Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Department of

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Department of Transportation
Rhonda Fleming – Director
THE YELLOW SCHOOL BUS
HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT
GATEWAY TO EDUCATION
The Importance of School Buses
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The nation’s fleet of 480,000 Yellow School
Buses provides safe and environmentally friendly
transportation to 26 million children every day
State of North Carolina
North Carolina operates 13,877 school buses
daily providing transportation to
772,423 students
Averaging over 56 students transported on
each NC School Bus
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools:
Operates 359 School Buses
Transporting 29,496 students each day
Providing service to 74 different schools
Averaging over 82 students per school bus
The Importance of School Buses
Competition for other educational resources
presents a significant challenge
The Importance of School Buses
The National Academy of Sciences,
U.S. Department of Transportation and other
authorities agree school buses are the safest
form of transportation for getting children to and
from school
The Importance of School Buses
Unfortunately, a significant portion of children get
to and from school by riding in individual
passenger vehicles
As the nation looks for solutions to environmental
and traffic congestion problems, we can make
significant headway by promoting greater use of
the Yellow School Bus
Why Ride the Bus?
Why Ride the Bus?
Environmental Benefits
The overall benefit of the Yellow School Bus to
society is huge in terms of:
Money
Fuel Consumption
Pollution
What if?
What if the school buses currently on
the road today weren’t available?
What if?
What if the school buses currently on
the road today weren’t available?
•
School Buses keep an
estimated 17.3 million
passenger vehicles off roads
surrounding schools
•
Carpooling to school creates:
– Unnecessary vehicle idling
– Higher emissions
– Wasted fuel and money
– Safety concerns
State of North Carolina
How many passenger vehicles would be
needed to transport the 772,423 students
currently riding NC school buses?
514,949 additional passenger vehicles on the
road each school day
Additional 57,862,663 gallons of fuel
consumed in NC
School Bus Fuel Savings
For 180 day school year, National fuel savings:
2.3 BILLION gallons
6.0 BILLION dollars
Why Ride the Bus?
What’s the Problem?
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•
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Lack of transportation limits accessibility to school and increases
isolation and poverty
School bus transportation is increasingly seen as expendable because it
“takes money away from the classroom”
School Transportation Headlines include:
– Eliminating transportation for students close to schools
– Consolidating bus stops and increasing walk distance to stops
– Eliminating transportation to schools of choice (magnet programs, etc.)
– Eliminating field trips and after-school activities
– Charging fees for bus service
– Transferring students to public transit
Equal Access: A Step Toward Academic Achievement
Why Ride the Bus?
Safe Transportation
•
U.S. Department of Transportation statistics confirm that school buses
are the safest form of transportation for getting children to and from
school
•
In particular, students are 44 times more likely to arrive at school alive if
they take the bus rather than if they drive or ride with friends
Safe Vehicles
•
School buses are designed specifically to protect students on and
off the bus with special safety features not available on any other
vehicle
•
Safety features of school buses include:
– Color
– Size and height
– Reinforced sides
– Flashing red lights
– Cross view mirrors
– Crossing & stop sign arms
Dedicated Professionals
•
School bus drivers receive specialized training in:
– Student behavior management
– Loading and unloading
– Security and emergency medical procedures.
•
Drivers participate in pre-employment and random
drug/alcohol testing, as well as frequent driving record
checks
•
School bus technicians receive specialized
training, participate in national competitions
and follow strict maintenance programs
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – School Buses
How many passenger vehicles would be
needed to transport the 33,575 WSFCS
students currently riding school buses?
19,180 additional vehicles on Forsyth County
roads each school day
Saving 2,176,823 gallons of fuel consumed in
Forsyth County
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Buses vs Vehicles
SCHOOL BUSES
PASSENGER VEHICLES
•
65% of all elementary
students bus ridership
8,865 students
•
80% of middle school
students bus ridership
2,385 students
•
51% of high school
students bus ridership
7,350 students
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Buses vs Vehicles
SCHOOL BUSES
PASSENGER VEHICLES
•
65% of all elementary
students bus ridership
8,865 students
•
80% of middle school
students bus ridership
2,385 students
•
51% of high school
students bus ridership
7,350 students
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Meadowlark Middle School – morning bell time 7:25 AM
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Meadowlark Middle School – 32% of students are brought to
school each morning = 305 students (203 vehicles)
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Meadowlark Elementary – morning bell time 8:20 AM
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Meadowlark Elementary School – 47% of students are brought
to school each morning = 370 students (247 vehicles)
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Passenger Vehicles
18,600 students riding in passenger vehicles. . .
Resulting in 12,400 additional passenger vehicles
(averaging 10 miles per day). . .
124,000 miles per day driven x 180 school days. . .
22.3 Million miles per year in Forsyth County
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
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If one school bus replaces 36 passenger vehicles, how
much would traffic flow around school improve?
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If we put ½ of our car riders on buses, it would save 11
Million miles each year of fuel consumption,
environmental pollution and drastically improve student
safety…
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In Forsyth County alone – (So Statewide?...)
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How can we lower the number of passenger vehicles?
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How can we inform the public?
Why is the Yellow School Bus Important?
This is what it’s all about!