School bus safety programs begin Monday

With more than 2,200 students riding in school buses each day, the Enterprise City Schools Transportation Department is presenting the annual School Bus Safety Program beginning at the elementary level on Monday.

Transportation Supervisor Ron White said kindergartners and first graders are targeted for the program.

“We introduce kindergarten students to bus safety regulations,” he explained. “Then, we set up a time for the first graders so we can reinforce what they have already learned from the previous year.”

White said with as many as 2, 227 students riding buses every day, safety is a very important factor.

“We have 55 bus routes and another 34 routes in the morning hours because of the high school student displacement. Averaging 2,500 miles a day for the bus fleet, we also carry 700 more students in those 34 routes with a total of 64 buses.”

White said the younger students are instructed how to board the bus, find their assigned seats, and how to exit correctly.

“We get calls from people saying that students waiting on the bus to arrive will be playing or rough-housing before the bus even gets there,” he said. “Some of the kids have been jumping around and out on the street and things like this, but we ask them when the bus shows up, that they get in line, board the bus quietly and find their seat. Their safety is what it’s all about.”

No seat belts are included in the regular school buses, but White said the newer mini-buses do have seat belts.
“The special needs and the Head Start buses both have seat belts.”

According to the state transportation report White said he turned in for 2007-2008 year, the fleet logged 457,201 miles. Additional activities for the buses also included 81,632 miles for football, soccer games, band and other activities for the schools.

This year, the State Department allotted Enterprise City Schools $94,000 more for fuel costs than last year, which was included in the 2008-2009 school budget.

“We were allotted more in fuel, but with as many routes and buses we have, the money for fuel will only last us about three to four months of fuel,” he said. “We have to report the miles per gallon we get on each bus also. Maybe the costs will adjust at some point in time.”

School Bus Safety Program Schedule
Harrand Creek Elementary School
Monday, Sept. 8
8:15 a.m.

Hillcrest Elementary School
Tuesday, Sept. 9
8:15 a.m.

Pinedale Elementary School
Wednesday, Sept. 10
8:15 a.m.

Holly Hill Elementary School
Thursday, Sept. 11
8:15 a.m. - First grade
11:15 a.m. - Kindergarten

College Street Elementary School
Friday, Sept. 12
8:15 a.m.

Rucker Boulevard Elementary School
Monday, Sept. 15
8:15 a.m.