How can schools help make bus travel safer?

• Promote school bus safety (i.e. put information in newsletters).
• Ask Police Education Officers to talk about school bus safety as part of their visits to your school.
• Use the passenger safety units available on the RoadSense website. You can also search RoadSense for passenger safety lesson ideas.
• Work closely with bus operators, drivers and parents/caregivers to resolve any problems with misbehaviour on the school bus.
• Supervise the school bus pick-up points outside the school or in the school grounds.
• Discourage car drivers from blocking the bus stops outside your school.
• Give parents/caregivers and children the Safety and the school bus pamphlet.
• Look at school bus safety for your school as part of Safe routes to school programme.

Information for newletters

School newsletters can include these safety tips for parents.

Picking children up or dropping them off:

• Always wait on the same side of the road as the bus stop. Don’t call out for children to come to you from across the road.
• Discuss and practice safe behaviour on and around the bus with your children.
• The speed limit for driving past a school bus on either side of the road is 20 km/h. Always keep to the speed limit.
• Park your car out of the way of the bus or other children.
• Tell children the importance of waiting quietly and not playing games that could have them running onto the road.

Children getting to or from the bus stop on their own:

• Discuss and practice safe behaviour on and around the bus with your children.
• Make sure that children know the safest route to the bus stop.
• If children must cross the road, remind them not to cross the road until the bus has moved away (at least two power poles or until they can see up and down the road clearly).
• Tell children the importance of waiting quietly and not playing games that could have them running onto the road.
• Make sure that children are as visible as possible (wearing bright and/or light-coloured clothing, or using reflective strips or tape).

Last updated: 11 August 2005