What Do School Bus Drivers Want to Increase Safety?

September 16, 2024

First Student school bus drivers for charter school KIPP Texas in Austin discuss training needs during a 2023 meeting. (Photo courtesy of Cynthia Rubio at Kipp Texas Transportation)

The concept of school buses as an extension of the classroom is not new. However, being onboard the yellow school bus also presents unique challenges for drivers, as they manage not only the safety of the students they’re transporting but their own safety behind the wheel.

School Transportation News asked members of several Facebook school bus driver groups what practices or training they felt would increase overall safety onboard the school bus this school year. The responses were split between technological solutions such as using GPS, stop-arm cameras and air conditioning to receiving more administration support, especially when handling student behavior and providing bus aides.

Cynthia Rubio, director of student transportation at KIPP Texas, a charter school network with campuses in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio that contracts with First Student for school bus services, stressed the importance of furthering driver safety through strong relationships with partner vendors. Rubio collaborated with Chris Olds, district manager for First Student, in responding to questions for this article.

“We have fully embraced onboard technologies that enhance safety and surround our students with care. Combining safety and care is our mindset, one that’s shared by our transportation partners, First Student,” said Rubio.

Meanwhile, Sharon Hipps oversees a fleet of 71 buses with 54 drivers for White County School Systems in rural northeastern Georgia. The director of transportation explained how the different parts of technology on the school bus at her district help to advance safety. First on the list is illuminated school bus signs on the front and rear of the bus, to increase visibility.

Drivers in the Facebook groups also commented that in addition to the illuminated signs, they want to have more stop-arms with cameras to catch incidents of illegal passing.

Hipps said another new addition has been a navigation system, which one driver in a Facebook group said he believed should be common onboard buses. “GPS/ navigation screens for us trip drivers and at the very least a dash indicator showing what direction you’re going as North, South, East, West. Standard on cars forever now. Still absent from buses,” he added.

Back in Texas, Rubio explained how First Student driver tablets not only provide turn by turn navigation but also re-route if traffic or a safety hazard is ahead, ensuring drivers are on the safest and most efficient route. The tablets also take the drivers through a post-trip inspection, which includes a child search feature to make sure no students are left on board after route completion. Several of these incidents have already been reported nationwide this school year.

One driver group member commented, “Once I leave the immediate district, I usually only have five miles before communicating with base or even other drivers close to me becomes impossible. There is simple mode on the radios, but some are convoluted to switch back and forth on. I would say, however, that having conventional radio as a backup probably would be a good practice. As far as safety goes… communication can sometimes mean lifesaving minutes saved.”

Rubio said that the importance of radio communication is often overlooked. “When drivers use their two-way radio to call in to base and report anything during a trip, dispatchers use (chat app) GroupMe as a way to communicate to multiple stakeholders. Through this quick and efficient method, we are able to raise awareness of unsafe events related to traffic or student conduct,” she explained. “This helps our schools address concerns as soon as possible. This helps drivers feel supported and gives First Student visibility in all action items taken by the school to address and amend any concerns.”

Many of the comments in the driver groups mentioned cameras as an important tool for driver safety. Hipps said White County Schools in Georgia uses video footage to “review video of driving habits and student behavior that is not typically seen while doing your route due to drivers focusing on the road and bus stop safety.”

This kind of footage review can lead to the overall safety that drivers need, as voiced by a former school bus driver on Facebook. “Support from the school administration so that students learn there are rules that must be followed for everyone’s safety,” the driver added. “If we get less distractions from the students, we can keep our complete focus on the road and the other drivers. Luckily, I have that support from the schools I drove for.”

Hipps said it is important that transportation leaders support their drivers. “We provide them the tools and support needed when dealing with student management. You are the liaison between the student, parent, administration and the bus driver,” she added. “This helps with communication and shows your employee you are there to assist them and their peace of mind to follow through.”

Student behavior is an ever-present challenge that drivers face, Rubio noted. “Safety begins with training,” she said

KIPP Texas drivers use the First Student FirstServes program, which is designed to reduce onboard behavioral incidents by using positive interventions and prevention/de-escalation techniques.

“Each driver and attendant receives hands-on training from education and transportation safety experts through an extensive curriculum, equipping them with the tools to provide a safer and improved experience for students,” continued Rubio. “These resources are designed to prevent or, if necessary, resolve incidents on the bus.”

Keeping technology partners in the loop regarding drivers’ needs is also top priority for Rubio, who said she holds weekly meetings with her team and First Student to give feedback, ask questions, find solutions and discuss points that need attention.

Rubio noted that the First Student Driver Scoring program allows for detailed documentation of driving habits, which in turn leads to opportunities for coaching and improvement. By tracking hard braking, rapid acceleration, speeding, and idling, transportation leadership or local managers can offer training specific to their driver’s needs.

“The technology has strengthened our safety culture, and the Driver Score program creates some healthy competition between drivers to up the ante with safety. We have drivers actively seeking out coaching because they want to be the best, they want to have the best score,” she said.

Sean McCormack, the chief information officer at First Student, commended the dedication of KIPP Texas on transportation safety. “Our technology and tools help drivers get where they’re going, do so safely, and improve their performance over time so that students arrive at school ready to learn and return home safe at the end of the school day,” he said. “We innovate to expand the possibilities for safe, clean and reliable transportation and we are lucky to have partners in KIPP who embrace technology, driver training and other tools to strengthen safety culture.”

A recurring theme from the over 200 comments gathered in the Facebook driver groups was the need for school administrators to recognize the necessary multi-tasking drivers perform each day as well as technology that can track the other safety issues, such as motorists illegally passing the buses and student behavior that could affect the safety of all passengers onboard the bus, including the driver.

“The administration [has] to stop looking at what the driver [is] doing and look at the situation and see what caused the problem,” said one Facebook commenter. “The driver has more to deal with other than the kids, traffic [and] other drivers.”

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the September 2024 issue of School Transportation News.