FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Many students in the Pee Dee will start their first day of school on a school bus.
The National safety council says some 25 million students nationwide will begin and end their day with a trip on a school bus.
Cindy Ward, the new transportation coordinator for Florence School District One says the district has a fleet of 100 buses and transports 10,000 students to and from school every day by bus.
According to the National Safety Council more school aged pedestrians can be seen during the hour before and after school than any other time of day.
And, although drivers are required by law to stop for a school bus when it’s loading or unloading passengers, they often don’t.
Cindy Ward worked as transportation coordinator for district one from 1996 to 2006.
Ward has worked in the transportation industry for 32 years, so she knows first-hand when it comes to bus safety.
“With everybody getting readjusted to the opening of school, there is usually a few little problems with routing or kids missing the bus or getting on the wrong bus, but those are the little minor things that we’ll work out before the end of the day so the next day can be even smoother and it just pans out after that,” said Ward.
Ward says she would like to encourage the general public to have a watchful eye in the school buses loading and unloading zones during the morning and afternoon.
