Safe Bus Travel education since 2012
The Safe Bus Travel program is offered free to regional and rural government and non-government primary schools serviced by Bus Association Victoria school bus operator members and is supported by the Department of Transport and Planning.
The Safe Bus Travel program teaches students how their behaviour directly impacts their safety in and around school buses. We talk about chartered excursions and town buses too.
Sessions take 50 minutes to an hour. We prefer to keep numbers under 100, prioritising the bus travellers. The session is intended to run first thing in the morning after roll call, with the school bus waiting at the school.
A session consists of:
- a 7-minute sketch video containing important bus safety messages and travel tips, followed by Q&A.
- A Safe Bus Travel handout brochure for students and families.
- a visit to your school bus (parked outside) with a discussion led by your school bus operator or driver of the safety and emergency features and equipment discussed in the presentation.
The Safe Bus Travel message:
Buses are one of the safest modes of transportation, but accidents and emergencies can happen. When they do, it is usually through risky behaviour at the bus pickup area or while on the bus.
What does risky behaviour look like?
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Walking in front of the bus
- Crossing the road before a bus pulls away
- Disruptive play at the bus stop or pickup area
- Distracting the driver
A successful safety program:
Since 2012 BusVic and the local bus operators have presented the Safe Bus Travel message to over 11,750 students at 138 mainly small rural primary schools. Teacher feedback is uniformly positive.
Safety is a shared responsibility, and the bus industry cares about it deeply. Please get involved and help us keep your students safe!
