Home - STN Media

Operations

Summers County, W.V. Holds School Bus Tribute to Honor Children Killed

Seatbelts

New School Bus Safety Legislation Formally Introduced in Congress

Sign showing direction of closest electric charging station.

Green Bus

Report: Using VW Money to Purchase Diesel Buses is a ‘Wasted Opportunity’

Drivers

73-Year-Old School Bus Driver Performs CPR, Saves Woman’s Life

Technology

NHTSA, FMCSA Invite Input on Testing Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems

Latest News

The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C.

Manufacturing

German Automotive Manufacturer Fined for Role in Volkswagen Emissions Fraud

A federal court in Detroit sentenced a German company to pay a $35 million criminal penalty for its role in the Volkswagen diesel emissions...

$The bipartisan Miranda Vargas School Bus Driver Red Flag Act (Miranda’s Law) was formally introduced in the House of Representatives to ensure real-time driver background checks and that states receive the information in a timelier fashion. The bipartisan Miranda Law would require automatic notifications of driver violations to school districts and school bus companies within 24 hours, so they can take immediate action to keep unsafe drivers off the road and away from our children. It would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to create an employer notification service, or ENS, and make it mandatory for all school bus drivers across the nation. The bill would require any employer of school bus drivers to participate in the service. Miranda’s Law would also require states to use the ENS to qualify for federal-aid highway funds. When a school bus driver has any driving infraction beyond a parking ticket, Miranda's Law would send an alert to school districts or school bus companies within 24 hours. An ENS, the bill states, gives employers real-time, automatic notifications when a bus driver’s license status changes because of a moving violation conviction, crash, license suspension, or other triggering event. Last May, a crash involving a Paramus Board of Education school bus that was transporting students from East Brook Middle School during a field trip killed 10-year-old Miranda Vargas and teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy. The incident, allegedly caused when the school bus driver attempted a U-turn across multiple lanes of traffic on Route 80, shined a spotlight on what the legislators called flaws in school bus driver oversight. The driver of the bus was found to have had more than 14 license suspensions at the time of the crash. The group of legislators who introduced Miranda’s Law on May 23 said the issue is not limited to New Jersey. Instead, lack of oversight is occurring nationwide, they argue. The National Transportation Safety Board also found a lack of driver oversight caused fatal school bus crashes in Baltimore and Chattanooga, Tennessee in December 2016. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Elise Stefanik (NY), Tom Reed and Thomas Suozzi (NY), Steve Cohen (TN), Dan Kildee (MI), Elijah Cummings (MD) and Albio Sires (NJ). Current federal regulations require school districts and bus companies check their employees’ driving history records annually. But if a driver fails to self-report a traffic violation or license suspension, it could be up to 364 days before a school district or school bus company receives that information. The legislators said research has shown that only 50- to 80 percent of commercial drivers actually self-report violations. Suspended drivers across all vehicle types have a crash rate 14 times higher than other drivers. “We must strengthen background checks on school bus drivers to protect our children from those, like the driver who drove Miranda’s bus, who have no place getting behind the wheel,” said Gottheimer. “We are here to help turn tragedy into hope for other children and families. I’m glad that Miranda’s father, Joevanny, will be joining me in Washington this spring to tell his story to members of Congress on why our communities so desperately need this school bus safety legislation. Miranda’s Law will help save lives, and there’s nothing partisan about that.” Miranda’s Law builds off a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) pilot program to implement a robust nationwide employer notification service, with each state required to use the service. It’s cost-effective. Following a feasibility study demonstrating that ENS would pay back at 15:1 and pay for itself in less than a year, DOT ran a pilot program in Colorado and Minnesota, which demonstrated that “a nationwide employer notification service was needed and could have significant safety and monetary benefits for motor carriers.”$

Miranda’s Law Formally Introduced in U.S. Congress

EPA Sets New Diesel Emissions Reduction Act School Bus Rebates

New Jersey Senate Bill Introduces $10M Electric School Bus Program

New Cypress-Fairbanks ISD buses purchased with bond money.

Houston Bond Measure Illustrates Growing Voter Appetite to Fund Student Transportation

Wire Reports

Texas School District is Replacing One-Fourth of its Fleet with Propane

School bus with stop arm deployed and LED lights flashing.

Two Students Struck After High School Student Illegally Passes School Bus

Evidence of the fire’s intensity is displayed by the Kansas City school bus hood, in this screen capture from a Fox4 broadcast.

Kansas City School Bus Catches Fire, 3 Students Escape Uninjured

Goodhall was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failing to yield.

School Bus Driver Charged After Fleeing Fatal Incident

The bus was hit and turned on its side after a crash in Albemarle, North Carolina.

School Bus Struck and Turned on its Side in North Carolina

Lillian Waldron is pictured with wounds and bruises after another girl was biting her while sitting on the school bus. (Photo courtesy of WBAY.com.)

Special-Needs Student Bitten On Green Bay School Bus

School Bus Cameras Could Be Coming to New York

The student fell down the school bus stairs.

Autistic Student Falls Out of School Bus In Florida, Teacher Charged

Special Report

School bus driver Gary Wozniak of Koch Bus hands a student a “Success Ticket” as part of a Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports program used for student transportation at Intermediate District 287 near Minneapolis. Also pictured, (left) is Laury Force, a job coach at Ann Bremeer Education Center, and (far right), Transportation Manager Amy Tiedens.

The Impact of a Simple Smile

The school day starts the minute the child leaves his or her home and boards the school bus. The bus driver, then, has the...

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a board meeting on June 18, 2019, to determine the probable cause of the fatal, Dec. 12, 2017, Oakland, Iowa, school bus fire. (Source: Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.)

School Bus Driver in Fatal 2017 Iowa Fire Couldn’t Walk Unassisted

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold an open public board meeting on June 18 to announce the probable cause of the...

Martin Winterkorn is accused of fraudulently promoting Volkswagen clean diesel technology during over 20 visits to various auto shows while he was the CEO and chairman of Volkswagen AG’s Board of Management. (Source: U.S. SEC.)

Fallout Over Federal Charges Against Volkswagen, Former CEO Remains Unclear

In the aftermath of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charging Volkswagen AG, its former CEO and two subsidiaries with securities fraud surrounding...

Nine out of 10 school districts in the U.S. and Canada are not currently using 360-degree camera systems to detect children at school bus stops.

Child Detection in the Danger Zone

While new School Transportation News research indicates that nine out of 10 school districts in the U.S. and Canada are not currently using 360-degree camera...

Florida Community Discusses School Bus Stop Safety Amid Recent Tragedies

In this past school year, two young girls were hit and killed by motorists while waiting at or walking from their bus stop in...

Jefferson County School buses drives out of the lot.

Colorado Reconsiders Inter-District Transportation of Students

Colorado officially repealed a sneaky piece of legislation that attempted to crack open transportation between school districts last year. Still, the question of how...

Current Issue

May 2019

New school bus technology addresses illegal passing, child detection systems, student behavior on the bus and more....

Electric Buses Charge into School Districts

This content is brought to you by Safe Fleet.

A New Approach to Reducing School Bus Stop Arm Violations

Texas Districts Confirm Safety Vision’s Dedication to School Bus Industry

Making the School Bus Wheels Go Round

How Transportation Directors Find Needed Dollars Through Technology

Maine Districts Enjoy Reduced Bus Driver Shortage & Increased Savings

Alternative Student Transportation: Find Partners, Not Just Providers

School Buses Going 100% Electric? Just Common Sense.

3 Ways to Save Amidst Summer Budget Cuts

Why This Georgia District Chose an In-Ground School Bus Lift

Blogs

No Passing On Educational Opportunities

Affordable Technology Goes Back to the Future

deadly attacks are already resulting in increased risk of death in many school districts and nonpublic schools.

School Bus Security & Emergency Preparedness — Have you Properly Tested...

Roads and highways that are in desperate need of repair.

Possible $2 Trillion Federal Infrastructure Bill Begins a New Debate

Summer 2019 Diesel & Gasoline Prices Forecast to be Lower

Videos

School Bus Safety Legislation Introduced

In May 2018, a school bus crashed with a dump truck in Paramus, New Jersey, killing one student and teacher. The bus driver reportedly...

School Bus Stop Safety

Data collected by School Transportation News, as of May 17, 2019, found that 17 deaths and 56 injuries have taken place at school bus...

Event News

Mama Carolla’s was named as the “top romantic restaurant in Indiana” this year by Yelp.

Event News

Dave’s Top 10 Favorite & Most Intriguing Restaurant Choices in Indy

While attending the 2019 STN EXPO Conference and Trade Show in Indianapolis, you are probably going to want to try some local cuisine. Because we...

The Peppermill Reno Resort Spa Caldarium.

Early Bird Registration Rate for STN EXPO Reno Ends June 28

Sue Shutrump, far right, receives the 2018 Grandolfo Award from Q'STRAINT's Lisa Nippolt, center, and Linda Grandolfo.

Q’STRAINT, Sure-Lok Continue Sponsorship of Grandolfo Award at STN EXPO Reno

Dave’s Top 20 Fun, Fabulous & Positively Unique Places to Visit at STN...

Predictive Stop Arm System Demo Coming to STN EXPO Indy

Industry Releases

Navistar Fiscal 2019 2nd Quarter Financial Results On June 4, 2019

Parkview Transit Donates To Orillia’s Food Bank

First Student Awarded New Transportation Contract with Hamilton County Schools

NY School Bus Contractors Association Awards Top Drivers in Safety Competition

National Transportation Research Center to Hold First Advisory Board Meeting

National Safety Council Appoints Martin as President and CEO

National Safety Council Warns of Roadway Deaths Around Memorial Day Weekend

TransPar Group of Companies to Discuss Alternative K-12 Transportation

Digital Editions

May 2019

New school bus technology addresses illegal passing, child detection systems, student behavior on the bus and more. Read the full May 2019 issue here. Cover...

Digital Editions

April 2019

Superintendent of the year, contracting out student transportation, growing school districts and more. Read the full April 2019 Issue here. Cover Story Making Change Dr. Curtis Jones,...

Digital Editions

March 2019

Proper securement of students with special needs, fire evacuation drills and video surveillance on the school bus. Read the full March 2019 Issue Cover Story Proper...

Digital Editions

February 2019

The school bus garage issue focuses on the ideal shop, mechanic training and combating maintenance issues. Read the full February 2019 Issue. Cover Story Garage Evolution George Davis...