FAIRFAX, Va. -- An ambitious plan to build a nationwide list of safety-oriented motorcoach operators for school districts to pick from has gotten off to a slow start, but that isnt discouraging the bus safety consulting company that hatched the idea.

"The idea is a no-brainer," said Phil Hanley, administrator of the Pupil Transportation Passenger Safety Program. "In fact, thats what just about everyone tells me when I outline the program to them."

The program was introduced in September 2005 by Consolidated Safety Services of Fairfax, and has attracted just 50 motorcoach companies and three school districts.

Consolidated Safety is the same company that developed a similar list for the U.S. Department of Defense more than 15 years ago.

Hanley, a former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official who joined CSS two months ago, said the company is shooting for between 300 and 400 carriers to qualify for the list and for many more school districts to be enrolled in the program.

"There are 12,000 school districts in the country so it takes time," he added.

The plan is to build a registry of carriers that meet all government safety regulations and other standards so schools would be assured they are using only the best and safest charter bus companies for student trips. Most school districts and school organizations currently hire carriers through competitive bidding or cursory reviews of an operators equipment and service.

CSS suggested that schools seldom share information about poorly operated or unsafe motorcoach companies with other districts, and sub-par companies that get fired by one district simply move to another and continue transporting children.

Under the program, after a school district signs on, CSS performs an extensive review of each company interested in being on the districts approved list of carriers.

The review includes examination of the companys operating authority, insurance records, safety compliance and performance history. Additionally, each company must submit to regular biannual inspections, as well as surprise inspections.

The schools pay 15.5 cents per pupil annually to be in the program and obtain access to the national list of approved carriers. The carriers can join for free but must agree to all of the examinations, including the unannounced inspections.

"We do not charge the carriers because we do not want anyone to think they can buy their way onto the list," said Hanley. "Everything is above board."

When the program was introduced to the U. S. Department of Defense in 1990, nearly 800 operators were on its approved list of carriers and about 25 others filed applications to join every month. After CSS began examining the companies, the number on the list dropped to about 400 and the number trying to get on each month fell to three.

While only three school districts Montgomery, Prince George and Howard counties, all in Maryland have enrolled in the service so far, many others have expressed an interest, according to Hanley. Among them, he said, are 17 in Pennsylvania and two in Tennessee. "We are also getting interest from schools in Florida, Missouri and California," he added.

Hanley said CSS remains confident the program will begin drawing in many more school districts as he moves around the country explaining what it is all about. "It takes a little time to take seed and when it does, I think it will take off like wild fire," he said.