continuing to monitor that as well as talk to bus drivers about their experiences. Meanwhile, school bus visibility is also a challenge for Peggy
Stone. The director of transportation for Lincoln County Schools said her technology buying wish list for making the school bus even safer include lighted school bus signs on the front and rear of the bus, extended stop-arms and lighted cross-view mirrors. One bus is currently outfitted with the First Light Illuminated School Bus Signs and she has plans to purchase more. “The bus that I put them on is an afterschool activity bus,” she said. “I used that bus first because drivers are looking for buses on the roads in the evenings, so I wanted to make it as visible as possible.” She added that crossing gates, cameras, heated mirrors, electric
mirrors and outside stepwell lights, have been included in the West Virginia Specifications for the Design and Equipment of School Buses for several years. Stone is also planning to purchase more extended stop arms from BusGates because she said they are lightweight, easy to install and very bright. She said drivers and parents all love them. She will also be purchasing more light- ed cross view mirrors. “The illuminated school bus signs on the front and rear will
go into effect later this school year,” she said of an update to the West Virginia specs. “This means that every bus ordered after that date will come equipped with that equipment.” IC Bus announced in March that First Light Illuminated School
Bus Signs and Fully Illuminated Stop Arms are standard on the Next Generation IC Bus Electric CE Series school buses. The solu- tion will extend to all CE Series buses in August. Ben Elkins, assistant director of transportation for North
Thurston Public Schools in Washington, said a technology that has really improved safety in his county is RFID cards that scan students on and off the bus. He said schools sites are also using the cards for library and food services, with plans to extend their use cases. “We know when [students] come on board the bus, when they
leave the bus, and then the parents have an app that they can get that notification as well, so they know that their kiddo went to school, that they didn’t skip,” he said of the SmartTag system. “And they can also know when they’re coming home, about what time they’re going to be at the bus stop, or what time they got to school.” In addition to illuminated school bus signs, Stone in West
Virginia added that she believes crossing gates push the stu- dents out further from the bus, making it easier for the driver to see them in entirety from their feet to their heads. The National Congress on School Transportation was scheduled to debate the inclusion of crossing gates and stepwell lights as standard
Peggy Stone, director of transportation for
Lincoln County Schools in West Virigina, said she was shocked some of following equip- ment aren’t already standard nationwide. • Crossing Gates: Help the students in staying away from the front area of the bus (standard in West Virginia).
• Cameras: Protect the students and the drivers (standard in West Virginia, stop arm cameras are also required).
• Heated Mirrors: Should be standard in colder areas.
•
Electric Mirrors: Make it easier for driv- ers to adjust their mirrors.
• Back-up Monitor/Camera: Make it eas- ier to see the blind spots behind the school bus.
• Outside Stepwell Light (or porch light): Illuminate the area outside the load- ing door for the students (standard in West Virginia).
• LED Headlights: Brighten the way for the drivers on those dark mornings and nights.
• Fog Lights: Drivers need all the help they can when its foggy (option in West Virginia).
• Under-the-hood Lights: Come on when the hood opens, which would assist the driver in being able to see during their early morning pre-trips, as well as brighter back-up lights to assist when reversing in the dark.
Selecting technology is only half the battle. Reviewing data and making safety decisions based on real outcomes is the other half. Read more about HopSkipDrive’s Routewise AI technology at
stnonline.com/go/m9.
46 School Transportation News • MAY 2025
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