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Other 0.00% SAFETY
Mexico 0.03%
This section reports fatality, injury, and crash statistics for
Canada 0.78% West 12%
crashes involving school buses. While statistics derived from
Northeast 13%
the MCMIS database do not provide complete coverage for
significant numbers of intrastate motor carriers, the statistics
from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
are regarded as true population totals, and statistics from the
South 37%
Midwest 38% National Automotive Sampling System's General Estimates
System (GES), which reports crashes, are estimated for the
entire vehicle population based on a representative national
sample. Because NSTA estimates that about one-third of
school buses are operated by school bus contractors, the safety
Note: A total of 3,067 firms is represented. This chart excludes 82
firms with equal-sized school bus and motorcoach operations, 595
statistics for the entire school bus population may be approx-
firms with equal-sized school bus and trucking operations, and 2,157 imately three times as large as the statistics for contractors
bus firms that did not specify the type of vehicles operated. alone. In addition, the safety statistics include non-school
Source: FMCSA MCMIS, 2000.
buses used as school buses, which may overcount the fatali-
Figure 17. Distribution of school bus firms by ties, injuries, and crashes involving school buses operated by
geographic region, 2000. school bus contractors.
Fatality and injury data include both occupants and non-
occupants; occupant fatalities have been separated into another
bus contractor firms, the geographic distribution is much more column. As shown in Table 15 and Figures 18, 19, and 20, the
balanced between regions. number of fatalities and injuries has remained roughly con-
stant over the past decade, while the number of crashes has
increased. Further analysis of GES data from the source files
Carriers by Segment is necessary to obtain injuries and crash estimates for all years
shown in the table.
School buses can be classified according to whether they Although mileage statistics are not consistently available,
belong to fleets operated by school districts or to fleets oper- the relatively constant number of fatalities and injuries over this
ated by school bus contractor firms. Some contractors may period supports a decreasing fatality and injury rate. As a gen-
specialize in subsegments of the industry; for example, pub- eral indicator of vehicle-miles traveled, the NSTA reports that
school buses travel approximately 4.5 billion miles annually.
lic school students, private school students, and special needs
students. Although no data are available to estimate the num-
ber of firms offering such services, sources of revenue from ECONOMY AND FINANCES
these subsegments are reported later in this section. With the
exception of special needs students that require different This section provides economic and financial information
school bus equipment, many school bus firms contract with on the school bus contractor industry, including sources of
both public school districts and private school organizations. revenues, factors affecting profitability, driver compensation,
TABLE 15 School bus-involved fatalities, injuries, and crashes, 1991 to 2002
Year Fatalities Occupant Fatalities Injuries Crashes
1991 134 17 Further analysis required 22,866
1992 124 10 Further analysis required 21,436
1993 141 13 Further analysis required 27,042
1994 107 4 Further analysis required 23,802
1995 123 13 Further analysis required 28,805
1996 136 10 15,000 26,699
1997 131 10 19,000 28,099
1998 128 6 17,000 27,371
1999 167 10 18,000 29,756
2000 147 21 20,000 28,065
2001 141 18 13,000 Further analysis required
2002 127 3 18,000 Further analysis required
Note: Includes district-operated and contractor-operated school buses. Includes non-school buses used as school buses.
Approximately one-third of school buses are operated by school bus contractors.
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts; NHTSA, Report to Congress: School Bus Safety Crashworthiness Research, 2002.
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Fatalities
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
Note: Includes district-operated and contractor-operated school buses. Includes non-school buses used as school
buses. Approximately one-third of school buses are operated by school bus contractors.
Sources: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts; NHTSA, Report to Congress: School Bus Safety Crashworthiness Research,
2002.
Figure 18. Fatalities in school bus-involved crashes, 1991 to 2002.
full-time utilization, trends in school bus sales, trends in rev- Factors Affecting Profitability
enue, trends in passengers, trends in mileage, and distribution
of passengers within the industry. NSTA's The ABC's of School Busing and School Bus
Fleet's "2001 Annual Contractor Survey" cite the following
factors as current issues affecting the profitability of the school
Sources of Revenue bus contractor industry:
Figure 21 shows the sources of operating revenue for the
school bus contractor industry, both interstate and intrastate. · Driver shortages;
Public school contracts are by far the largest source, consti- · Rising insurance premiums and fuel costs;
tuting 89 percent of total industry revenue. Approximately · Student management practices;
4 percent of operating revenue is from charter bus service, · Support (or lack of support) from parents and adminis-
both interurban and local. "Other" sources of operating rev- trators;
enue include advertising, freight service, limousine service, · School district budgetary limitations;
and employee bus service. · Growing number of state and federal mandates; and
Injuries
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
Note: Includes district-operated and contractor-operated school buses. Includes non-school buses used as school
buses. Approximately one-third of school buses are operated by school bus contractors.
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts; NHTSA, Report to Congress: School Bus Safety Crashworthiness Research,
2002.
Figure 19. Injuries in school bus-involved crashes, 1996 to 2002.
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Crashes
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Year
Note: Includes district-operated and contractor-operated school buses. Includes non-school buses used as school buses.
Approximately one-third of school buses are operated by school bus contractors.
Source: NHTSA, A Report to Congress: School Bus Safety Crashworthiness Research, 2002.
Figure 20. School bus-involved crashes, 1991 to 2000.
· School district preferences based on state laws, age of · Have no criminal record involving drunk driving, drug
district fleet, desire to outsource support services, and use, or hit-and-run driving;
other factors. · Speak English well enough to read road signs;
· Pass an FMCSA written exam;
· Be even-tempered and emotionally stable; and
· Be aware of the school system's rules of discipline and
Driver Qualifications for Employment
conduct.
The basic qualifications for employment as a school bus
driver are as follows:
Driver Compensation
· Obtain a Commercial Driver's License; Table 16 shows driver compensation at school bus con-
· Pass a physical examination every two years (if trans- tractor firms by fleet size, based on School Bus Fleet's "2003
porting passengers across state lines); Contractor Survey," which reported average wages from 176
· Be 21 years of age (if transporting passengers across state school bus contractor firms. According to the survey, drivers
lines); earn an average of $12.57 per hour, but drivers at the largest
· Submit to random drug and alcohol testing; companies earn $0.57 more per hour ($12.98) than drivers at
Other -- 2%
Special Needs -- 2%
Interurban Charter Bus -- 1%
Local Charter Bus -- 3%
Private/Parochial School -- 3%
Special Needs -- 89%
Source: Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census.
Figure 21. School bus contractor industry sources of revenue, 1997.
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TABLE 16 Driver compensation at school bus Driver Duties
contractor firms, by fleet size, 2003
Fleet Size Average Wage The duties of a school bus driver typically include, but are
500+ $12.98 not limited to, the following:
100-499 $12.93
25-99 $12.52
<24 $12.41 · Inspect the bus before leaving the garage or terminal;
ALL $12.57 · Be alert when driving in order to prevent crashes;
Source: School Bus Fleet magazine, "2003 Contractor Survey." · Exercise particular caution when children are getting on
and off the bus;
· Maintain order on the bus;
the smallest companies ($12.41). The Bureau of Labor Sta- · Clean up the interior of the bus; and
tistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, 20042005 Edition · Prepare weekly reports on the number of students, trips,
reports a median hourly wage of $10.77 in 2002. However, work hours, miles, and fuel consumption.
the Handbook includes drivers working for school districts as
well as drivers working for school bus contractors.
Driver Regulations
Driver Work Schedules School bus drivers are subject to a number of FMCSA reg-
ulations. These include but are not limited to the following:
School bus drivers may work 8 to 10 hours per day and 40
to 50 hours per week. They may drive seven to nine hours per
· Hours-of-service (HOS) regulations--The new HOS
day. Their daily schedule is consistent, driving approximately
regulations that went into effect in January 2004 do not
three to four hours in the morning, possibly two hours during
the midday, and three to four hours in the afternoon. The reg- apply to school bus drivers. Old HOS regulations, those
ular work schedule is consistent throughout the school year. in effect on October 1, 2002, apply to employees of pri-
Drivers may take students on field trips, which will require vate operators, but not of government-owned operators
driving up to 10 hours and working up to 15 hours in any one (i.e., public school districts). The old HOS regulations
day. Field trips are more likely to occur in the spring, but may stipulate that a school bus driver may not drive:
occur at any time throughout the school year. Quality of rest More than 10 hours, following 8 hours off duty;
is consistent; it is almost always obtained at home, except After 15 hours on duty, following 8 hours off
during overnight field trips when it is obtained in hotel rooms. duty; and
After 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days.
· Medical standards and physical qualifications--Apply
only to employees of private operators, not of school
Full-Time and Part-Time Employment
districts.
· Drug and alcohol testing--Applies to all drivers of
Table 17 shows the average hours per week worked by
school bus drivers, including both contractor and district vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 15 pas-
employees. The average was 32.2 hours per week, with over sengers.
half working between 26 and 40 hours per week. · Commercial Driver's Licenses--Are required of all
drivers of vehicles with a seating capacity of more than
15 passengers.
TABLE 17 School bus driver average working hours per
week, 2001
Hours per Week Percentage of Drivers School Bus Sales
1-15 10.8%
16-20 8.5% Table 18 and Figure 22 show historical sales of school
21-25 12.1% buses by type, including sales to school districts and school
26-30 12.9%
bus contractors. In 2002, a total of over 40,000 school buses
31-35 13.7%
36-40 30.2% were sold, more than half of which were Type C, or "con-
41-45 4.1% ventional" buses (those with a GVWR of more than 10,000
46-50 5.1% pounds and an engine in front of the windshield). Average
51+ 2.6% prices for new school buses range from approximately $50,000
Source: School Bus Fleet magazine, "2001 School Bus Driver Survey." to $80,000.
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TABLE 18 School bus sales by type and year, 1993 to 2002
Year Type A/B Type C Type D Total
1993 6,779 18,928 6,734 32,441
1994 6,779 21,005 7,321 35,045
1995 5,854 20,861 9,671 36,386
1996 5,948 22,016 9,270 37,234
1997 4,860 22,885 9,323 37,068
1998 7,560 20,913 9,264 37,937
1999 9,496 22,485 10,077 42,341
2000 9,007 23,630 10,545 43,182
2001 8,222 20,476 9,401 38,099
2002 8,790 22,686 8,602 40,078
Source: School Bus Fleet magazine, "2002 North American School Bus Sales."
Vehicles Sold
50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
Type D
30,000
25,000 Type C
20,000 Type A/B
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
Source: School Bus Fleet magazine, 2002 North American School Bus Sales.
Figure 22. School bus sales by type and year, 1993 to 2002.
Trends in Revenue bus contractor industry, they do indicate the general market
size and growth rate. Expenditures are reported in 2000 dol-
As shown in Table 19 and Figure 23, public school districts lars and adjusted for inflation.
spent over $5.0 billion on school bus transportation services
in 2000, a 26 percent increase in real terms since 1991. While
these numbers do not account for all revenue in the school
Trends in Passengers
TABLE 19 Purchased services for public school bus Table 20 shows the trends in the number of children attend-
transportation, 1991 to 2000 ing public schools and the number transported by school
Purchased Services bus (school districts and school bus contractors combined).
School Year Ended ($ Millions, 2000) Although both numbers grew during the 1990s, the percentage
1991 4,226.162 of students transported on school buses was roughly the same
1992 4,354.965
in 2000 as it was in 1991.
1993 4,476.338
1994 4,585.510
1995 4,534.868
1996 4,653.539
1997 4,839.441 Trends in Mileage
1998 5,103.089
1999 5,321.152 Table 21 and Figure 24 show approximate trends in route
2000 5,331.349 mileage for school buses, including both district and con-
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, tractor school bus operations. The route mileage excludes
Digest of Education Statistics. Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and
