MAILBAG


AROUND THE WORLD IN 365 DAYS Just read your recent article, “Routes Around the World,” in the October


2010 issue of STN [page 58]. I found it quite interesting in reading what happens in foreign countries. We as a nation take everything for granted while others take American used equipment for daily necessities. You’re the National Geographic of school transportation publications.


Keep up the good work. I will be looking for more information in the com- ing months.


Earl McMillen, National Sales Manager BESI, Inc.


OVERLY-TIRED Good article [“Higher Speeds and More Traffic Make Jack a Tense Boy…,”


page 38, October 2010] that fits well with the recent webcast series you hosted. One thought: many school bus drivers are municipal employees and thus exempt from the FMCSA Hours of Service rules. How much does fatigue play into the risk of a crash occurring on an activity trip? Many trip drivers have also driven routes on the same day as the trip/within the same hours of service without a real break. Many of them travel to the destina- tion, watch the game (in the case of sports trips) and then drive back to the home district late at night. Tey may be back in the bus again at 5 a.m. in the morning doing routes. It’s a dangerous cycle. Tis could carry even more risk if the tired trip driver was primarily ac-


customed to rural, low-traffic, low-speed driving conditions and the trip takes him/her into a more urban, high-traffic, high-speed environment that they are less familiar (and comfortable) with.


Harvey Boatman, Certified Passenger Safety Technician Vassalboro, Maine


Editor’s note — Te webcast being referred to is titled “School Bus Safety Be-


gins and Ends with the Driver.” Part I originally aired on Sept. 28 and Part II on Oct. 5. Tey are archived on demand 24/7 at www.stnonline.com/webcasts.


FACE TO FACE “I like that our routes are printed with the student rosters and


now they are also including a district database photo of the student as well. Sub drivers, obviously will not know the students for the route they are subbing for, but the identification of the child on the roster with the route is a great tool to identify students with the route, correlate with the stop and identify students who will at- tempt to take advantage of the sub and board another bus, or stop other than their own.”


— Facebook comment from Amy Wells at Springfield (Mo.)


Public Schools on a “Wire Report” article posted on STNon- line.com about a 5-year-old in West Virginia found roaming the street after getting off at the wrong bus stop


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Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, Oklahoma DOE; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant- Seasonal Head Start; Robert Pudlewski, First Student; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County Schools


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10 School Transportation News Magazine February 2011


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