LATHAM, N.Y. — The 48th Annual New York State School Bus Safety Competition, organized by the New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA), will be held on the grounds of Rockland Lake State Park, Parking Field 4 (at 299 Rockland Lake Road, Valley Cottage, NY 10989), on Saturday May 18.
The top winner in each category (conventional, transit and small bus) of this Competition has the opportunity to participate in the National School Transportation Association’s School Bus Driver International Safety Competition (SBDISC), being held July 20-21 in Austin, Texas.
“As private pupil transportation providers our number one priority is ensuring a safe ride for all of the children (over 100 million) we transport to school every day,” said New York School Bus Contractors Association President Corey Murihead. “This is a day where the best school bus drivers in the state have their daily driving skills put to the test. By sharing their knowledge and competing in this event, they become even better drivers, and that helps make the ride even safer for the children we transport on our school buses.”
Eighty (80) school bus drivers from across New York State will take part in the competition. Each will compete in a specific school bus division, including large (type C and D) buses to smaller (type A) vans. The day begins with a written exam on school bus safety at 8:15 AM and goes throughout the afternoon with driver’s testing their skills with a variety of hands-on situations from vehicle inspection, to loading and unloading students, to turning and stopping, railroad crossings and more. The field competition will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. for van drivers and 9:30 a.m. for bus drivers.
“Not only is the event extremely competitive, with a focus on student safety, it’s an incredible amount of fun for everyone involved,” said Murihead. “You can be certain that drivers that do well, or finish near or at the top of the competition, are truly the best-of-the-best. Needless to say, the competition is always a big win for student safety as well, as all of the drivers will take what they learned and apply their knowledge and skills to their day-to-driving at their respective school districts and private school transportation companies,” concluded Murihead.
For more information, please visit the events section of NYSBCA’s website, www.NYSBCA.com
About the New York School Bus Contractors Association
NYSBCA represents over 100 school transportation companies, also known as school bus contractors, to promote safe, reliable and cost-effective student transportation services in New York State. www.nysbca.com
