This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.
While school campuses are home to fights and violence between students, new research has found that dangers exist off-campus as well. A rising number of investigations and reports are beginning to question the safety of public school buses. Considering that millions of public school students use the bus to travel to and from school, many parents are expressing concern about the safety of their local school's bus system. Despite those concerns, current federal data continue to identify the school bus as one of the safest ways for children to travel to and from school.
Are Public School Buses Safe?
In exploring the specific dangers faced by children utilizing the school bus system, the American Public Health Association (APHA) has found increases in violence on school buses, including verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual violence between students. While there are no major data reports on the total incidences of bus violence occurrences, BJC School Outreach conducted a private survey to question students of all ages about their fears and concerns of violence. According to the surveys, school buses are the second most likely location wherein a student may encounter bullying and/or harassment.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road, and that children are safer taking a bus to and from school than traveling by car. NHTSA continues to maintain safety standards for school buses that go beyond those required for regular buses.
The maker of many of the nation's school buses, Thomas Built Buses states that each school day, school buses transport millions of students to and from school, while the yellow school bus remains one of the safest forms of transportation on the roads today.
One of the primary reasons school buses are so safe is because they must meet extensive Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). One of these safety standards is the use of compartmentalization, which is a unique form of “automatic” passenger protection with high-backed, closely spaced, well-padded, energy-absorbing seating specifically designed to protect children. This engineering concept remains one of the main reasons that school buses are so safe. NHTSA also points to features including flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms as important school bus safety protections.
This video looks at school bus safety from the rider's perspective.
What Causes School Bus Dangers?
As the Public School Parent's Network reports, safety aboard a school bus is a mirror of the surrounding community. According to investigations, many school bus stops have become unsupervised hangout areas where children become vulnerable. Adding to this, "The bus ride has become a potentially volatile situation where 20 to 30 children are placed within a confined space, with limited supervision, and very little protection." With so many children forced together with only one adult supervisor, the bus driver, it is not surprising to learn that there are rising outbreaks of student misbehavior and fights. Public School Review's updated guidance on bullying continues to emphasize early intervention, communication and parental involvement as important components of school safety.
One of the leading problems associated with bus safety and control is related to driver training. While school bus drivers are required to obtain appropriate commercial licensing and pass specific qualification requirements, concerns remain about whether bus drivers are provided with enough childhood behavior management training. As a result, many believe that bus drivers are generally not equipped or prepared to deal with the potential issues that can arise amidst groups of unsupervised students.
An effort to combat this concern has sparked some school communities to install cameras on school buses, ensuring that students are monitored and punished for any irresponsible acts. Yet, even with this step, some critics argue that cameras are not powerful enough to solve the dangers on buses. As the American Public Health Association reminds community members, a mere camera lens cannot capture every activity on a school bus. If a student is outside of camera range, then the student is essentially free from being monitored.
Creating Safer Standards for Public School Buses
Millions of students are reported to ride public school buses each year, and many of these students have no other options for getting to and from school. Fortunately, experts believe that the violence occurring on some of the public school buses can be solved and avoided. Public School Review's school bus safety overview also examines the safety challenges facing school bus drivers and students.
Foremost, experts believe that bus drivers should be provided with more training opportunities, allowing drivers to learn more strategies for managing student behavior. Adding to this, as the APHA further reveals, student reports claim that when a bus driver establishes a bond with students, the overall behavior of students on a driver's bus tends to be much more positive. As a result, the APHA suggests that working to improve the overall climate in schools and developing a positive school culture is essential to safety for students both in school and on buses.
Adding to these steps, the APHA also recommends bus-safety measures that include:
- Assign seats for students on buses prone to misbehavior
- Ensure that negative behavior is followed with consequences
- Recognize and praise positive behavior
- Encourage parents to become active by meeting the driver
- Enforce policies that reward positive steps, instead of just negative punishments
- Allow bus drivers to enter into classrooms so that students can relate to the drivers in a different environment
- Provide troublemakers with opportunities to become positive leaders/peacemakers
Violence on school buses has a direct relationship with violence on campus. With parents and school leaders actively teaching students about the definitions and actions of bullying, experts believe that a school community can foster a stronger climate of safety and respect. Specifically, school leaders should teach students about different forms of bullying, which can include verbal, social, physical and cyberbullying. Once this information has been clearly presented, a school community must subsequently outline and enforce clear consequences for any misbehavior. Public School Review's 2026 family guide to bullying prevention provides additional guidance on physical, verbal, social and cyberbullying.
