DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991 Espar Bus ad_Layout 3 10/2/12 1:25 PM Page 1
MINNESOTA REQUIRES SCHOOL BUS CROSSING GATES ON NEW SCHOOL BUSES
Mandatory crossing gates mounted on new school buses man- ufactured after Jan. 1 are included in new safety requirements for student transporters statewide. Te crossing gates force students to walk further out in front of the bus when crossing the street so bus drivers can better see them during loading and unloading. Te Minnesota crossing
gates must be mounted at the right front corner of the front bumper and automatically activated when the bus is stopped for loading and unloading with its red, flashing lights and stop arm activated. To date, crossing gates are not
required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards but are left up to each state's discretion. Te National School Bus Specifications & Proce- dures manual that is ratified every five years at the National Congress on School Transportation recom- mends that all buses be equipped with the safety equipment, and the new Minnesota bus specifications adopted the recommendations passed at the 2010 NCST. Te next NCST meeting is sched-
uled for May 2015 on the campus of the University of Central Missouri. Additionally, Minnesota now
requires auxiliary fans on school buses manufactured after Dec. 31. Fans for the left and right sides of the windshield must be installed in locations where they can be ad- justed “for maximum effectiveness” and must not obstruct the driver’s vision to any mirror. Type A buses may be equipped with just one fan. Fan blades are required to be no more than six inches in diameter and must be covered by a protective cage. A separate switch must also control each fan.
CANADA ADOPTS NEW STANDARD FOR WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE BUSES Te Canadian Standards Association has published a new edition of the D250-12 stan-
dard to introduce new requirements for school buses designed to be wheelchair accessible. When finalized, it will be adopted as both a manufacturing standard and in-service main- tenance and performance standard in most provinces and territories. Te Ontario School Bus Association clarified that the standard only requires new school buses manufactured as an accessible bus to meet the standard. Te ninth edition of the D250-12 standard may be purchased online at
http://shop.csa.ca/page/home.
...while buses IDLE away time – and money!
(800) 387- 4800 •
www.espar.com Espar’s E-Guardian Heaters...
Keeping Buses on Schedule – and Kids Warm.
See Us At Booth # 529
www.stnonline.com 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76