A number of elements contribute to school bus safety. One of these factors involves the school bus route. The following material provides some background information on school bus route planning.

Route Planning Factors:

* The locations of the homes of the children, who need to be picked up and dropped off,

* The ages and physical condition of the students being bused.

* The distance from the school, the transportation guidelines set by the district school board(s), and the school hours

* cost factors and the opportunity to share resources among schools, school boards and school bus operators

* The number of passengers being served and the area being serviced

* ease of loading and unloading at the designated school bus stops

* The safety of walking routes between homes and school bus routes

* The amount of traffic, the type of roads to be travelled and their condition,

* Sightlines and stopping distances at proposed school bus stops

* Other conflicting traffic factors such stop signs, traffic signals, etc.

* Seasonal considerations (i.e. snow banks);

* Safe turn-around points for buses.

When route layouts are being considered, the school bus operators and drivers can provide some valuable insight due to their hands-on experience and they should be involved in the process. The district school board transportation officer should be familiar with the physical characteristics of the route and should conduct periodic checks of the routes to ensure that safety factors are met.