According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, school buses are one of the safest vehicles on the road with millions of school children taking them each day. However, there is more that can be done to make sure our kids get to and from school safely.
As National School Bus Safety Week is wrapped up, David Christopher, executive director of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, told Capital Tonight that despite a slow rollout, cameras that have been installed on bus stop signs have helped address safety concerns but haven’t completely eliminated them.
Back in 2019, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation allowing local governments to install cameras on school bus stop signs. Christopher said an estimated 50,000 drivers pass a stopped school bus with its sign out every day. That number balloons to a whopping 41 million a day when you look at the country as a whole. The cameras have helped reduce recidivism rates but have not completely eliminated the problem.
There are severe penalties for drivers who pass a stopped bus that is picking up or dropping off a student in New York state. A first-time conviction of the offense results in a fine of at least $250 and/or 30 days in jail. Repeat offenders could see that fine go up to $1,000 and/or three months in jail. Five points are added to the driver’s license with each conviction. Eleven points are needed to have your license suspended in New York.
Like every other sector of the economy, there is a shortage of school bus drivers with schools using “every option they can," according to Christopher, to attract new recruits. Christopher said schools are offering stronger hourly rates and benefits packages to get new hires.
In an effort to reach the state’s climate goals, all new school buses in the Empire State will need to be electric by 2027 and all buses will need to be zero emissions by 2035. Christopher said this will add $1.5 billion to the amount they currently spend to purchase new buses and there will be additional costs to make sure the infrastructure is there for these new buses. Christopher argues that the state will need to devote more resources to schools so they can cover these costs and meet the stated goals.