The Queensbury Transportation Department is dedicated to transporting students to and from school safely every day. In fact, American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than in cars with their parents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Queensbury bus drivers have an outstanding safety record, which is tracked by New York state. They receive rigorous training and refresher courses each year.
A team of mechanics work to ensure Queensbury school buses reliably provide students with a safe, timely and efficient mode of transportation. The state department of transportation (NYSDOT) has rated Queensbury Schools among the best in the state with a current In-Service safety rating above 97%.
Bus safety
Students are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely if they take the school bus instead of a car. That makes a school bus the safest form of transportation for getting to and from school.
Bus rules
- Observe same conduct as in the class room.
- Be courteous, use no profane language.
- Do not eat or drink on the bus.
- Keep the bus clean.
- Cooperate with the driver.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not be destructive.
- Stay in your seat.
- Keep head, hands and feet inside the bus.
- Your bus driver is authorized to assign seats.
Parent safety
- Stay out of the danger zone.
- The danger zone is a space that extends out 15 feet all around the school bus, where a driver may not be able to see pedestrians. Practice caution and keep cars, siblings not riding the bus, and pets out of the danger zone at all times.
- Park a safe distance from the bus stop.
- Parents who drive a vehicle to their child’s bus stop should follow state laws regarding parking or standing in a vehicle. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, parking or standing is not allowed:
- In front of a driveway.
- Within 20′ of a crosswalk at an intersection.
- Within 30′ of a traffic light, stop sign or yield sign.
- Along a curb that has been cut, lowered or made for access to the sidewalk.
- Parents who drive a vehicle to their child’s bus stop should follow state laws regarding parking or standing in a vehicle. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, parking or standing is not allowed:
- Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early.
- Students should be waiting at the bus stop five minutes ahead of their scheduled pick up times. They should also dress appropriately for the weather and wear bright colors, which improve visibility for drivers.
- Allow bus drivers to tell students when to cross the road.
- Whenever possible, the Transportation Department tries to arrange drop off and pick up locations so students don’t have to cross the road. However, if a student does have to cross a road to get from the bus stop onto the school bus, please follow these crossing procedures:
- Boarding the bus before school starts:
- The student must stand at least 15′ from the road and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop.
- Once the driver has determined that it is safe for the student to cross, the driver will signal the student.
- Upon receiving the driver’s signal, the student should walk – not run – to the bus.
- Leaving the bus after the school day ends:
- Students should exit the bus using the handrail.
- Before students leave the last step, they should look right, left and right again to make sure there are no vehicles passing the bus on the right.
- If crossing is necessary, students are to walk at least 10′ in front of the bus and wait for the driver to signal. Students are instructed to make eye contact with the driver. The driver will again check for traffic and signal the students to cross.
- Once students are at the bus headlights or edge of the bus, they are instructed to look left, right and left again before crossing. If it is clear, they are to continue to walk across the road.
- If students hear the bus horn blow, they are to return to the side of the road that they came from.
- Parents should not instruct students when it is safe to cross. The bus driver will do so.
- Boarding the bus before school starts:
- Whenever possible, the Transportation Department tries to arrange drop off and pick up locations so students don’t have to cross the road. However, if a student does have to cross a road to get from the bus stop onto the school bus, please follow these crossing procedures:
- Keep students’ personal belongings in a backpack or book bag.
- Students should carry all their belongings in a backpack or book bag to avoid the possibility of dropping articles that might end up under the bus. Tote bags, book bags, jackets and hoods should be free of any dangling articles, long straps, drawstrings and key chains that may get tangled in the bus doors. Such items also may hit other students in the face as students maneuver through the bus to their seats.
- Make classroom behavior the expectation for the school bus.
- Encourage students to see the school bus as an extension of the classroom. They should follow the same guidelines for behavior on the way to and from school as they do while at school. Students should remain seated at all times until the bus comes to a complete stop and the driver releases them to disembark.
Student safety
- Stay out of the danger zone.
- The danger zone is a space all around the school bus. It extends out 15 feet. The school bus driver may not be able to see you in this zone. If you drop something in this area, leave it and tell an adult.
- Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early.
- Get to your bus stop five minutes prior to your scheduled pick up time. Dress appropriately for the weather, and wear bright colors to improve visibility for drivers. Follow these general safety practices:
- While waiting for the bus:
- Stand in a safe place at the side of the road.
- Behave in a quiet and orderly manner. Playing or roughhousing around the bus stop could cause someone to get hurt.
- While boarding the bus:
- Get on the bus in single file, holding onto the handrail.
- Be polite.
- Don’t push or shove.
- While getting off the bus:
- Get off the bus in single file.
- Don’t push or shove.
- Stop and listen.
- Look right, left, and right again before leaving the last bus step.
- Take 10 giant steps away from the bus.
- Stay away from the bus as you head home.
- If you have to cross the road, walk to the front of the bus – never cross behind a bus – and follow these steps:
- Look at the driver. Make sure the driver sees you.
- Wait for the driver to signal you when it is safe to cross.
- To be sure it is safe, stop at the edge of the bus looking right, left and right again, making sure there are no vehicles coming.
- Walk, don’t run, to the other side of the road.
- Stay out of the danger zone.
- If at any time the driver blows the horn, return to the side of the road you started at.
- Do not try to re-board a bus after you leave it.
- Once you have left the bus, never try to re-board the bus. If you have left something on the bus, have your parents call the Transportation Department. We will look for it and return it to your school’s lost and found area.
- Keep your personal belongings in a backpack or book bag.
- Carry all of your belongings in a backpack or book bag to avoid the possibility of dropping articles that might end up under the bus. Tote bags, book bags, jackets and hoods should be free of any dangling articles, long straps, drawstrings and key chains that may get tangled in the bus doors. Such items also may hit other students in the face as you maneuver through the bus to your seat.
- Classroom behavior is the expectation for the school bus.
- The school bus as an extension of the classroom. Follow the same guidelines for behavior on the way to and from school as you do while at school. Remain seated at all times until the bus comes to a complete stop and the driver releases you to disembark.