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Comparing Safety, Services & Costs of Vans with School Buses

Friday, March 21, 2025
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM East Coast USA Time
Location: Kannapolis Ballroom
Vans and other non-school-bus vehicles are increasingly operating home-to-school transportation of students nationwide, often as a response to a lack of available school bus drivers or a student's individual needs. Some states use vans painted yellow. Some states have school bus sign with red lights on the top of the vehicle. In some states, there are no special markings on vans, some are painted any color. Confusion results for not only the motoring public but student transporters. Meanwhile, some states regulate the use of these vans and their drivers. Others do not. While vans and other alternative vehicles might be more cost-effective than a school bus, what safety issues arise from their usage? The issue prompted the National Congress on School Transportation for the first time to create a writing committee about a non-school-bus vehicle. This panel will share the perspectives of a school district and a school bus contractor that uses vans as well as a safety trainer and a former NCST steering committee chair.