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Evolving Driver Comfort and Safety

Upgrading the C2’s User-Experience for a New Era of Drivers

Student safety is in the hands of school bus drivers. The more comfortable and confident drivers feel, the more safely they drive.

For the last 20 years, Thomas Built Buses has supplied the industry with advanced electronics engineered with safety prioritized in every detail. Our Saf-T-Liner® C2 was designed…

Powering Up Your EV Infrastructure: Working with Our eConsultants

As electric school buses continue to gain momentum across the U.S. through federal incentives like the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, school districts are looking for help in transitioning their traditional bus fleets to electric, including building out electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.

Building and implementing charging infrastructure can be a daunting task, with challenges…

Advancing School Bus Safety: Embracing Technology & Innovation to Safeguard Students

From Kendra Eads, VP of Engineering and Technology at Thomas Built Buses

As we gear up for the back-to-school season, it’s important to recognize the significant advancements in school bus technology that enhance the safety and well-being of our students during their daily journeys.

At Thomas Built Buses, our commitment to safety is evident in our mission and…

(Em)Powering a Greener Future: Logan-Magnolia Community Schools' Journey with Electric School Bus Infrastructure Consulting

In today’s educational landscape, schools across the country are making strides towards embracing sustainable solutions.

A prime example of this is unfolding at Logan-Magnolia Community Schools in Iowa, under the leadership of Kurtis Hinkel, the grounds and transportation director.

Fueled by the vision of transitioning their fleet to electric, the school district recently…

How Safe Are School Buses?

How safe are school buses?  The yellow school bus remains the safest form of transportation on the roads today.

 

Each school day, school buses transport nearly 25 million students to and from school. Yet, the yellow school bus remains the safest form of transportation on the roads today. In fact, riding a school bus is 13 times safer than riding in the family vehicle. And students are 70 times more likely to arrive at school alive if they ride the bus versus driving themselves or riding with friends, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

One of the primary reasons school buses are so safe is because they meet 42 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – that’s more than any other vehicle on the road! One of these safety standards is the use of compartmentalization, which is a unique form of “automatic” passenger protection with high-backed, closely spaced, well-padded, energy-absorbing seating specifically designed to protect children. This engineering concept is among the best safety innovations and is one of the main reasons that school buses are so safe – even without seat belts.

Thomas Built School Buses Are Safe

Thomas Built School Bus - School Buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school

Starting with the design and build of our school buses—all Thomas Built buses meet or exceed rigorous FMVSS/CMVSS standards. But that is just the beginning. Thomas Built’s Type C Saf-T-Liner® C2 school bus features Saf-T-Net construction, including side skirt reinforcement, extended roof bows and a welded header and rafter system to ensure maximum passenger safety. What does this all mean? Pretty much students riding the Saf-T-Liner C2 are enclosed in steel that extends below the floor to provide maximum support and safety.

And all Thomas Built Buses are secured with double-bolted body mounting clips (say that four times fast). These bolts provide superior and durable construction that protects the students riding in the bus today and also students riding in the same bus 20 years from today.

And don’t forget about the small buses. Thomas Built’s Minotour® and MyBus® are built with the strength of a full-size school bus with the added features of safety cage body construction with one-piece, skirt-to-skirt roof bows and two internal roof crash rails for rollover protection.

School Buses are Getting Safer Through Technology

School buses are built for durability and safety, and they keep getting safer and safer through technology. Thomas Built Buses invests in continuous improvements that make their school buses safer through state-of-the-art technologies and innovations. Some of the more recent safety innovations include:

  • Electronic stability control
  • Video cameras on both the inside and outside of the bus
  • Collision mitigation systems
  • Stop arm cameras
  • Student and vehicle tracking technology
  • Lane departure warnings

Many school buses across the country even have seat belts, either two-point lap belts, or more recently, three-point lap/shoulder belts.

Safe and Well-Trained School Bus Drivers

Safe driving habits complement the safety features of a school bus. All school bus drivers must have a Class B or C Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a P (passenger) and S (school bus) endorsement on their license in order to operate a school bus. School bus drivers are also subject to random drug or alcohol testing, a driving record check and the same criminal background checks that teachers must undergo.

In addition, school bus drivers have extensive training on how to drive safely, as well as to monitor and protect the students onboard.

School Bus Safety Tips -How to be safe on and around a school bus

School bus safety is very serious to us at Thomas Built Buses. School buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school, however, accidents still happen. In fact, most school bus accidents happen outside of the bus. That is why it is vital that passengers follow some basic school bus rules.

  1. Be careful and take your time getting on or off the bus.
  2. Pay attention to surrounding traffic. Look both ways for traffic before crossing the street.
  3. Make sure that the bus driver can see them at all times.

 

For a full list of all school bus safety tips, click here.

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