Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood made true on a promise made to student transportation industry representatives by posting a blog last week that spelled out why school buses are important to the success of students nationwide.
The student transportation industry for the past couple of years has stepped up its efforts to garner more support of school bus operations from the federal level. In February, LaHood attended an American School Bus Council “Love the Bus” event at an elementary school in Takoma Park, Md. Then, last month, he spoke before members of National School Transportation Association at the annual convention in Baltimore. His July 28 blog posting reminded motorists how integral school buses are to educating the nation’s school children.
LaHood wrote:
“It’s difficult to believe it, but in less than a month, our local roadways will once again be populated by yellow school buses, moving America’s most precious cargo to and from schools and neighborhoods. The folks who provide that essential service are not just carting passengers back and forth; they are connecting America’s children with all of the great opportunities that come from the chance to learn, grow, and succeed at school.”
For millions of students that success hinges on what LaHood called a positive experience getting to school. In addition to pointing out the inherent safety of school buses, he also mentioned environmental benefits of new diesel standards for buses, which make them 98 percent cleaner than 20 years ago, and that school buses help to remove more than 17 million cars each school day that clog the nation’s roads.
The blogging effort comes in advance of a national school bus public awareness campaign funded by NHTSA and scheduled to begin this fall.
