Pupil Transportation

Overview

Why School Bus Transportation?

The state's fleet of 3,167 Yellow School Buses provides safe and environmentally friendly transportation to 201,578 children every day.

Studies conducted by the American School Bus Council indicate:

Over $40 million are saved annually by transporting our Utah school children on school buses.
Over 11 million gallons of fuel are saved each year, with over 86,000 fewer vehicles on the road each day in Utah.
With each bus replacing 36 vehicles, traffic congestion is reduced and harmful particulate matter is reduced by thousands of pounds!
Nationally for every 32,500 children transported, one life is saved each year. In Utah, that is at least six lives saved each year!

Red Light Violations

While school buses remain the safest way for students to get to and from school, students who ride in buses are most vulnerable when they are outside the bus in the danger zone. Each year Utah school bus drivers participate in a one day study of school bus stop arm moving violations. In a single day, over 900 vehicles pass stopped school buses with their lights flashing as student are getting on and off the buses. That's approximately 160,000 school bus stop violations throughout the school year.

National Stop Arm Violation Count
(External Web Content)National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)

Utah State Legislature:

Best Practices

Best Practices for Implementation of Physical Assessment Standard for School Bus Drivers and School Bus Attendants(PDF File)

Best Practices for Passenger Behavior Management on the School Bus(PDF File)

Best Practices for School Bus Driver Instruction(PDF File)

Best Practices in School Bus Driver Recruiting(PDF File)

Commercial Driver Third Party Testing Requirements and Best Practices(PDF File)

District Pupil Transportation Operations Evaluation Criteria(PDF File)

Safe and Alert Utah School Bus Drivers(PDF File)

School Efficiency Measures

Resources

General

2019 Utah Pupil Transportation Directory(PDF File)

A1 Reporting Planned Bus Capacity Utilization Chart(PDF File)

American School Bus Council(External Web Content)

National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT)(External Web Content)

Pupil Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Policies and Procedures(PDF File)

Pupil Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Policies and Procedures: Supervisor Supplement Handbook(PDF File)

School Bus Idling Standards(PDF File)

Utah School Bus Driver Instruction Local Education Agency (LEA) Requirements(PDF File)

Alternatives to School Bus Transportation

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center(External Web Content)

Safe Routes(External Web Content)
National Center for Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes Utah(External Web Content)

Starting a Walking School Bus(External Web Content)

Statutory Authority for School Bus Transportation

Pupil Transportation is under authority of Title 41 of the Utah Code (Department of Transportation). This statute, at §41-6-115, states "...The Department of Transportation by and with the advice of the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Safety shall adopt and enforce regulations not inconsistent with this chapter to govern the design and operation of all school buses when owned and operated by any school district or privately owned and operated under contract with any school district, or privately owned for use by a private school in this state, and such regulations shall by reference be made a part of any such contract with a school district or private school. Every school district, or private school, its officers and employees, and every person employed under contract by a school district shall be subject to said regulations." Regulations contained herein are applicable to public schools and all operations under the jurisdiction of the State Board of Education. For standards or regulations applicable to private schools, refer to the Utah Code or regulations adopted by the Department of Transportation through Utah's Rule Making Act and published as a separate document.