Carseat on a school bus

[raelynn]

I am applying to drive school bus, and even though I'm a tech, I have no idea about car seats on school buses. My DS is 22 lbs and 14.5 mos and rear-faces in my van. The bus lines will install a tether anchor and seat belt on the bus for his car seat, and I don't know whether to ff or rf him. For ease of being able to do my job, I am thinking of putting him ff'ing just in the bus, but I don't know about the safety concerns. Obviously rf is safer but if DS is stuck on a seat by himself staring at a padded green seatback and cannot see out the window, I think he will cry for the entire 2 hours twice a day, making trying to concentrate behind the wheel more challenging.

Any opinions on this?

[snowbird25ca]

Raelynn, I just have to say I love that pic of ds in your siggy. The pumpkin hat just completes that set so perfectly. ;)

As for your question, I'm just going to reiterate some of what I said in the email because I'd like others feedback on what I'd said.

My thinking is that rf'ing on the bus is still preferable until he makes age 2 or 30lbs. Crashes with school buses are less common, but they seem to involve side impact or going off the road more often than not when they do happen, and to me I see that as rf'ing being much more protective in the event that there was a crash.

We have icy roads around here many months of the year, which is a factor increasing the chance of fender benders, but I honestly have no clue what the rate of crashes of school buses is around here - or if those statistics are even kept. Older kids all take city buses, so there aren't a ton of school buses on the roads...

I do wonder about compartmentalization - would her ds be more at risk rf'ing if compartmentalization was compromised - like younger kids, or a crash involving a secondary collision where the kids are already out of position?

Anyways, bumping this up hoping that some more people see this and can address some of the thoughts I've had because some of them are hypothetical moreso than fact based as there just isn't a lot of facts I have about this...

[mominabigtruck]

Never driven a bus although my dad drives the church bus. I do have quite a bit of experience though with liability. Are we talking about an actual school bus, like taking kids to school because if we are I would be really shocked if they let you take your child on board. I have a company that is a pita about us taking our kids in the truck and we own our own trucks. As it is we have to sign waivers saying that they are covered under a different policy that what the trucks themselves are.

But back to your original question.;) I think that he would be able to see out the windows fine rfing. I might be ok with ffing though. I did ff my child at 20lbs and way after a year in the truck just because there's so much room between the actual seats in a truck and any point of impact that alot of it is absorbed by the truck and trailer itself.:twocents:

[unityco]

Are we talking about an actual school bus, like taking kids to school because if we are I would be really shocked if they let you take your child on board.

My DH drove a school bus for a while, and they were very clear you COULD carry your own children on board. (I guess the perfect driver pool for school buses is SAHM, so to encourage them, they allow you to carry your children.)

We didn't have little ones then, so I have no experience about using carseats on board :shrug-shoulders:

[snowbird25ca]

I'll answer the school bus question for Raelynn (hope you don't mind, I know you're out at the moment..lol)

It's an actual school bus transporting kids. The bus lines here have no problems with parents transporting their own kids though and will install seatbelts/TA's for just that purpose. They advertise for jobs as SAHM, bring your kid with you... maybe because they're desparate for drivers, or just maybe different policies?

eta: I know another mom who drove bus and had her son on the bus. She's not very carseat savy though - her dh rescued a seat from the wrecking yard for her to use on the bus. :rolleyes: I don't know her very well, but even if I did I wouldn't ask her opinion since she's not one to take car safety to heart when it's been briefly discussed before...

[mominabigtruck]

I just had an "aha" moment. I was about to type something and then I realized that ya'll are from canada:D

I'm just going to quietly back out of this discussion:whistle:

But what I said in my last paragraph still stands;)

[Defrost]

I'm thinking boredom is going to be an issue either RF or FF, actually. I'd start out RF and work around the boredom issue as much as possible before resorting to FF as a solution yk? Because likely what's going to happen is that FF will solve the boredom issue temporarily, and then the novelty will wear off and you'll be right back where you started.

Anyway you could fix his schedule so that he naps for a good part of the rides? Then possibly rotate out a variety of soft toys?

He'll have a seat to himself, right? I'd be concerned about a child riding unrestrained next to a carseat, otherwise I'd suggest having another child next to him to help keep him entertained.

[mom2riley]

I am a former school bus driver in the states. I also think he would still be able to see out the window RFing and agree with everything Debbie said. I would start out RFing and see how it goes. As the daughter of a former school bus driver and former school bus driver myself I will say that in the states you are also able to take your children on the bus (depending on your district). Here in VA (I was a driver in CA, but my step-dad is head of transportation in our City in VA) it is common practice to park your bus at home and transport your children along with the students. He tries to talk me into coming to work and bring the kids all the time;) Good luck with becoming a driver. :)

[raelynn]

Thanks for the replies, and thanks Trudy for clarifying things while I was out today (applying for the job!).

I did ask when I was in the office, whether they had ever had a carseat installed in a school bus and I was told they had never seen it. Being that I am a tech though, I will still likely attempt a rear-facing install.

I think that someone would sit with him, especially to keep him company. That someone would likely be my daughter if she were on my bus route, at least for 1/2 the trip where there are no kids on the bus but us (from the garage to the 1st stop in the morning etc).

[mommyto2angelgirls]

raelynn i drove a bus since my now 4 yr old was 12 months old. i put her in her carseat ff. its easier for you to see him or her and is nicer for them to be able to see you. it is very safe already since the bus is safe and i think would make your child feel safer being able to see you. another thought is children do occasionally throw things on the bus and this way you can be sure nothing would ever hit your child in the face. i also found that it gives you more control over the children who sit with you child. the elementary kids especially will be attracted to your child. this way you can control who sits with him or her (helpful when you see them get on coughing and with runny noses). i drove my route and charters all over on highways and everything and never felt my daughter was at all unsafe facing forward. our company did not allow children under 1 on the bus and i believe all faced forward.

[unityco]

I just thought of something else to consider...

When DH drove bus, the company he worked for was less than stellar when it came to maintenance, so he often ended up with a bus other than his own. That could be a problem for you if all the buses don't have seatbelts and tethers. Maybe ask the company what their contigency plans are if your bus was unavailable.

Good luck!

[raelynn]

raelynn i drove a bus since my now 4 yr old was 12 months old. i put her in her carseat ff. its easier for you to see him or her and is nicer for them to be able to see you. it is very safe already since the bus is safe and i think would make your child feel safer being able to see you. another thought is children do occasionally throw things on the bus and this way you can be sure nothing would ever hit your child in the face. i also found that it gives you more control over the children who sit with you child. the elementary kids especially will be attracted to your child. this way you can control who sits with him or her (helpful when you see them get on coughing and with runny noses). i drove my route and charters all over on highways and everything and never felt my daughter was at all unsafe facing forward. our company did not allow children under 1 on the bus and i believe all faced forward.

THANK YOU for your post!! Those are great points. I've been looking back at old topics related to school buses on the board here and I am feeling more comfortable with the possibility of ff'ing.

I just thought of something else to consider...

When DH drove bus, the company he worked for was less than stellar when it came to maintenance, so he often ended up with a bus other than his own. That could be a problem for you if all the buses don't have seatbelts and tethers. Maybe ask the company what their contigency plans are if your bus was unavailable.

Good luck!

I am almost positive I will have my own bus. I will be responsible for fueling it and everything (as long as it's not propane I'm assuming). I will make it clear to them that I need the same bus for my route, I'm sure it won't be a problem.

Fortunately, DS will only have to come with me when DH is at work, so about 50% of the time.

[Misty-Bug]

I would RF personally. Then if he really does poorly think about turning. But in my mind the kids don't know anything different so tough beans. LOL. You can get a soft toy to hang over the back.
A girl from my birth board lives in alberta and takes her kid with her in the school bus.

[Simplysomething]

I am almost positive I will have my own bus. I will be responsible for fueling it and everything (as long as it's not propane I'm assuming).

I was read that as asking what about when your bus needs maintenance or whatnot.

[unityco]

I was read that as asking what about when your bus needs maintenance or whatnot.

Yes, that is what I meant... sorry if I wasn't clear. DH was often without his assigned bus because it needed maintenance (it dropped a tranny in the middle of his route once :eek:) He was assigned a bus, and it was supposed to be his, but all the buses in the fleet were so unreliable that it was often a game of musical chairs.

I hope your company takes better care of its fleet and you won't have that problem, but I just wanted to draw your attention to the issue in case one day your bus isn't available!

[mommyto2angelgirls]

maintannce really depends on the company. i drove for first student...they now own laidlaw also. when my bus needed service(oil change, brakees etc.) i knew ahead of time and was given another bus that my daughters carseat could go in. if it was unexpected i was also given a bus with the right equipment for my carseat. i weighed rf vs ff for a while and went ff. for the reasons i mentioned before before. school buses are large vehicles and very safe. i have seen them slideinto treeson ice and off the road and have very minor damage.
we actually had a van that was hit in the side by another bus and they children on it in preK so 3& 4 yrs old in carseats were all fine. the van was totaled. also the driver of the bus had her 2 yr old ff and he was fine.

[bethng]

Here is a cool seat we have on our buses. Made by safeguard just for the school bus

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t74/bethng/busseat005.jpg

There is actually an orange belt that comes across the stomach too but that was not buckled in this picture.

[momtoirs]

In our part of Minnesota, bus drivers are allowed to bring their children on the bus at many companies. I teach Early Childhood Special Education, so I put little ones on the bus each day. Most of my current students (mostly under age 4 at this point in time) are harnessed. We mostly used harnessed seats that are built into the seats. The seat with the child in it in this picture looks like the ones we have: http://www.cewhite.com/images/sss-special-apps.jpg.
I HATE them. IMO, they don't fit most kids well -- only our really tiny kids really fit nicely in them. And the straps never want to tighten. There is this little thing you are supposed to pull up near where the right shoulder strap goes into the seat back that is supposed to retract the belt. Notice I say "supposed to".

I have one of my older, larger, students in a Safeguard STAR seat, like in the previous poster's picture. Here's what they look like unoccupied: http://www.safeguardseat.com/bus/images/STAR_on_Seat_large.jpg
These I don't mind. I feel like I can get the straps nice and snug and that they fit most kids really well. The orange chest strap that the previous poster mentioned is an optional positioning strap for children with disabilities. Most of our STAR seats do not have them. In the picture from the previous poster, you can see black and orange plastic things near the top of the shoulder strap -- they actually slide down and go at the shoulders. There are videos about how the seats work here: http://www.safeguardseat.com/bus/products_star_videos.htm
Our drivers have said that they can take a long time to put on, but that was when they were new. I haven't talked with them about the seats recently.

We do have one rule -- no UNHARNESSED passengers in the seat immediately BEHIND HARNESSED passengers as the seats are not built to withstand the the forces of BOTH passengers. I don't have any sources for the rule, but that's what we're being told by our transportation people.

I know you were wondering about FF vs. RF -- I have seen some of our drivers (not in the last few years, since our drivers right now are mostly are not contracted out) with RF seats for their kids, but they have been mostly in FF seats that look pretty scary. So, you wouldn't be the first.

Hope that helps some.

Tina

[beeman]

A School bus is the same as any other vehicle for crash dynamics when it comes to passengers riding in cr's. School buses are typically built on 3 or 4 ton chassis, and while they seem big, are not much more substantial than the large pickup trucks on the road today, and are significantly smaller than large commercial vehicles. The principles of compartmentalization are completely irrelevant once the passenger is riding in a harnessed seat. Accidents do happen with school buses, and keeping your child safe in this vehicle is the same as any other. If you have any concerns or questions about the install, don't be afraid to contact the manufacturer of the bus. Treat the install in the bus just like you would any other vehicle and you'll be set. Good luck!