school bus question

MJHY27

New member
I had this in the tech area but didn't get any traffic over there so I wanted to see if anyone here could help me out-

I dropped my daughter (4 1/2) off at preschool today and was told they were taking an impromptu field trip to the next town to the playground (the one at her school is being re-done). I signed a form and was told to put her car seat in the bus. They have two little mini buses that just have lap belts. So I installed it with the lap belt as tight as I could but it was still so wobbly and there was no place to hitch the top tether. Is this safe? this is my first experience with my kids on buses so I have no idea! I know buses are generally safer than cars but this didn't seem safe to me really- I kept thinking her face would smash into the seat in front of her with no top tether to catch her car seat? what's the best approach in this situation?

thank you :)
 
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MommaTo3inNH

New member
Personally I would drive my child on any trip that they would take in those tiny busses unless they had good carseat installation... You are right - big school busses and tour type busses don't need belts because of compartmentalization... Tiny busses are like huge vans :0)
 

MJHY27

New member
thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I am at work when she is at preschool so I can't drive her or I would. Maybe there will just be an option for her to stay at school next time. we go on enough adventures together so I don't think she's missing much if I say no more field trips!
 

Stelvis

New member
I'm kind of surprised they sprang that on you that morning. What if someone without the authority to sign the permission slip had dropped her off?
 

Pixels

New member
You install seats on buses the same way you do in a car. You want less than an inch of movement at the belt path when you check with one hand.

If it's one of the short school buses, they are very safe. The seatbacks are padded and are meant to be hit by a person.
 

LittlePeanut

New member
If I had no other choice and she had to travel in this vehicle... If the lap belts locked and their were more seats than passengers, I likely would have tethered it to a locked seatbelt behind her. Or if she still fit her seat RF, you could have installed it that way.
 

MJHY27

New member
the seatbelts are just lap belts so they don't really lock I guess and definatly couldn't get it tight enough for no wiggling- there was like 3 inches of movement going on there- I just had never dealt with buses before and had/have no idea what the safe car seat protocol is for buses of that nature. Also they really caught me off guard, I was already late for work and still had my son to drop of at his in home daycare, I was sick about it all day worrying I had put her in an unsafe situation. Her car seat is a graco nautilus so no rfing option there.
 

LittlePeanut

New member
The seatbelt didn't lock? Like in any manner (at the retractor or latchplate)? I'm just a little confused how you managed to install the seat at all. If the seatbelts did not lock and there was no BSC available (not sure if they are permitted on buses), I would have made other arrangements.

I looked into "small buses" for DS1's class trip last October. He was 4y10m and just 35 lbs. After much back and forth with my CRST-Instructor and someone at Transport Canada, it was thought that while buses do provided sufficient compartmentalization in a collision, it may not be enough for a child under 40 lbs (legal booster weight in Canada). I chose to drive him myself. If I could not, I would have declined to permit him to attend.
 

MJHY27

New member
Sorry, I didn't mean to say the don't lock- they are your standard lap belt so the click together and can be cinched to tighten them but I just couldn't them tight enough so that there was an inch or less of movement.
another concern I had was what about when my daughter starts using a booster seat and rides on one of these buses? isn't a lap belt really dangerous with lap belts?
 

asch884

New member
My son rides on the little school bus every day to go to special need preschool. It is one of the little buses. All the 3 year old have to be in carseats and they are installed correctly with no movement so it can be done. I have not done it though so I dont know who tough it is. the 4 year old do not have to be in carseats so I am sure that Brayden will be one of the only ones in a carseat this year. Last year and this year he was in a E-Z on harness as he is to tall for the carseats they had and they refused to buy him something else. I had to fight just to get the harness I did
 

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