School Bus Fleet, November 2018

4 SCHOOL BUS FLEET NOVEMBER 2018 WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM Back in the fall of 2002 I was ready to propose to my girlfriend but there was one problem I didnt have a job We had graduated from college earlier that year and now I was out in the real world ready to start a career but still looking for the right gig My girlfriends parents approved of me as a future husband for their daughter but they advised her to not get engaged until I was gainfully employed which was wise counsel I admit As a creative writing major I didnt exactly have a world of job opportunities awaiting me I knew I wanted to write but I also knew that writing can be a tough field to break into Then I found a promising job posting editorial assistant at a publishing company called Bobit I got the job and right of the bat I was given the chance to write articles among other less exciting assignments for a variety of magazines One of those publications was all about school buses and the people who operate them About two months after I started at Bobit an opening came up on the staff Over the past 16 years Ive met many outstanding folks who love what they do and have graciously shared their stories their successes and their struggles By Thomas McMahon EDITORS NOTE 16 Things Ive Learned About School Buses in 16 Years 12 Deadhead refers to the movement of a bus without passengers or to a devoted fan of the Grateful Dead 13 The requirement for all school bus drivers in the U S to obtain a commercial drivers license went into effect in 1992 14 Stop arms have been federally required on all new school buses since 1992 15 Those stop arms quite literally mean that other vehicles must stop for the school bus but many motorists dont seem to get the message 16 The school bus industry is full of people in many roles drivers aides trainers dispatchers directors technicians manufacturers and suppliers to name a few who are passionate about the part they play in safe student transportation That last point is what Ill miss most Over the past 16 years Ive met many outstanding folks who love what they do and have graciously shared their stories their successes and their struggles with me as I reported on the industry for SBF As you may have guessed by now this is my farewell address Ive taken a new job in a different field Ill be working as director of communications for an organization thats closer to where I live Its a bittersweet move Im excited about the new opportunity but Ill miss the terrific team here at Bobit Business Media and all the friends Ive made in the pupil transportation community In the 16 years since Ive worked on SBF at Bobit Ive married the love of my life with her parents approval had two kids moved to the suburbs and bought a house Those are some major milestones Our older son just started middle school so he doesnt get school bus service anymore Thats disappointing because he had just recently grown to love the bus see my February 2018 column Of course Ill still keep an eye out for school buses transporting their precious cargo each morning as I drive to my new job Although I wont still be the editor of a magazine about school buses Ill always love the bus Take care and keep in touch You can reach me at thomcmahon@ gmail com n of School Bus Fleet and the then editor gave me a shot at it At that point I didnt know much about school buses beyond the fact that theyre yellow And so with my new role as assistant editor of SBF thus began my education in the yellow bus world Here are some highlights of what Ive learned in the 16 years since I came on board 1 Most importantly the school bus is the safest way for students to get to and from school as federal statistics show 2 School buses reduce trafic By the American School Bus Councils estimate one yellow bus takes the place of 36 cars 3 School buses boost attendance by ensuring transportation for countless students who wouldnt otherwise have a reliable way to get to school 4 According to our own research there are more than 470000 school buses in the U S and they transport some 267 million students daily Thats more than three times the population of New York City 5 Before motorized school buses horsedrawn wagons called kid hacks transported students to school 6 Yellow has been the standard color for school buses since 1939 when it was adopted at a conference that would later become known as the National Congress on School Transportation 7 The first National School Bus Safety Week organized by consultant Dick Fischer took place in 1970 8 The first National School Bus Safety Roadeo was held in 1971 in Portland Oregon The event is now called the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition 9 April 1 1977 was a momentous date for school bus construction New federal standards went into efect for emergency exits roof strength joint strength seating fuel system integrity and hydraulic brake systems 10 The sign above the windshield that says SCHOOL BUS is called a headsign 11 In the school bus industry the term pusher refers to a rear engine school bus not a drug dealer