Iron County Officials Urge Caution As School Buses Return

Believe it or not, in less than a week, our morning and afternoon commutes will be a little more crowded than they have been for the last few months.

With the new school year set to begin, officials from the Iron County School District’s transportation department are reminding drivers to prepare for the return of yellow school buses on local roads.

John Webster, Director of Transportation for the district, and Josh Eisenach, Driver Trainer, spoke on the Big Picture Morning Show on KSUB radio about the preparations underway and the importance of public awareness.

Webster and Eisenach - Dr.T / Canva

"It's that time of year," Webster said. "We kind of annually seem to come before school starts and say, hey, we're going to show up again, which means we need room on already busy streets for another 80 or 90 buses." He added, "We'll drive about 4,200 miles a day in Iron County cumulatively with the buses."

When asked if the district was fully staffed, Webster noted progress in recruitment. "I think a lot of people saw a bus parked out in front of Walmart for a good part of the summer. That was a recruiting effort and we think we're in pretty good shape."

However, Eisenach pointed out a lingering vacancy: "We are lacking a driver in Parowan, so anybody that lives in Summit or Parowan or Paragonah, we do have a position."

Iron County School District

Webster emphasized the complexity of managing the district's fleet and staff. “We move about 7,000 students a day,” he said. “We have 5 mechanics now, all full time, that work all year round to keep them going… Highway Patrol comes by annually and inspects buses… and we are always, thanks to our mechanics team, right at the top of the heap.”

Interested In Driving A School Bus? Plan On 3 To 4 Weeks Of Training

Eisenach outlined the driver training process, which includes a DOT physical, fingerprinting, written tests for a Class B license with passenger and school bus endorsements, behind-the-wheel training, and a state driving exam. “On average, I would say three to four weeks to go from applying to actually being able to drive a bus,” he said.

He also addressed public safety, especially around bus stops. “90% of those that ran red lights on a school bus happened between August and November,” Eisenach said. “When the red lights come out and with those red lights stop signs also come out, we ask the public to stop and not go around the bus… it’s a $1,000 fine in the state of Utah now.”

Webster added, “Buses now come with cameras on the sides of them, so you're getting recorded as you go by… Just be sensitive. There’s kids there that are not paying nearly as much attention sometimes as they ought.”