First Student Joins Effort to Encourage School Bus Safety During National School Bus Safety Week

Everyone in the community plays a crucial role in ensuring students get to and from school safely each day. First Student joins the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) in raising awareness about school bus safety and the ever-important role of school bus drivers during National School Bus Safety Week, October 22 to 26. "My Driver - My Safety Hero!" is the theme for 2018.

School bus drivers are the most highly-trained, tested and scrutinized drivers on the road. First Student invests heavily in driver hiring, training and development to deliver a ride that is twice as safe as the industry average. The company's drivers typically take part in at least 50 hours of rigorous training before driving a school bus.

More than 26 million students ride school buses each day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school, approximately 70 times safer than passenger cars and 10 times safer than walking.

"Bus safety is a crucial component of a child's school experience," said First Student President Dennis R. Maple. "Our drivers recognize the tremendous responsibility they undertake every school day. They are the heart of our organization, and they take great pride in the work they do to provide safe transportation to the millions of students and families who rely on our service."

School bus drivers at 15 First Student locations in Pennsylvania will be participating in "Operation Safe Stop" during National School Bus Safety Week. Law enforcement officers from across the state will be targeting and ticketing drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses on October 24.

First Student is also promoting school bus safety with the nationwide Safety Dog Bus Tour. Hundreds of students have learned simple safety tips, signed a safety pledge and met Safety Dog, the safety mascot for First Student. The Tour will stop at schools in Kansas City, Missouri, Belvidere, Illinois and Stratford, Ontario, during National School Bus Safety Week. For more information, visit safetydogbustour.com.


About First Student, Inc.
As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry's strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services for 1,100 school district contracts. For more information, please visit firststudentinc.com.


###