School Transportation Could Get A Lot Simpler Under New Bill

Many schools in Lakewood use relatively small vehicles, like SUVs and vans, to transport some students between their homes and the school. A complication that has arisen from this use of a vehicle, which is officially called a “Type S” school bus, is that the driver is legally required to obtain a commercial license before operating it, creating major problems for schools wanting to use them.

But a new bill would resolve that. The bill, which is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, would permit the holder of a Type S school bus certificate to operate a Type S school bus to transport children to and from school without obtaining a commercial driver’s license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement.

A person is required to meet certain requirements described in the bill to be eligible for a Type S school bus certificate, and creates penalties for negligent drivers of Type S buses.  For instance, the bill says a person who knowingly operates a Type S school bus while the person’s driving privileges are suspended or revoked would be charged with a fourth degree crime. A person who does so and is involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to another person is guilty of a crime of the third degree.

The bill also provides that the Type S school bus certificate of a driver of a Type S school bus, who is found to have left a pupil on the Type S school bus at the end of the route, is to be suspended for six months for a first offense or permanently revoked for a second offense.

The Type S school bus certificate of a driver of a Type S school bus is to be permanently revoked if the a pupil, who was left on the Type S school bus at the end of the route, was harmed as a result of foreseeable danger and the driver acted with gross negligence or if the driver operated a Type S school bus while the driver’s driving privileges were suspended.

In the event of a suspension of a Type S school bus certificate, the driver is required to complete a 10 hour training course, approved by the Chief Administrator of the New
Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, before the driver’s Type S school bus certificate is reinstated.

The bill requires the chief administrator to suspend the Type S school bus certificate of a driver of a Type S school bus for 90 days if the driver is convicted of three or more motor vehicle moving violations in a three-year period or accumulates six or more motor vehicle penalty points while operating a commercial motor vehicle or non-commercial motor vehicle.

A “Type S school bus” is defined in the bill to mean a motor vehicle that: is operated by, or under contract with, a public school, nonpublic school, charter school, renaissance school, or approved private school for students with disabilities for the transportation of students to and from school for secular or religious education and for school-related activities; and  has a gross vehicle weight rating of 3,000 pounds or more, which vehicle was originally designed by the manufacturer with a maximum seating capacity of nine passengers or less, excluding the driver.

There are currently 5 types of school buses in New Jersey:

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