drivers. They are responsible for the conduct of the students and school bus is the extension of school.

Managing and controlling student behavior on the school bus is a team effort involving teachers, drivers, parents and school authorities. For maintaining a safe environment, it is essential to teach students about the importance of school bus safety.

6 Ways School Bus Driver Route App Provides Safety

 

 

 

"Anyone can drive a car but it takes someone special to drive a school bus!”

 

School bus transportation and its safety are what matters most to parents as well as school authorities. Student safety is not the responsibility of school bus driver alone. Everyone, including students, has a unique role to play in assuring safety.

 

With the introduction of school bus driver console app , driving has become easier for drivers. Using the app, they are able to have better control over each school bus ride. Also, it helps to keep the bus under surveillance from inside, helps mark attendance, assists in planning route, makes coordination with transport manager easy, etc.

 

Drivers are able to perform multiple tasks with minimum disturbance. School Bus Driver Route app is a great solution for managing school buses in an effective and efficient manner.

 

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Here are the six ways school bus driver console app provides safety:

 

1. Navigation or Trip Planning

 

School bus driver console app allows drivers to plan each trip carefully and easily. Your bus driver can set routes, set the number of stops in a single trip, etc., allowing the driver to decide beforehand and act wisely according to your plan.

 

The Driver Console app shows the profiles of students to be picked from each stop in an organized way. Drivers are able to select the shortest route from their console and thus plan the trip properly.

 

2. Speed Monitoring

 

Bus speed can be monitored in real-time using the app. That is, parents as well as school authorities can check out whether the school bus is over speeding or if they are making unnecessary stops. Hence it is possible to keep an eye on drivers and send alerts to them if necessary.

 

One of the biggest benefits offered by the app is to get an idea about the good and bad driving habits of drivers.

 

3. Providing Live-Cam Feed

 

Multiple cameras are installed in buses which give driver live feed of students on board. Drivers can view what's happening in the school bus through this console with the help of school bus driver route app. It is very advantageous for drivers as they are able to observe children without leaving their seat.

 

Live cam feed saves time and at the same time adds safety and is convenient to the driver.

 

4. Taking School Bus Attendance

 

App assists drivers in taking school bus attendance. By using the app, drivers can easily spot missing child in the school bus. As the students board the school bus, attendance will be taken.

 

Driver console contains details of each student who are boarding from a particular stop. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards will be provided to each student and with the help of those cards, student attendance can be taken.

 

Taking school bus attendance is the greatest benefit offered by the app as it gives instant warning to drivers, parents and other school authorities if a student is missing.

 

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5. Make Important Announcements

 

With the help of driver console, important announcements can be delivered to students. Drivers are able to interact with the students through the driver route app which indeed gives them provision to make important announcements.

 

Hence the app helps drivers to maintain discipline inside the school bus. Similarly, transport managers are also able to play audio on the bus and thus make announcements as well as play informational audio.

 

6.Revolutionize School Bus Driver Experience

 

With the innovative school bus driver route app, school bus drivers are able to enjoy and have better control of the school bus. Technology has made driving an easier and safe one. The app makes it easy for the driver to stay in control.

 

Introduction of Driver Console app has opened up a new and enjoyable driving experience to drivers. Risk and tension of parents, teachers and drivers are reduced to the minimum. 

 

School Bus Safety Facts You Should Know About

 

Some parents think that driving their kids to school is a safer option than sending them on the school bus. Of course, when you are in the driver’s seat you are in control of the situation, and you might feel that giving your child a chance to ride on a school bus won’t offer you that same assurance.

 

In fact, school buses are the safest mode for getting children to and from school. However, injuries might happen if children are not careful while getting on and off the bus.

 

While getting on and off the school bus many children are prone to injuries each year. Issues like irresponsible drivers, horseplay, careless street crossing and even clothing might cause accidents.

 

Parents can prevent avoidable accidents by reminding children about School Bus Safety rules at the beginning of the academic year.

 

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Here are some valuable tips for School Bus Safety.

 

Students should Follow while Riding a School Bus:

  • Try to reach the bus stop five minutes early. Never run to or from the bus.
  • Make sure to stand at least 10 feet away from the edge of the road. Have patience, when the bus comes. You could wait until the door opens, and the driver says, it’s alright to step onto the bus.

  • Never allow your clothing and drawstrings and bags with straps to get caught in the handrail or door when exiting the bus.

  • Make sure that there are no vehicles on both ways before stepping off the bus.

Students while Crossing Should:

  • Don’t walk behind the bus; always walk in front of the bus.

  • Always walk on the pavement to a point at least 10 big steps ahead of the bus.

  • Make sure the bus driver can see the students, and the students can see the bus driver as well.

  • Cross the road when you get the driver’s signal.

Do not allow elementary students to cross busy streets; provide stops on both sides instead.

 

Things Children Ought to Know about School Bus Safety:

  • If you are standing closer than 10 feet to the bus, the bus driver as well as others cannot see you. Try to stay out of the danger zone.

  • If something falls close to the bus, tell the driver. Never attempt to pick it up yourself!

  • When you wait for the bus, stay in a safe place far from the road.

  • If you miss the bus, do not run after the bus. The chances of falling under the bus are high owing to this careless action.

  • When you get on or off the bus, look left, right, left before you enter or cross the road. Be watchful of traffic!

  • When you get a signal from the driver that it is safe to cross; make sure to cross in front of the bus.

  • Never distract the driver by playing games like horseplay. Try to sit on your seat quietly.

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Things Parents Ought to know about School Bus Safety:

  • For highway transportation, school buses are the safest form.

  • Getting on and off the bus is the most risky part of the school bus ride.

  • School bus occupant fatalities are less when compared to pedestrian fatalities.

  • All positions of the bus is not visible to the driver, children are prone to danger in this area. Hence, it is the “Danger zone”. (i.e., Ten feet in front of the bus is not visible to the driver because the driver is sitting too high to see the child. Also, ten feet on each side of the bus as well as the area behind the bus is not visible to the driver. This is driver’s blind spot)

  • The children between 5 and 7 years old are victims to bus related accidents.

Kids are Easy to be Struck because they:

  • Are impatient to get on and off the bus.

  • Have no experience with traffic

  • Think motorists will see them and allow them to cross the road.

  • Do not stay within the sight of the bus drivers.

More Rules on Safety:

  • Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

  • Be polite and respectful to others while riding on the bus.

  • Do not use chewing gum or eat candy while on the bus.

  • Avoid animals on the bus.

  • Avoid glass objects on the bus.

  • Say no to weapons and potentially harmful materials on the bus.

  • Avoid balloons, skateboards and other unsecured items on the bus.

  • Kids should always wear their I.D. tags.

  • Make sure to label clothing, bags, etc. with name, phone number and school.

  • Put all waste in garbage cans.

School Bus Safety Tips for First Time Rider

 

It is a known fact that riding to school bus is safer than riding in a personal vehicle. Yet there will be some degree of anxiety and fear in the minds of parents. First time riders as well as parents will be equally anxious about school bus transportation. They will face so many difficulties in understanding the norms and rules of school bus transportation. In the case of first time riders, everything will be new for them.

 

School Bus Safety Tips for First Time Rider

 

It is obvious that parents worry about their child if they are going to school for the first time. They worry about how their child recognizes the bus number, bus driver and how they interact with others. Once they learn their routine, school bus would offer them an opportunity for growth and independence.

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There are certain tips to first time riders for carefully handling such situations:

  • Always Try to Stay Calm

It is better for parents to remain calm. If they are nervous, it will naturally reflect on their children as well. Instead, they can tell their child how it is to travel in a bus, and stress the importance of listening to the directions of the bus driver.

  • Attend Orientation Programs

Many schools conduct orientation programs before the start of each academic year. Sometimes parents may accompany their children while they go to school for the first time. These orientation programs may help them to tackle this uneasy situation.

  • Know the Bus Stop and Route

Parents can tell the parents where is the bus stop and try to drive them in the same route the bus takes. This would give them an idea about the routes and where they have to wait for the bus.

  • Parents can Interact with Other Parents

Parents can communicate with other parents whose kids are also getting from the same bus stop. It would be particularly useful when one kid's parents are not able to monitor bus due to some inconvenience. Also, they can take shifts in bus monitoring.

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  • Review Bus Safety Rules and Behavioral Expectations

Parents can review rules that they heard in orientation programme they attended. Some of the rules to be advised for children by the parents are the following:

  1. Be seated, never walk here and there while the bus is moving

  2. Never hoot or shout inside the school bus

  3. Do not throw head or hands outside the school bus window

  4. Report to the bus driver if there is any problem

  5. Be aware of the traffic once they get off the school bus

  6. Walk several feet away from the bus so the driver could see you properly

  7. Always try to cross in front of the school bus

  8. Tell and alert the driver if they are going to pick up something near the bus

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  • Teach the Child about Go Home Rules

Teach children to tell the driver that they missed stop they are supposed to get down. Also tell them not to get down the stop unless their parents or designated adult are not at the stop.

  • Take Extra Precaution

Give the child a card which specifies their bus number, name, address, name of the guardian and phone number. Hence the child learns routine easily and quickly.

 

All the above school bus safety tips can be a great help to both parents as well as first time riders. It is the responsibility of parents to inculcate self confidence in the minds of their children. 

School Bus Transportation: Is Bullying a Serious Concern?

 

School bus bullying is a growing concern to every parents. Knowing the signs of bullying and reacting against it at the right time reduces unnecessary tensions and problems. Otherwise, bullying can negatively impact student's education. It can make them fearful of going to school.

 

School bus bullying can make a torturous experience to students rather than a fun opportunity for learning. It can be prevented by providing a supportive and positive school environment. School authorities should teach the students that bullying is an unacceptable behavior.

 

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Safest Means of Transportation

 

School bus transportation is said to be the safest means of transportation for children. Commonly, school bus is the location for bullying. This could resist parents to keep away their child from such dangers.

 

Sometimes even school bus drivers ignore such bullying and fail to report to school authorities. This encourages bullies to continue doing their wrong doings. It is the responsibility of adults to take action against such misbehavior and help those students who became victims. It can mentally as well as physically destroy the life of the student.

School authorities ignore bullying as they think it is a silly issue. But they never think about the consequences of bullying. Ignoring such issues can encourage such bullying gangs and the issues related to bullying can increase day by day.

 

Parents will be afraid of sending their children to school as they are concerned about the school transportation safety of students. But bullying can be prevented by a number of methods. Some of them are as follows:

  • Organize an Anti-Bullying Committee

Organizing an anti-bullying committee can help a lot. Such a committee should consist of a student representative, teacher, and other school authorities. Hence the victims of bullying and witnesses of bullying can easily report to them.

  • Installation of Camera

Camera can be installed in the school bus for closely monitoring the students. It can show who starts fight and who are being bullied at. Drivers can thus get constant updates on the activities of students.

 

But drivers may not be able to concentrate completely on camera as they may increase the chance of accidents. School authorities and drivers can co-ordinate together to find any kind of misbehaving from students.

 

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  • Reporting to Authorities

When bullying is reported at the right time, it can be avoided to an extent. Most of the time, students fail to report bullying at the right time. Hence authorities may not be able to take action against the students who misbehave.

  • Avoid Bullies

It is a kind of silently solving the issue. Try to ignore the bullying ones. When they feel they are ignored, they naturally stop bullying. Being polite to a bully can make them think about his or her actions.

  • Conduct Awareness

School authorities can conduct awareness programs regarding bullying and its effects. This can discourage the students who are bullying and they will also be able to understand the aftereffects of bullying. This will help the school authorities to maintain a good environment in school transportation.

 

Indeed, school bus bullying can cause a devastating effect on students. It can affect a student's mental as well as physical health. Students who are bullied can undergo physical symptoms such as head ache, depression, sleeping deficiency etc.

 

They may also be afraid to go to school, lose interest in school, have trouble in concentrating and become academically poor. Sometimes even suicidal thoughts can come across the minds of bullying victims. Hence school bus bullying is a serious concern in affecting the safety of school transportation. Parents and teachers have a great role to play in creating a bully free environment inside the school bus.

 

Why is the Driver Console App a Necessity for Schools?

 

Driving is the most risky job. And when it comes to school transportation the trouble becomes doubled. It is the responsibility of driver to control the school bus trip and behavior of students. Drivers should be able to handle multiple tasks at the same time. Their prime responsibility is to take care the school bus safety.

With the introduction of apps, the drivers are able to fulfill their duty more proficiently and they have better school driving experience. Driver console app is an excellent example for this. Driver console app is a brilliant app created especially to help and guide school bus drivers.

Bus rides can be revolutionized using the driver console. Drivers are able to have better control over each school bus rides. The next pick up and drop details will be provided to them at the right time. They can keep a close observation both inside and outside the school bus.

Here are the benefits of using driver console app:

  • helps to take attendance of students in school bus
  • can keep a good coordination with transport manager
  • can helps the drivers in routing
  • helps to execute multiple task
  • manage bus effectively and efficiently

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All these benefits help the driver in doing various important tasks easily and quickly. Apart from this, the app helps them to plan the trip or navigation. Drivers can decide the route and the number of stops in a single trip beforehand. The app provides profiles of students from each stop to the driver. Hence, there would be a proper organizing in fulfilling the driver's tasks. They can find the shortest route and thus plan accordingly.

Using the app, a driver can monitor bus speed regularly. Similarly parents, transport managers or other authorities can also keep an eye on the driver. And they can send alerts if the drivers are not paying much attention to driving. One can easily identify if there is any possibility of unsafe driving.

The drivers would get a continuous live feed of students aboard with the help of multiple cameras installed in the bus. All these live feed can be viewed by the driver using their console app. The drivers will have the ability to monitor the bus efficiently. Some of the qualities of the app include convenience, time saving and safety assurance.

Driver console plays a greater role in keeping school bus attendance. This feature helps the driver to identify who are all missing in the school bus. The app also enables to take bus attendance whenever the student board the bus. Drivers are able to get information about each student at a particular stop from the app. Bus attendance can be taken using radio frequency identification (RFID) cards. Apart from this drivers are able to interact with students inside the bus and can thus give important announcements through the app. The app indirectly helps to maintain discipline inside the school bus.

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The driver console can be a very useful app for every schools. The app not only helps to maintain discipline but also helps to maintain school bus safety. With the introduction of app, navigation or trip planning have become easier for drivers. Transport managers can also make important announcements through the audio facility of the driver console app.

By considering all the benefits together we can understand the importance of driver console app especially in an institution like school where school bus safety is given greater priority than anything.

How Does the Transport Manager App Help the Transport Manager

 

Transportation managers oversee all aspects of transportation from safety to regulation. They develop and implement procedures to minimize errors and maximize productivity and profits. They play a vital role in ensuring school bus safety.

If you are a transport manager, your primary responsibilities would include     overseeing school transportation, managing the operational aspects of school transportation, plan and implement budgets of school transportation, ensure     school bus safety, establishing quality transportation services, supervising the scheduling of school bus, and basically everything concerned with student transportation, including their safety.

By using the Transport manager app, it can be easier for you to manage your responsibilities efficiently.

Some of the benefits of transport manager app are:

Tracking the Bus

The transport manager can track the bus with the help of transport manager app. And also drivers can easily schedule the school trip with the app.

Communicate with the Driver

Transport     managers can communicate with the driver. Mobile device can be connected to speakers for getting sound output. Contact details of the students will be available for the driver.

Stay Organized

Transport manager app can help you stay organized. Its ability to track student bus activity ensures

Transportation managers oversee all aspects of transportation from safety to regulation. They develop and implement procedures to minimize errors and maximize productivity and profits. They play a vital role in ensuring school bus safety.

If you are a transport manager, your primary responsibilities would include overseeing school transportation, managing the operational aspects of school transportation, plan and implement budgets of school transportation, ensure school bus safety, establishing quality transportation services, supervising the scheduling of school bus, and basically everything concerned with student transportation, including their safety.

By using the transport manager app, it can be easier for you to manage your responsibilities efficiently.

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Some of the benefits of transport manager app are:

Tracking the Bus

The transport manager can track the bus with the help of transport manager app. And also drivers can easily schedule the school trip with the app.

Communicate with the Driver

Transport managers can communicate with the driver. Mobile device can be connected to speakers for getting sound output. Contact details of the students will be available for the driver.

Stay Organized

Transport manager app can help you stay organized. Its ability to track student bus activity ensures

In school transportation, it is necessary to know the number of students traveling in school bus, what are their whereabouts and the respective pickup points. You can plan the route and also know the real time location of each student.

Assigning Pick up Points

Pick up points can be built and assigned. Pick up points can be updated when there is any chance of relocation of student. In the app, there is special provision for updating the details of location of each student.

Taking the Bus Attendance

Bus attendance is very much necessary, especially in the case of students. It is easier to lose a student as they are ignorant as well as innocent. They would be unable to know which bus they are boarding, where their exact location is, who is their driver etc. Hence it is the responsibility of transport managers to take care of this problem. It would definitely be a difficult task for them. Transport app can make their task easier. The transport app have provision to update the attendance of students in bus. This can solve the bus attendance issue of transport manager to a great extent.

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Planning Bus Routes

There will be a pre-defined route for every transport managers. With the help of transport manager app, the transport managers can regularly update and plan the route. The managers can know whether they have changed the previous routes or whether their planned route is possible or not.

Knowing Real-time Locations of Students

With the help of transport app, the real-time location of students can be known. The transport managers would be able to know that the child is inside the school bus or not.

Transport app will not only help transport managers but also help the parents. With this app, parents can also know their child's location and their whereabouts. Transport manager app can minimize the work of transport managers and hence can play a major role in the safety of school transport services.

5 Tips to Tackle Bad Drivers

 

School Transportation, no doubt is the safest means to transport your kids. School bus drivers do a great job. They are skilled, capable and enjoy working with children. But there are some drivers, who engage in risky behaviour while driving.

Driving needs a lot of concentration and care, especially when you are dealing with children. A reckless school bus driver is a black mark for school transportation service.

While some school bus drivers drive carelessly, speeding and skipping stop signs or red lights, others might lose their temper with misbehaving kids on the bus. Some are unreliable, arriving late or forgetting to pick up a child. You're entitled to safe, reliable school transportation service, so it's essential to take immediate action if your child happens to encounter a bad driver.

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Here are the useful tips:-

  1. Call the authorities

As soon as possible contact the principal or the school authorities. Calmly explain the reason for the complaint. Provide details about the complaint along with sufficient proof. If you are unaware about the name of the driver, explain his physical description

  1. GPS

School administration can use GPS for tracking school bus in real time. There are a lot of additional advantages that comes with GPS. From unwanted idling of the bus to scheduling the right route, GPS is the best.

  1. Install CCTV

It’s the key to reality. Installing a CCTV inside the bus gives footage of the happening inside the bus and how children are treated inside the bus. Nothing goes unnoticed.

  1. Organise

Call other parents and discuss about the relevance of the issue. Don’t wait until PTA meeting to raise the issue. It’s better to start early.

  1. School Details

Attaching school details in the bus can help the passengers to inform the school if anything happens. If the driver doesn’t follow the instruction and drives harshly, any passenger can contact the school number provided in the bus.

Warning:

Under any circumstances no dangerous driver must be employed for the transportation of children.

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Things Parents Should Never Say To Your Kids’ School Bus Driver

  1. My child won't depend on the school bus, its really dangerous”

A school bus is designed to be safe. Parents should evaluate the school bus before judging it. School bus has got all necessary school bus safety measures.

  1. “My child was being bullied and you did nothing?”

Sadly parents think that school bus drivers do nothing to prevent bullying. But that’s not true. Students are given instruction to follow the school bus driver but they don’t.

  1. “Are you sure it was my kid?”

Some parents have got blind faith upon their children but that’s the greatest mistake you can do to a child. Denying their mistakes is not the right way to raise them.

  1. “I am sure, the other kid hit him first”

Even if the kid punched your child, he should report it to the concerned authority. You just cannot walk away and blame other children.

  1. Oh yes! I know he is a trouble maker

This simply means, “I know my kid is a trouble maker but I cannot do anything about it”. Be the responsible parent.

  1. What do you mean you can’t come to our house?

There are limitations for a school bus driver. He cannot make it to every house door. Drivers need a safe place to turn around their vehicle and as you know it’s not that easy to turn a bus.

  1. Sorry! I am late

Whatever the reason is, being late affects other children as well.

Why Being a School Bus Driver Isn’t As Easy As You Think

 

In many of the school bus songs and rhymes, you might have heard in your childhood, the job of a school bus driver sounds fun. But, when you read this, you will realize that being a school bus driver isn’t really a job it's an adventure!

Driving a school bus isn’t like driving a car, in terms of the size of the vehicle and the number of passengers. Also, being a school bus driver, there are many things they are responsible for. Their duties do not end with just driving a school bus.

School Transportation

Of course, it is the primary responsibility of any school bus driver to transport the students to school or to home safely and on time. They have to reach the bus stops on time. Driving during extreme weather conditions is always a risky affair. Therefore, they have to take all necessary measures to ensure school bus safety. Also, it is necessary for every school bus driver to have a commercial license to operate full-sized buses.

School Bus Safety

School bus drivers are responsible for ensuring school bus safety. Some school buses may have School Bus Monitoring Systems installed in them. But, that’s not enough to ensure the safety of students. School bus drivers must follow safe driving practices.

Some schools have a checklist that they provide to the school bus drivers. The drivers have to use the list to check the safety of various school bus parts.  This includes regular checks on brakes, tires, turning signals and mechanical equipment. If any issues are detected, the buses will be given for repair while the drivers will be provided with a substitute vehicle.

Bus conduct

Schools are always in search of bus drivers who can multi-task. They have to drive safely, watch the road and also look into the conduct of students in the bus. School bus drivers have the responsibility of monitoring student behaviour. They have to look for harmful behaviour and report it immediately. In some occasions, the drivers have the responsibility of assigning seats to students with behavioural issues.

Keep Records

A School Bus Tracking Software can generate reports on the school bus like the distance travelled, fuel consumed etc. But, there are some reports that are meant particularly for the school bus drivers to maintain. This includes reports on the number of students present in the bus, the number of times fuel has been replenished etc. Sometimes, they even have to keep a school bus maintenance log to look into the maintenance of school buses. These reports are then handed over to the transport manager or administrator on a weekly basis.

Even if school bus drivers comply with all rules and regulations and do their job with perfection, they are never appreciated for what they do. Still, the school bus drivers go on with their duties, facing every obstacle that goes their way to commute the precious little lives to safety, no matter what.