Bus Stop and Bus Safety Tips for Parents and Students

It’s that time of year again, when the streets are no longer packed with tourists rushing to get to the beaches, but with school buses instead!

These tips come from a Patch reader, who has been a bus driver for almost 40 years, as well as from the National Safety Council.

• Bus drivers that have new children on their routes may not be familiar with your house number. Parents may want to consider whether their house number is visible from both directions that the bus may approach their home. Homeowners may want to trim back any flowers, trees, or shrubs as needed that may block the house number.

• Have your child(ren) stand outside where they can be seen. Our Patch reader/bus driver says, “No matter how hard we try, we cannot see through your doors!” This may be an inconvenience to parents and children on a rainy or cold day, but it makes the bus driver’s job much easier, and helps keep students on time with getting to school- and parents getting to work.

• Be outside at least 10 minutes prior to the expected pick up time, and be patient. The first day of school is exciting, and many parents take pictures of their student boarding the bus for the first time.

• Every student must wear a seat belt, every time. The bus will not move until the students are all buckled in.

• All parents should be at the bus stop location at 10 minutes before dismissal time. “If some students are not on the bus, your child could arrive a bit earlier than you expect. This is also true if we need to alter the route for construction or police activities along our planned route,” our bus driver advised. If there is not a parent or guardian waiting for your child at the bus stop, school policy may require the student to be returned to school.

• Parents should have the phone numbers for the school, the school transportation office, or the contractor office, and also post them at home for others, like grandparents or babysitters, to have access to. Parents and students should also know the name of the bus driver and bus company to make sure that they always get on the right bus.

• Written permission is mandatory, signed by the school office, for anyone other than a parent, to remove a student from the bus. ”If one parent has taken your child for six months and I do not recognize parent two, I will ask for ID,” our Patch reader/bus driver said.

• Where available, walk to the bus stop or wait for the bus on the sidewalks and stay away from the street.

• Students should remain alert at all times. Students should avoid listening to MP3 players, texting, talking on cell phones, or playing handheld video games because they won’t be aware of what’s happening around them.

• Students should not wear sweatshirt hoods up while walking to and from the bus stop; it makes it difficult for them to see and hear.

• Make sure the driver can see you at all times by staying 12 giant steps away from the outside of the bus, and avoid standing near the back of the bus or the wheels of the bus.

• Students should wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before they get on or before they stand up to get off.

These tips will help ensure that the driver, parent, and student all have a safe and enjoyable experience!

To read more safety tips, go to: http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/SafetyObservances/Documents/Back%20to%20School/First%20Student%20-%20School%20Bus%20Safety%20Tips.pdf