SPECIAL REPORT


Safety Upgrade Complexities


Retrofitting existing school buses with new safety technology comes with added monetary and time costs Written by Taylor Ekbatani | taylor@stnonline.com


Rockwall ISD in Texas projects a cost of over $1 million to retrofit the 50 school buses in its fleet that aren’t equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts.


T


o retrofit means to add a component or accessory to something that was not there when originally manufactured. Sounds simple enough, at least according to new or


proposed state laws. However, when retrofitting safety technology such as seatbelts or crossing arms, there are many considerations that school district leaders need to consider.


18 School Transportation News • APRIL 2026


The Lone Star State Texas Senate Bill 546 requires all school buses trans-


porting students to be equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts by 2029. It expands upon a 2017 law that only applied to buses manufactured after 2018. SB546, which took effect on Sept. 1, tasks school districts with reporting seatbelt status and retrofit costs to the Texas Education Agency.


PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER GARDELLA


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