The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently issued more than $1.1 million in grant funding to help 26 schools and transportation providers across 19 counties cover the costs to train more than 430 new school bus drivers, including commercial driver’s license or CDL training; trainee wages; as well as testing and permit fees.
[Above photo via PennDOT]
This agency said it issued the funds via its new School Bus Safety Grant Program – which it launched in March – which aims to increase school bus safety for Pennsylvania’s students and communities.
Grants from the program can be used to pay for education, training, and other costs related to an individual earning their commercial learner’s permit, commercial driver’s license, or school bus endorsement for the purpose of driving a school bus in Pennsylvania, the agency said.
[Editor’s note: The Governors Highway Safety Association and safety advocacy group BusPatrol recently released A National Action Plan for School Bus Safety to provide what both organizations describe as a “first-ever comprehensive national roadmap to protect the 20 million children who rely on the nation’s 500,000 school buses every day.” The plan includes 69 specific recommendations for State Highway Safety Offices, law enforcement personnel, educators, school districts, bus drivers, the private sector, autonomous vehicle providers, roadway safety advocates and the judiciary, both groups said in a statement.]
Grants can also be used to promote and increase school bus safety, education, and training, PennDOT added.
“Making sure we have enough qualified drivers to get students to and from school safely and reliably advances that investment,” saidMike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement. “This funding gives schools and communities the support they need to ensure students can focus on learning and achieve success.”
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