Need suggestions for a seat to use on a school bus!

AgwasStars2

New member
Hello all! It's been a while since I was on here (again), lol, and I'm hoping to get some advice from all of you fantastic advice-givers! :thumbsup:

I am in training to become a school bus driver for the city of Virginia Beach, and I need to get a seat for my youngest to sit in when he's riding along with me during my runs. (One of the perks of the job...don't have to pay for daycare)! In our van, he is rear-facing in a Britax Advocate (the previous model that I got for him last summer at a huge discount when the new models were coming out). In our secondary vehicle, he is in an older Marathon that I am going to have to replace in the next few months anyway because it is nearing it's expiration.

I'm trying to find something that will be easy to install, because I will only be substituting at first until I am able to get contracted, so I will be having to move the seat from bus to bus for a while. I'm not overly concerned with him staying rear-facing in the bus, since it is a huge vehicle and very well protected...and technically he CAN be forward facing (even though I sure as heck don't plan on turning him around in OUR cars anytime soon!).

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!

Oh, before I forget, I should probably add that the trainers say the easiest way to get a carseat installed on the bus is with ratchet sets...since only the special needs buses are equipped with seat belts, so if that is the "seat belt" I will be using, I don't think getting a secure install will be an issue, since tightening ratchet sets is fairly easy...although I do also have the option to purchase a seat belt from an auto parts store.

Sooooo....yea....now that you have all of the info...please tell me what YOU would choose to do if you were me. ;)
 
ADS

AgwasStars2

New member
Uhm...I think of the like...tie downs that you use on trucks...? But instead of just having the S-hook at the end, they would be the ones that have the carabiner-like hooks. If that makes sense...I don't really know how to describe it! :confused:
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Umm. No to the ratchet sets. Not approved, not ok.

If you won't have access to actual seat belts I'd look into a restraint made specifically for buses (they wrap around the back of the seat). I think the SafeGuard Star is one? I'm sure someone else has more info.
 

AgwasStars2

New member
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This is what I would use, if I decided to do it that way, because I agree with you all, that it does NOT seem like the ideal way to install. I wouldn't get the chain ones, absolutely not.

The hooks would go under the bus seat, and the straps would thread through the car seat kind of like a seat belt. This is the only way I can kind of make sense to install it, but even this seems iffy to me.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
It's not iffy. It's flat-out not okay. I'm sorry, and I'm sorry other parents are doing it, but it's not okay. Look into bus-only restraints like the Safeguard STAR, as suggested above.
 

AgwasStars2

New member
Hey, you don't have to apologize to me! :) I wouldn't have come on here asking ya'lls opinions if I was going to be offended! ;)

I'm all about the safety of my kids, which is why my 7 year old is still in a five point harness! (In my defense, he only weighs 44 pounds...lol, AND he doesn't really gripe about it!)

I like the way the Safe Star is made FOR buses, but my little guy isn't quite 25 pounds yet...or maybe just barely, and it doesn't really seem to offer much as far as comfort. I mean, he will be having to sit in this seat for five hours or more a day, so I want him to be comfortable...
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
It took me a while to find a distributor of the STAR seat who listed a price, but I finally found some.

It looks like the standard STAR seat is $155- $160 and the STAR Plus (higher weight limit) is $200-$205. That's not bad! I expected the seats to be more expensive than that. :)

My guess is that a standard STAR seat would be more than adequate for you. It fits children 25 to 65 pounds and up to 51 inches in height. The Plus fits children 25 to 90 pounds and up to 51 inches tall.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I like the way the Safe Star is made FOR buses, but my little guy isn't quite 25 pounds yet...or maybe just barely, and it doesn't really seem to offer much as far as comfort. I mean, he will be having to sit in this seat for five hours or more a day, so I want him to be comfortable...

Over the years, I have seen several of these on the buses at my school. The kids all seem fine in them. I think of it this way...

The kids probably get loaded into the seat around 6:20 each morning. Their parents do HS runs until about 7:10. Then they get out of the seat, go into the school to use the restroom and stretch their legs, and then get back into the seat to do MS runs. Those end around 7:50. Again, they get out of the seat to stretch their legs and use the restroom. Then ES runs begin. Those end around 9:30. If the parent drives field trips (which there are not many of!), there is some more time spent in the seat, but most drivers do not drive field trips because we have SO few anymore. Afternoon runs begin at about 2:00 and end around 3:30. Then late bus runs (if the parent drives these) begin at about 4:30 and end around 6:30.

That's a lot of time on a bus, but there are many, many breaks and opportunities to run around. :)
 

AgwasStars2

New member
Over the years, I have seen several of these on the buses at my school. The kids all seem fine in them. I think of it this way...

The kids probably get loaded into the seat around 6:20 each morning. Their parents do HS runs until about 7:10. Then they get out of the seat, go into the school to use the restroom and stretch their legs, and then get back into the seat to do MS runs. Those end around 7:50. Again, they get out of the seat to stretch their legs and use the restroom. Then ES runs begin. Those end around 9:30. If the parent drives field trips (which there are not many of!), there is some more time spent in the seat, but most drivers do not drive field trips because we have SO few anymore. Afternoon runs begin at about 2:00 and end around 3:30. Then late bus runs (if the parent drives these) begin at about 4:30 and end around 6:30.

That's a lot of time on a bus, but there are many, many breaks and opportunities to run around. :)

Yea, you're right. I guess I wasn't thinking about the breaks in between. Have you ever seen any kids fall asleep in them though? That is probably my main concern...if he would be able to fall asleep and not be miserable!
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Yea, you're right. I guess I wasn't thinking about the breaks in between. Have you ever seen any kids fall asleep in them though? That is probably my main concern...if he would be able to fall asleep and not be miserable!

I haven't seen it, but I would imagine that kids do fall asleep in them. :)


This does make me wonder what people with infants do on their buses. I guess they get seatbelts retrofitted?
 

AgwasStars2

New member
This does make me wonder what people with infants do on their buses. I guess they get seatbelts retrofitted?

I probably shouldn't tell ya'll this, because you will probably have heart attacks, lol, but my friend who drives a bus (obviously, lol) had her second baby last year. She had purchased seat belts from an auto parts store, and then had her mother in law sew the end to form a loop. Of course, she sewed it like a crazy person...but still, it seems iffy too... Anyway, with the loop, she put the end through it, after wrapping it around the seat frame, and then installed her seats that way.

I can't say that I think it's the best option, but let me tell you, when I got on her bus and looked at those seats, they were NOT moving at all.
 

gsdguenter

Well-known member
So would you recommend the STAR for preschoolers riding the bus? It seems weird to me that in September DD1 will be taking the bus to preschool but still rides rfing in all of our cars. I know buses are safer, just wondering?
 

Pixels

New member
The problem with DIY "seatbelts" in a bus is that not only might the seatbelt fail, but the bus seat itself may fail. There are two types of bus seat, called 222 and 210. They are named after what section of FMVSS standards they meet. A 222 seat is not reinforced for seatbelt use. A 210 seat is reinforced at key points to support the stresses of a seatbelt.

The Star seat works with both the 222 and 210 seats, so you don't have to worry about which one is on the bus.

NHTSA issued "Guideline for the Safe Transportation of Pre-school Age Children in School Buses" in 1999. The Guideline recommends that all pre-school age children on school buses ride in properly installed child restraints.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I probably shouldn't tell ya'll this, because you will probably have heart attacks, lol, but my friend who drives a bus (obviously, lol) had her second baby last year. She had purchased seat belts from an auto parts store, and then had her mother in law sew the end to form a loop. Of course, she sewed it like a crazy person...but still, it seems iffy too... Anyway, with the loop, she put the end through it, after wrapping it around the seat frame, and then installed her seats that way.

I can't say that I think it's the best option, but let me tell you, when I got on her bus and looked at those seats, they were NOT moving at all.

It may not move with human-strength forces, but it's only as strong as the MIL's sewing, which probably can not stand up to vehicle crash forces.
 

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