Harrisburg, PA, October 20, 2016 – Members of the school transportation community gathered at the Governor’s Residence on Wednesday, October 19 to commemorate National School Bus Safety Week. Each year, during the third week in October, this special week provides an opportunity to promote school bus safety in our schools and to the general public and to recognize and thank those who work so hard in the school bus community.

At Wednesday’s reception, representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania State Police, PSBA and other school transportation organizations addressed how important it is to continually promote school bus safety to students, parents and the general public. This year’s theme for National School Bus Safety week was #STOP ON RED, which is especially timely given the concern with vehicles illegally passing school buses and recent campaigns to bring attention to distracted driving.

The celebration of School Bus Safety Week in Pennsylvania also provides an opportunity to recognize those students who submitted entries for the School Bus Safety Poster Contest. The top three winners in four divisions were recognized at the reception. The first-place winner in each division moves on to the national competition. 

Winners of the Pennsylvania School Bus Driver Safety Competition were honored on Wednesday. PSBA President, Fred Bennett, introduced the top three winners for the conventional and transit divisions. PennDOT presented each of the drivers with a special certificate and the top winner in each division was presented with a special traveling trophy from PSBA. In his introduction of the drivers, Fred Bennett noted, “The prestige of this executive residence spotlights the important contribution of Pennsylvania school bus drivers to our Commonwealth.”

Safety Competition Winners Recognized at 2016 School Bus Safety Week Ceremony

Pictured (l-r): Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards; Ted Dubbs (Lower Merion SD); Joan Oleski-Thomas (On the Go Kids); PSBA President Fred Bennett; Shanon O’Brien (Krapf Bus Companies); Philip Adam, Jr. (Rohrer Bus Company); and,  Lt. Robert Krol, PA State Police. Not pictured: George Soverns (Rittenhouse Bus Lines) and Michael Webster (Brightbill Transportation).

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The Pennsylvania School Bus Association was founded in 1980 and consists of over 350 school bus contractors and industry partners who have come together to be a strong voice for school bus safety and the school bus contracting industry. If you would like more information, please contact Mike Berk, Executive Director at 717-975-1951, ext. 500 or email at mberk@paschoolbus.org.