Why Bus Driver Safety Training Is Important

Bus driver safety training is crucial if your work involves transporting children or adult passengers or groups of people from one place to another. Whether it’s a school bus, transit bus, paratransit vehicle, or private coach, the safety of passengers is an enormous responsibility. Accidents can cause tragic injuries or even deaths. They can also cost your company, municipality, or school district thousands–even millions–in damages and increased insurance and worker’s compensation premiums, not to mention the cost to your reputation and loss of the public’s trust. 

For these reasons, it is important to not only comply with but also to exceed mandated bus driver safety training standards. Creating an overall culture of safety starts with commitment from leadership and choosing transit training courses that instill real behavioral change. Not only does comprehensive and continually updated training result in the safest outcomes for drivers, passengers, and the public, but it saves cities, school districts, and private coach companies money in the long run.

Requirements For Becoming a Bus Driver

Driving a bus or other public transportation vehicle is a big responsibility. Understandably, applicants must undergo a rigorous screening and application process to be hired in such positions.

School Bus Drivers 

If you want to drive a school bus in the State of Ohio, there are several qualifications you must fulfill. First, you must have a high school diploma (or the equivalent). You must also complete the Ohio Department of Education’s school bus driver training program. A commercial driver's license (CDL) with a passenger endorsement is also required (since, of course, it is people you will be driving around, not boxes or cargo). Once these criteria are met, aspiring school bus drivers can apply to the district or districts they’d like to work in (if they haven’t done so already). School districts perform criminal background checks, driver record checks, and screenings for drug and alcohol use.

Transit and Paratransit Drivers 

Driver requirements from local transit authorities as well as private charter transit companies vary, but in general, the minimum standards are similar for school bus drivers: A high school diploma (or equivalent), a CDL with passenger endorsement, a good driving record, a training course, and medical exams/screenings. 

Reasons To Update and Upgrade Transit Training Courses

The minimal requirements required to legally operate transit vehicles are just that: minimal. To create the best possible outcomes when it comes to safety, efficiency, driver friendliness, and keeping buses on schedule, additional training is needed. In choosing a training program for transit and paratransit drivers, start by first choosing one that meets FTA (Federal Transportation Administration) and FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) standards. Such programs are available from established driver training providers like TAPTCO. These operations provide comprehensive, systematic, and integrated training courses, with the belief that good training focuses not just on classroom instruction and memorization, but also on changing drivers’ behaviors and habits and making them full participants in your culture of safety. This is the proven way to avoid accidents and keep passengers, drivers, and the public safe.

Providing ongoing training with the most up-to-date materials has been shown to result in fewer:

• Accidents
• Missed runs
• Lost drivers
• Late pickups
• Breakdowns

Important Topics For Bus Drivers

If you are still relying on old VCR tapes and dull and outdated information, it’s time to engage your drivers and truly change their habits and behaviors with new training modules. TAPTCO, for instance offers several courses, including:

• The School Bus Driver Training Course 

• Transit 2020 Operator Development Course

• Paratransit 2020 Operator Development Course

• Safety Leadership Course

Thorough and effective training courses must cover a variety of topics, including vehicle training, driving in adverse weather conditions, passenger management, loading and unloading, crossing safety, ADA compliance and serving passengers with mobility difficulties, emergency procedures, defensive driving, best driving practices, and for school bus drivers, topics such as student management and transporting students with special needs. 

Nothing could be more important than the safety of your passengers and drivers. Providing engaging, up-to-date training and education for those behind the wheel delivers proven benefits.