School Bus Transportation News at STN Media

Congress, Bush Administration Designate School Bus Service "Mass Transportation"

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 9/11 terrorist attacks have changed everyday life in the United States -- perhaps permanently. The change has even reached down to school transportation.

A new law signed by President Bush includes school buses under the federal definition of "mass transportation systems.". The result will be greater safety for drivers, the facilities and all the school children they transport, say proponents. This is believed to be the first time in the history of the United States that school buses have come under such direct federal purview.

The operant phrase is contained in the definitions section of H.R.3162, specifically, Section 801. "Terrorist Attacks and Other Acts of Violence Against Mass Transportation Systems" declares: "(5) the term 'mass transportation' has the meaning given to that term in section 5302(a)(7) of title 49, United States Code, except that the term shall include schoolbus, charter, and sightseeing transportation."

Recent testimony before Congress disclosed that attacks against transportation and transportation infrastructure account for 42 percent of all international terrorist attacks. It is not unheard of, for instance, that school buses are targeted with bombs, mortars and machine guns in the Middle East. One year ago this month terrorists mounted a mortar attack on an Israeli school bus, killing two teachers and seriously injuring five elementary-age school children. Just recently in Tennessee, a beserk passenger slit the throat of a Greyhound bus driver before driving the bus off the road. Ten passengers died in that accident.

"This is something that we have worked on for three years," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). "The tragic events of September 11th have focused our attention on the need to provide a higher degree of protction for the hundreds of thousands of men and women who work as bus drivers and rail or ferry operators."

By including school bus transportation, the act extends protection to nearly 450,000 school bus drivers, 24 million school children who daily ride yellow school buses, plus 350,000 people who work in public transportation, and 14 million other Americans who daily utilize public transit.

The new law was proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft as part of the Administration's broad anti-terrorism legislative package. It did not originally contain the school bus lanugage. The phrase, together withother key provisions, was added by Blumenauer following heavy lobbying by the National School Transportation Association and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Blaumenauer originally introduced the provision last year in a stand-alone bill. His proposal was resurrected and included in the Patriotism Act.

Said James La Sala, the International President of the Amalgamated Transit Union, "Passage of this legislation acknowledges the risks to which our members are exposed to eveyday on the job and will serve as an important tool to both deter and prosecute those who commit such violent crimes against our mass transportation providers."

Blumenauer's provision includes similar coverage for mass transportation systems and personnel as currently provided to airlines, pilots and flight attendants.

Under the new law, terrorist acts and other violent crimes against transit employees and vehicles may be investigated, tried and punished as federal crimes. The law also addresses the use of biological or chemical agents, as well as other destructive substances or devices, on or near mass transportation vehicles or facilities.

A person convicted under this law will be subject to imprisonment for up to 20 years, or for life if the attack results in the death of a person if the mass transportation vehicle is carrying a passenger at the time of the attack.

Offenses punishable under the new law include wrecking, setting fire to or otherwise disabling or impairing a vehicle; placing or causing to be placed any biological agent or toxin for use as a weapon on or near a vehicle that would endanger the safety of pssengers or employees. Violance perpetrated against school buses is often related to gang or drug activity, and juvenile vandalism.