Summary#
This bill, the School Bus Safety Act of 2025, directs the Secretary of Transportation to write rules that require new safety equipment and training for school buses. Key required items include:
- 3-point safety belts at every designated seating position on school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds.
- Fire protection rules, including on-board fire suppression systems that address engine fires, improved firewalls to stop gas or flame from moving from the engine to the passenger area, and stronger interior flammability and smoke emission standards that match certain airplane and passenger vehicle rules.
- Other safety equipment: automatic emergency braking systems, event data recorders, and electronic stability control systems.
- A change to driver training rules to require at least 8 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction on public roads with a trained instructor who holds a commercial driver’s license with a school bus endorsement.
The bill also directs agencies to finish work on rules about evaluating safety-sensitive personnel for obstructive sleep apnea. It requires studies on motion-activated detection systems (to detect pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users) and on systems that alert bus operators when a passenger is not wearing a 3-point safety belt. The bill sets deadlines: many rulemakings and standards must be issued within 1 year of enactment, and studies must be completed within 2 years. Standards generally apply to school buses manufactured in or imported into the United States on or after the standards’ effective dates.
What it means for you#
- Manufacturers: If the Secretary issues the rules, new school buses sold in the United States would need the listed safety equipment and meet new fire and flammability standards.
- Local educational agencies and school districts: The bill creates a federal grant program for States to make subgrants to help buy new buses with these features or modify existing buses.
- School bus operators and drivers: The bill would require additional behind-the-wheel training hours with a qualified instructor.
- Regulators and federal agencies: The bill requires several rulemakings and studies with set timelines, and it directs specific agencies (including NHTSA, FMCSA, and FRA) to complete tasks listed in the bill.
Expenses#
- The bill authorizes a grant program to States and says there are authorized to be appropriated "such sums as are necessary" to carry out that section. No specific dollar amounts or cost estimates are provided in the bill text.
- No other federal cost estimates, budget figures, or estimated costs to local agencies or manufacturers are included in the bill text.
Proponents' View#
No publicly available information.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.