Transportation

List of 10 frequently asked questions.

• How safe is it to ride a school bus?

  School buses are the safest mode of transportation.  They are seven times safer than traveling by car or truck. The School bus is designed to be safer than a passenger vehicle in avoiding crashes and preventing injury. An estimate of 480,000 school buses carry 26 million children (more than half of America’s schoolchildren) each day, rarely with any serious accident. School buses also keep cars off the road, decreasing both traffic congestion and fuel emissions. 

• How do I know if the Bus driver is a safe driver?

  Our Pine School bus drivers are highly trained professionals. They carry a minimum of a class B Air brake CDL with a passenger and school bus endorsement. We have random drug and alcohol testing. We check driving records before employment and every two weeks. This is to ensure that our drivers maintain a good driving record. We also have yearly medical exams to keep their commercial driver’s license with a School Bus Endorsement.  Eight hours of in-service meetings are required. We do emergency evacuation drills twice a year. 

• Are the buses safe?

  The National Academy of Science and the U.S. Department of Transportation agree that School Buses are the safest form of transportation for getting children to and from school.  Safety Features including the color and size of school buses, height, reinforced sides, flashing lights, cross-view mirrors. Well trained drivers. Another safety measure are the high backed cushioned seats with seat belts to protect passengers.

• Are the buses maintained?

  The bus driver is required by law to do pre-trip and post trips daily to find any defects before driving any bus. They are performed every time a bus is scheduled to leave for a route or trip. When the bus returns to be parked at the end of the trip the driver will do a post-trip to ensure that the bus doesn't have any defects. If any defects are found it is written on the pre-trip form, addressed and repaired. Buses are inspected by a State of Florida certified school bus mechanic to inspect and repair school busses.

• Why does the bus stop at a railroad crossing?

  The school bus by law is required to stop at all railroad crossings in use or not in use.  This is a prevention from colliding with a train. The bus stops with its hazards lights on before the track within not less than 15 or more than 50 feet from the rails nearest the front of the bus. The driver applies the parking brake then puts the bus in neutral. The driver will shut off all equipment and ask students to be silent. The door and window will open so the driver can look and listen for a train. The driver will make sure there is adequate room on the other side of the tracks for the entire bus. When the track is clear the door will close. The driver places the transmission in drive, releases the parking brake, continues to look and listen while safely crossing the tracks and does not stop until completely across tracks. The driver will then turn off hazard lights, Turn on noisy equipment and let the students know it is ok to talk again.

• Where do lost items on the bus go?

  A lost and found is located at the front office. The driver will check the bus after students are dropped off. We check for lost items and also for sleeping students to make sure no one is left on the bus.

• Can my child go home on the bus with a friend?

  Yes, the Business Office must be notified. They will then notify the Transportation Dept and notify the driver of any new students riding that day.

• What are the consequences for my student not behaving on the school bus?

  Most inappropriate behavior is handled verbally by the bus driver. In most cases, it is very minor. If there is a severe incident on the bus, a meeting will take place with the driver, parent and a school administrator to resolve the issue. The school determines the corrective action, not the driver.

• Are there any seat belts on the school buses?

  Yes, there are seat belts in all our Pine School buses. We ask all students to buckle up their belts before we move the bus. The students are briefed about the importance of making sure they have their seat belts on at all times while riding the bus.

• Why can’t the bus driver pick up a student on the road?

  We do not pick up students on the road. We have a designated area for pick up and drop offs. Some of our buses are not equipped with student pick up lights (RED LIGHTS THAT STOP TRAFFIC). By law, we can only load and unload students in parking areas not on the main road. Again we think about safety and the law. Students should be at the bus stop 10 minutes before departure time.