School Bus Transportation News at STN Media

Wintertime Complicates
School Bus Operations

School districts located in areas of the United States that experience severe winter weather conditions are planning now for the winter up ahead. Cold temperatures and less daylight necessitate policies, procedures and an overall awareness of the challenges pupil transportation officials must contend with during winter operations.

When winter settles in at Minneapolis Public School District 1, school buses will be plugged in at night and mechanics will be on hand in the morning to start the vehicles prior to drivers arriving at the terminal to start the first routes of the day, said transportation director Pamela Blackamoore. Temperatures dipping down to 30 below zero make it particularly critical to have the special needs school buses warmed up prior to picking up riders who may have medical conditions. Between November and the end of March, conditions are accessed to determine whether roads are passable for buses taking into consideration wind chills that can reach as low as 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Minneapolis Public Schools transports approximately 33,000 riders on 200 district-owned and 400 contract buses. The district fleet logs 2.1 million miles a year while the contract buses travel across 4.8 million miles annually.

In-service drivers’ meetings teach hazardous winter driving conditions such as snow and black ice, proper braking procedures for icy road conditions, safe school bus stops, and idling policies. More time is allowed to navigate routes during the winter months, and during exigent circumstances such as slippery roads and serve wind chill, busing boundaries may be abandoned in favor of dropping students offer closer to home.

“This information is vital for safe operation of school buses,” Blackamoore said. “Several months pass after winter is over, and drivers need to be reminded to adjust their driving style when the weather worsens.”

Minneapolis Public Schools and many other districts across the country observe bus idling regulations while keeping in mind weather restrictions. At MPS, that means idling for no longer than three minutes in a loading zone when temperatures exceed 25 degrees. In temperatures between zero and 25 degrees Fahrenheit, bus drivers may idle engines as necessary for up to 15 minutes to provide warmth for themselves, passengers, and to prevent windows from fogging. Minneapolis Public Schools have no restrictions on idling when the temperature is below zero.

Exceptions to the idling regulation are made for lift buses loading multiple wheelchairs, school buses transporting medically fragile students needing continuous warmth, buses that may not restart due to mechanical malfunctions, situations that require operation of the headlights and four-way flashers for visibility purposes, and emergencies.

An STN idling survey found that approximately 48 percent of 25 survey takers operate in states that have anti-idling regulations governing school buses.

“State policy recommends buses waiting at schools idle no longer than five minutes,” said a Kentucky respondent. “(The) state is currently piloting supplemental heaters to address weather concerns.”

Maryland also has a five-minute limit on idling time with exceptions made to operate during traffic conditions; utilize heating, cooling, or auxiliary equipment; to bring the vehicle to the manufacture’s recommended operating temperature; or when it is necessary to accomplish the intended use of the vehicle.

The Michigan Department of Education adopted best practices addressing school bus emissions stating that idling must be kept to a minimum. When buses are at a school site of waiting to load or unload students, the engine is to be immediately turned off and restarted only when ready to leave the site. As with most every state operating with an idling policy, exceptions are made in Michigan for special needs buses and other specialized equipment.

At the Caribou School Department in Maine, wintertime operations are in affect from mid November to May. Procedures call for bus drivers to check all lights for snow and ice buildup, said transportation coordinator Wayne St. Pierre. January and February are historically the coldest months in Caribou with temperatures dipping to 40 below zero, with a wind chill factor of 70 below.

Bus drivers are also required to be able to install tire chains on the district’s 17 school buses. Approximately 1,600 students are transported daily across 200,000 miles each year in the Caribou district.

“Safety is always a concern when transporting students, but winter conditions make transportation that much more difficult,” St. Pierre said. “The dedication of our drivers and mechanic to the safety of the students — that is what makes it possible for our district to operate a safe and functional fleet.”

Covering 89,000 square miles and eight villages north of the Arctic Circle, North Slope Borough School District in Barrow, Alaska, is the largest and northernmost school district in the U.S. Considered to be a hazardous community, the district’s 1,860 riders and 20 bus drivers must contend with polar bears and temperatures that hit 57 degrees below last year, 80 below factoring in wind chill.

Despite extreme cold and constant darkness from October to January, transportation manager Linda Janousek remembers only twice in the past 17 years when bus operations stopped. However, after realizing that bus venders don’t typically test school buses past 30 below, this year the 19 school buses will be taken off the road when temperatures dip to 40 below.

“Lights quit working. Brakes freeze up. Power steering freezes up. The wires get so cold they snap and break,” Janousek said. “It is too cold on the buses.”

North Slope must also contend with exceptional wear and tear on buses due to lack of any paved roads. And to complicate matters further, new buses and parts come into the district only on an annual barge in August or with costly and infrequent trips to Fairbanks.

“For the conditions we operate in, we do an excellent job,” Janousek said. “Nothing stops us from going.”