ALBANY, N.Y. (6/2/05) -- A new CD ROM from NAPT espouses in video format the necessity of securing federal funding to secure school buses from terrorism.

With a half million school buses on the nation's roads transporting more than 25 million students twice daily and providing an estimated 10 billion student rides annually, pupil transportation is considered the safest form of mass transit in the country. On average about five children die onboard school buses each year, compared to about 800 fatalities each year to K-12 students riding in personal cars and other forms of transportation to and from school during the normal morning and afternoon commute hours.

"There's no safer way to get your child to school each day," said Lenny Bernstein, incoming president of NAPT, on the video "Morning in America : School Bus Safety & Security." "In a post 911 world security is equally important."

Bernstein also renewed the call for federal funding to assist schools in protecting school buses, as they are the one form of mass transportation that has yet to see anti-terrorism funding from the nation's Capitol. Airports, trains/subways, transit buses and the trucking industry all have federal training programs in place.

Mike Martin, executive director of NAPT, said the association is currently working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration to develop school bus security training and to secure funding. The video showed a school bus security exercise performed last fall at the NAPT Conference in Cincinnati that used local police and fire department bomb squad to detonate a school bus using two pounds of explosives to demonstrate the possible trauma.

NASDPTS also recently called on the feds to include school buses amongst the highest risk terrorism targets.

"I can't think of anything more emotionally devastating to our country than terrorism against a school bus filled with children," said Percy Abbott, V.P. of Safety for First Student. "But to those who hate us and our freedom, the yellow school bus can be an attractive target."

Drivers are crucial in "preventing the unthinkable before it happens," he added.

Securing school bus facilities, personnel operations and vehicle inspection are vital approaches the industry is taking to combat terrorism. The Zonar EVIR product allows the drivers to use an electronic wand to perform mandatory pre- and post-trip school bus inspections. As the drivers walk around the school bus and perform their inspections - for example below seats, the wheel wells and the engine compartment - they wave the EVIR wand across site sensors to record completion of the inspection. The drivers are also able to enter information on anything they find suspicious. The data is then electronically transferred to a central database that the school district uses to ensure inspections are complete and routine.

The video was dedicated to the memory of Tennessee bus driver Joyce Gregory, who was shot and killed while waiting for students at a stop, allegedly by a teenager in her charge.