school campuses one day. They are already find- ing their way into some communities, but not without some controversy. Last year, a driverless car hit and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, an academic
researcher recently received City Council ap- proval to use an autonomous bus to transport senior citizens along a short route to a nearby YMCA. An operator will be onboard to take over vehicle controls, if necessary. More germane to the school bus industry,
NHTSA shut down a pilot project by Transdev last fall that NHTSA claimed had inappropri- ately used an autonomous shuttle to transport students to a Florida school. The shuttle was originally designed to demonstrate how driv- erless shuttles operate in a sustainable planned community, with a company representative al- ways present in the vehicle to take over controls. But Transdev took the concept too far, NHTSA
said, by painting a shuttle to resemble a school bus. It was complete with horizontal black lines painted down the sides to mimic the rub rails and affixed the word “school” to the front.
Matthew Lampert is also an attorney with
Rivkin Radler, LLP. He said he believes a driver- less bus is a very bad idea for a school district. “While bus drivers may bring the risk of neg- ative issues, such as dubious driver integrity, poor driving record or substance abuse, when it comes to the safety, protection and health of school age children and students, no consider- ation is more paramount,” he said. Lampert conceded that school bus drivers are
human and are not perfect. But technology in this context is also not a workable substitute. “A driverless bus for school age children and students, without adult supervision, would be a recipe for disaster,” he added. Mark Leetch is a senior risk control consultant
at CBIZ, Inc., which specializes in accounting and insurance. Leetch regularly works with schools and transportation officials on insurance matters. “The first consideration is for school districts and municipalities to line up with ven- dors that have a proven track record and good data, in terms of any trials that have been done,” he explained. “The other major consideration
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