More Than a Route: Inside Mustang Public Schools Transportation Safety

Following the recent Bus 71 accident, families have raised important questions about school bus safety, student ridership, and how Mustang Public Schools monitors transportation. Those questions deserve clear answers.

School bus safety is a shared system involving trained drivers, route planning, ridership monitoring, vehicle safety, student behavior, and emergency response.

Transportation by the Numbers

Mustang Public Schools transports more than 9,000 students safely to and from school each day. This includes:

• 55 bus routes, including special education routes
• 43 regular routes
• Approximately 85 buses in the District fleet
• Routes serving between two and four schools
• Multiple morning and afternoon runs on many routes

Our buses serve more than daily transportation needs. Spare buses are used when vehicles are undergoing maintenance or experiencing mechanical issues, while others transport students to athletics, arts activities, field trips, and other events.

Managing Bus Ridership

While Mustang Public Schools buses have a maximum legal capacity of 77 passengers, based on three students per seat across 26 benches, we do not load secondary buses to that level.

For middle and high school routes, our target is approximately 60 students per bus, with an absolute cap of 65 students. Students are never permitted to stand or sit on the floor while a bus is in motion.

Drivers submit student counts after every morning and afternoon run. Routes approaching or exceeding the District's limits are flagged for immediate review. Adjustments may include changing stops, redistributing students, or modifying routes.

Following a recent incident in which students were not seated properly, the Transportation staff addressed the issue with the driver and immediately adjusted stops on that route to resolve the issue.

Why School Buses Are Built Differently

Large school buses are designed with a safety system called compartmentalization. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this design uses closely spaced, padded, high-backed seats designed to absorb impact and help protect students during a crash.

The system is designed to provide protection without requiring students to take an action such as buckling a seat belt.

For compartmentalization to work as intended, students must:

• Remain seated
• Face forward
• Keep their bodies within the seating compartment
• Keep aisles and emergency exits clear
• Follow the driver's instructions

The National Transportation Safety Board recognizes the protection provided by compartmentalization while recommending lap-and-shoulder belts in newly purchased large school buses because compartmentalization may not provide complete protection in certain types of crashes.

Behind the Wheel

School bus drivers are required to meet state and federal qualifications and complete specialized training, including requirements related to commercial driver's licenses, school bus and passenger endorsements, background checks, health requirements, drug and alcohol testing, and ongoing professional development.

New drivers complete 29.5 hours of classroom training and at least 20 hours of behind-the-wheel and pre-trip training before they are eligible to take their Commercial Driver License test.

While the Oklahoma State Department of Education requires bus drivers to complete four hours of training each year, Mustang Public Schools drivers receive significantly more. Both new and returning drivers typically complete between 12 and 18 hours of training annually.

In addition to required licensing and training, drivers receive instruction in areas such as:

• Defensive driving
• Student management
• Emergency procedures
• Vehicle inspections and pre-trip safety checks

The training and preparation behind every driver is an important part of the District's commitment to safely transporting students each day.

When an Accident Happens

When a school bus is involved in an accident, the immediate priority is student safety. The response includes:

• Securing the bus and assessing conditions
• Contacting emergency services and Transportation staff
• Accounting for students and checking for injuries
• Working with law enforcement, fire and medical personnel
• Notifying affected families
• Establishing student release and transportation procedures
• Providing support services as needed

Following an incident, the District reviews the response, equipment, route, and communication processes to identify any additional steps that may be needed.

Our Commitment

School bus safety does not depend on a single policy or a single person. It is a system that requires constant attention and coordination. Mustang Public Schools will continue to monitor ridership, review routes, train and support drivers, and respond to concerns as they arise.

The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority. For questions about a specific route or bus, families are encouraged to provide the bus number or route information so the Transportation Department can review the concern directly. 

Additional information is available at www.mustangps.org.