SPECIAL REPORT


LIGHTINGthe Way?


An overhead rendering of a school bus depicts the difference between using and not using LED lights, in this case integrating Rosco’s Eye-Max crossview mirror with the Bright Vision system.


LEDs are championed as the present and future of school bus illumination yet NCST delegates voted them down as a minimum standard


Written by Eric Woolson I


ndustry professionals expressed a range of reac- tions in the wake of a National Congress of School Transportation vote in May that overwhelmingly re- jected a provision to require LED lighting on many school bus exterior fixtures. The vote was perplexing, some said, because LEDs are


recognized as superior in visibility, energy efficiency, longer lifespan and flexibility compared to incandes- cent lights. With the NCST’s mission being to set safety standards, and only currently meeting every five years,


22 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2025


delegates take the added proposals seriously. Editor’s note—The NCST Steering Committee is currently debating the frequency of NCST. A decision is expected this spring. During the 17th NCST in Des Moines, Iowa, state trans-


portation directors and industry professionals convened to determine new recommended specs and minimum standards across the industry. Forty-eight states were represented by a total of 265 delegates. North Dakota, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia were absent. Proposal 25 to require LEDs on “all exterior body/


PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSCO VISION SYSTEMS


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