Event to Highlight School Bus Safety and Driver Training Requirements

The New York School Bus Contractors Association announced that the Association will host a School Bus Safety Demonstration Day in collaboration with Suffolk Region PTA on Wednesday, March 25th at Suffolk Transportation Service’s Safety and Training Center located on 50 Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore, NY.

The event will help parents and school officials better understand the safety features on today’s modern school bus, as well as, the safety training procedures and requirements that school bus drivers must undergo before getting behind the wheel of a school bus. The event is a collaboration between the New York School Bus Contractors Association and Suffolk Region PTA and is part of an ongoing statewide safety initiative to educate people about school bus safety.

“Our top priority as private pupil transportation providers is to ensure the safest ride possible to and from school each day for over one million children in New York,” said New York School Bus Contractors Association President, Bob Pape. “The safety demonstrations event will bring New York’s premier School Bus safety experts together to share their knowledge and skills, along with our industries best practices, with parents and school officials from across the region.”

There will be two sessions containing the same program, one from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM, and another from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM.

Each demonstration session will start with an introduction on how school bus drivers are screened and selected, along with driver training and qualification requirements. Participants will then get to experience the actual school bus driver training by going through five separate school bus safety stations, each focusing on a different aspect of safe pupil transportation.

The safety aspects covered will include school bus stop arms, on-board video cameras and student management on and off the bus, child check safety procedures and motion detectors, school bus evacuation procedures and a drivers physical performance test. There will also be information discussions regarding school bus safety legislation and advocacy.

“At the end of the session all participants will have a greater understanding of what it takes to keep our children safe on or near a school bus, and the things we can all do to improve student and school bus safety,” said Pape. “School Bus Safety Demonstration Day will also help us to continue to do what we do best – provide among the safest pupil transportation services in the country.”

The event is also supported by Suffolk New York Association for Pupil Transportation, Suffolk Transportation Services, Inc., WE Transport, Towne Bus, and Huntington Coach Corp.

About the New York School Bus Contractors Association: The Association is an organization representing over one hundred school transportation companies, also known as school bus contractors, with the primary mission of promoting safe, reliable and cost-effective student transportation services in New York State.For more information visit: www.nysbca.com.