CINCINNATI – More than 26 million students and their families trust school bus drivers to provide safe and reliable transportation every school day. First Student joins the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) in raising awareness about school bus safety during National School Bus Safety Week, October 21 to 25. “My School Bus, The Safest Form of Student Transportation!” is the theme for 2019.
Riding a bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are approximately 70 times safer than passenger cars and 10 times safer than walking.
School bus drivers are the most highly-trained, tested and scrutinized drivers on the road. First Student invests heavily in driver hiring, training and development to deliver a ride that is about twice as safe as the industry average. The company’s drivers typically take part in at least 50 hours of rigorous training before driving a school bus.
“At First Student, we recognize the tremendous amount of trust school districts and parents place in us to deliver the best start and finish to the school day,” said First Student President Paul Osland. “Our drivers, monitors, technicians and location teams are focused every day on ensuring students travel to and from school safely. Because of their commitment, they have created a safety culture at First Student that is second to none.”
School bus drivers at many First Student locations in Pennsylvania will be participating in “Operation Safe Stop” during National School Bus Safety Week. Law enforcement officers from across the state will be targeting and ticketing drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses on Wednesday, October 23.
First Student is also promoting school bus safety with the nationwide Safety Dog Bus Tour. More than 1,500 students have learned simple safety tips, signed a safety pledge and met Safety Dog, the safety mascot for First Student. The Tour will stop at schools in Chatham, Ontario and Gresham, Oregon during National School Bus Safety Week. For more information, visit safetydogbustour.com.
About First Student, Inc.
As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services for 1,100 school district contracts. For more information, visit firststudentinc.com.