October 7th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

National School Bus Safety Week is held during the third full week of October each year, and this October 17-21, 2022, is an opportunity to educate students, parents, and the public about the importance of school bus safety.

              In the effort to enhance school bus safety, the ACPS Transportation Department has been working since the start of school with all pre-K and kindergarten students by presenting the “Buster the Bus” program. “This is a special program geared towards this specific age group of children and those who have never ridden a bus before,” said ACPS Supervisor of Transportation, HB Martz. “Buster is a miniature remote controlled school bus who talks with children, spins in circles, and flashes his school bus lights to provide an entertaining twist on safety.”

              School buses remain one of the safest modes of transportation; however, everyone needs to work together to help keep them safe. Students should follow all school bus rules and parents are encouraged to reinforce those rules so that children understand the expectations. “The two biggest distractions for drivers are students who are too loud and those who are not properly seated,” said Martz.

              All school bus drivers and aides employed or contracted by ACPS must achieve specialized training and adhere to high standards of school bus safety. A class B commercial driver’s license is required, but the process to obtain one has been simplified as the ACPS Transportation Department is now a designated MVA training site with in-house trainers on-hand to assist with the completion of the new DOT entry level training. Training consists of both classroom and road driving portions.

              There are still immediate openings for both ACPS drivers as well as contracted drivers. For more information, call the ACPS Transportation Department at 301-729-3773.