Transportation Management Software, bus scheduling software, school bus scheduling software, school bus management software
As school transportation offices continue to face budget problems and a lack of bus drivers, they're being forced to explore alternatives to bus transportation - such as vans. It's not hard to see why. Vans are ubiquitous, cheaper than buses, and can be more easily carpooled or shared between schools.
The problem is, vans are also far less safe than school buses. When student safety should be a top priority, that makes a switch to vans hard to justify except in extreme circumstances.
Vans Put Your Students At Risk
The issue of schools using vans rather than buses has become common enough that the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPT) recently released a statement (PDF) on the matter. In it, they unambiguously state that "using vehicles other than school buses compromises student safety and heightens the potential for disastrous crashes with student injuries and fatalities."
There are several major reasons for this:
1 - Crash and fatality numbers
Statistically speaking, school buses are probably the single safest form of ground transportation available. Going by the numbers, buses are approximately eight times safer than vans. Overall, the number of children who die in bus accidents is typically only around 12 per year, an incredibly low number given that millions of students ride buses every day.
2 - Vans are lightweight
One of the biggest advantages of school buses is that they are heavy. Many smaller vehicles impacting them basically bounce off with minimal harm done to the bus or riders. Likewise, that high weight makes them very difficult to tip over, so the chances of rollover accidents are low. Vans are much lighter by comparison.
3 - Vans have fewer escape routes
School buses are designed with multiple escape routes, in the case that an accident does occur. The back door, windows, and roof typically all allow emergency egress. Vans, on the other hand, usually only have a single side door. If that becomes damaged, passengers can be trapped inside.
4 - Vans are less fireproofed
School bus interiors are designed to block fires at every step. There's almost always an air gap and steel firewall between the engine and the main compartment, plus all internal materials are fireproof. None of this is typically true of vans.
In short, vans should only be used as a last resort. It would be better to explore options in shared transportation with other districts, or third-party outsourcing, than to risk student safety in vans.
BusBoss can help you optimize your fleet and cut costs, with over 25 years' experience modernizing school transportation systems. Contact us to learn more!
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