Surfing the Pupil
Transportation Industry

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
Probably the single most important web site for the school bus community is NTSA's school bus safety page.  As the key federal regulatory agency for school bus safety, it offers information on various regulations and issues affecting the industry. Although not prominently displayed on the NHTSA homepage, the link to the school bus page is not hard to find and takes users directly to the school bus safety page. Once there, users will find the helpful A-to-Z guide makes information easily accessible and navigation straightforward. The agency provides links to all school bus-related programs and materials it produces. This is not a site to be checked daily, as the "What's New" section will attest having not been updated since December, but rather for when those regulatory questions arise or when safety advice is needed. The site provides thorough access to regulatory answers and NHTSA recommendations, interpretation letters and school bus recalls.  Moreover, NHTSA's homepage provides a link to the emerging issue of child safety seats.  

DOT Document Management System
Quite simply, the Web was made for sites like the Document Management System. The U.S. DOT's DMS database contains more than 1.2 million pages of regulatory and adjudicatory information, which anyone can search, review and comment on. The objective of this site is to allow any American citizen to comment on the development of regulatory issues, including pupil transportation.  And the feds are obligated to read each comment.  Plus, the site allows anyone to read comments by anyone else. Not too many years ago, you had to travel to Washington D.C. and spend hours and hours in a library to find and study what you can do now in minutes from the comfort of your own home. Comments to the docket may be typed in a provided form or attached in a variety of files (Word, PDF, TXT, etc.).  Users are asked to register, but anonymous submissions also are accepted. Step-by-step instructions guide users through the detailed submission process. Also, "Help" and "Support" pages, including a toll-free phone number, can assist those who get lost. The "Search" function allows searches by docket number or keyword.  

National Transportation Safety Board
The NTSB site lets interested parties keep updated on accident investigations. The site is divided into five sections: Aviation, Highway, Marine, Pipeline and Railroad. Each section provides information about publications, desired safety improvements, public hearings and board meetings. Additionally, the Highway section has a link addressing child safety. Each NTSB report includes links to a report summary and a PDF document of the written report. More impressive, broad meeting slide presentations are available, complete with accident photos and accident simulation information, among other things. The reports are detailed and voluminous. Videos of accident simulations also are available in avi files, most recently for the Tennega train-school bus accident of two years ago, and several truck-school bus collisions in recent years. Clear-cut page outlines make navigation rather effortless.

Pupil Transportation Safety Institute
The PTSI site is a marketplace of industry resources, offering books, videos, courses, speakers and consultation on topics such as management, student training, driver training, PTSI's innovative Special Needs Road-e-o, and more. The site has a litany of products for a variety of industry personnel, each with ample descriptions and information. A helpful product index is an easy quick-find reference. PTSI updated its site to include a Webstore with shopping cart, and its accepts all major credit cards online.

School Bus Information Council
This site is designed for journalists who need a quick lesson in school bus transportation before writing an article about the industry. It is a good place to go for accident, injury and fatality figures. Both national and state records are listed. The SBIC provides plenty of background information on school buses, from recall reports to links to industry sources. Information reports also are available on subjects such as federal safety standards, safety tips at grade crossings and school bus clarifications. There is also a section for required school bus safety equipment. The only thing missing on this site is a true representation of the size of the industry. It continues to utilize the figure of 23.5 million school children daily and neglects to inform journalists that the children are transported twice a day plus activity trips an average of 180 days per year. A more accurate figure for journalists would be annual student ridership closer to 10 billion rides annually.

National Association for Pupil Transportation
The NAPT site provides association, membership and conference information. The site is designed to communicate with members as it lists numerous NAPT programs, such as Crisis Communications, Budget Management, School Bus Specifications, Strategic Planning and Special Education Transportation. There is also a page with links to national, federal, state, publications, weather and miscellaneous school transportation sites. A message board enables community discussions, but unfortunately is underused. The site's design makes navigation relatively effortless.

National School Transportation Association
NSTA, a trade organization for school bus contractors, provides information about its services and lobbying efforts. While the site offers some noteworthy information, such as a sample student transportation contract, most is of little depth. For example, one page, "Kids say the Nicest Things," lists children's supposedly clever quotes to their school bus drivers ("Three cheers for the Bus Driver! He's the Best!"). The site needs updating, as well, as the latest entry on the "What's New" page is from July 16, 2001. More pertinent information is available to NSTA members, however. Members can access a bevy of in-depth data, including federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The site's horizontal layout isn't as user friendly as others.

National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services
The NASDPTS site is a resource not just for state directors. Interested parties can peruse position papers, focus topics and reports and publications discussing such issues as school bus safety, diesel exhaust and route hazards. Contact information is available for all state directors.  The site also has a members-only page. A links page provides quick access to sites concerning safety, pupil transportation and federal regulations.  Somewhat hidden, though, is the vast information in the "Councils" pages. Links to four councils open to an assortment of information, including school bus facts, national statistics, child fatalities and supplier contact information. It would be nice to be able to maneuver from council to council without clicking the back button.  

Kansas State Department of Education, School Bus Safety Education
Perhaps the most interesting item on the Kansas DOE school bus safety site is the 31-year loading survey, which details year-by-year loading fatality statistics. But transportation officials also will benefit from the site's extensive educational resources from first aid to school bus evacuation. The site is primarily focused on pupil transportation within Kansas. Groups within the state may borrow from hundreds of instructional videos in the site's video library, with ordering available through mail, e-mail or fax. An online option would be a plus. Most other resources are downloadable through PDF format.

North Carolina State's Institute for Transportation Research and Education
ITRE is committed to the study and education of transportation issues, including those of pupil transportation. Research categories are not accessible off the homepage, however, as one must enter the "Programs" section of the site and then find the desired transportation category, such as pupil transportation. The URL above is a direct link to the pupil transportation page. From there, the site is divided into Routing and Scheduling; Safety; Planning, Policy and Funding; Resources; and Recent Projects. This site specializes in computer-assisted management and provides an outstanding resource for officials interested in such technologies.  

International Truck & Engine, School Bus Section
This is an informative site with much more than just descriptions of International school buses. Sections dealing with student safety, driver training, technician training and industry links give users a view of International that goes beyond merely that of manufacturer. The site offers tips and helpful hints for its products and diesel fuel use. It also has information about the company's exclusive Green Diesel Technology. And, of course, information abounds about products and services. Locating the school bus section from the homepage is fairly easy.  The e-mail contact is helpful, but a toll free phone number would be beneficial, as well.  Particularly useful for webmasters is a section containing GIF and JPEG images of International school buses.  

Blue Bird Corporation
A basic corporate site, the Blue Bird domain spells out the particulars on various company products. The site was recently redesigned and awaits the posting of additional information and detail.  How about some chassis specifications? Or bus body specifications? Or a web-based press center to keep the industry posted of company developments since Blue Bird is such a major player in the school bus industry. Finding a Blue Bird distributor is made easy with clear-cut navigation. The site also offers plenty of industry links. Perhaps most interesting is the section concerning the company's 75-year history.

Thomas Built Buses
Thomas and Freightliner go beyond products and services to deliver a useful site. Of particular interest is the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards section, outlining each code applicable to school buses. Links take users to the specific wording of each FMVSS rule. The site also has a helpful listing of trade shows at which Thomas will appear. The site attempts some fun, too, with a school bus safety true-and-false quiz (though the answers are nowhere to be found). Product information is detailed, but could be more in depth.

Transportation Advisory Services
This site gives interested parties a good handle on the various consulting services TAS provides. TAS' study of New Jersey bus driver shortages, believed to be the most extensive study ever on the subject, is available to download. Users can read about consultants, clients and projects. The section listing conferences at which TAS will be presenting is terribly out of date, though. The site is laid out in an easily accessible format.

School Transportation News
With more than 1,000 pages of industry information, stnonline.com is a key resource for industry news and information. Equipped with a powerful search engine, users can search the entire Web site in mere seconds for any topic. Navigation is easy as information is organized into key categories such as Industry News, School Bus Safety, Occupant Restraint, Head Start Transportation, Government, School Bus Safety, Special Needs Transportation and more.  An extensive news section - including weekly electronic eNews service - provides in-depth reporting and links to daily newspaper articles worldwide that deal with school bus developments. A typical month offers more than 100 links to industry news. A chat room allows users to post questions for colleagues nationwide.

Schoolbus.org
Schoolbus.org is an all-purpose site for school transportation professionals. It offers position papers from the likes of NHTSA and NTSB; contact information for pupil transportation officials in every state; administration, operations and maintenance management information; and laws and regulations. The site is organized efficiently, but a search function would be helpful. You'll also get a brief history of school buses.

Texas Dept. of Public Safety - School Bus Transportation Web Sites
Don't be fooled by the title - this isn't a site only for Texans. Among its broad range, the state department of transportation site provides a database devoted to school transportation. With nearly 100 listings of various school transportation Web sites, the database features links to federal agencies, national associations and industry topics such as non-conforming vehicles and seat belts. And should one be interested in Texas pupil transportation, plenty of links are highlighted for that, as well.

National Safety Council - School Bus Safety Fact Sheets
The Nation Safety Council site has an informative section of school bus safety facts. Unfortunately, this page is a doozy to find from the homepage. Bookmark the link above. The site offers recommended procedures for a handful of industry topics, including school bus drivers at railroad crossings. This quality reference site can assist districts and states in implementing safety measures, but unfortunately, the spectrum of topics devoted to school bus safety is limited.