School bus makers say theyll be ready for 2011

WASHINGTON School bus manufacturers have begun work toward meeting new federal mandates that give them three years to begin installing seatbelts in certain models and until next October to equip new buses with seats with higher backs.

According to the October ruling from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, all school buses manufactured after Oct. 20, will be required to have 24-inch-high seat backs, instead of the 20-inch seat backs currently required. The seats also must have self-latching mechanisms for seat-bottom cushions.

The NHTSA ruling further requires that all smaller Type A school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 pounds manufactured after Oct. 20, 2011, must be equipped with lap-and-shoulder seatbelts.

The higher seat backs will help prevent taller and heavier children from being thrown over the seat in a crash, while the lap-and-shoulder seatbelts will provide more protection on smaller buses that might suffer more damage in a crash.

David Hillman of IC Corporation, the nations largest school bus maker and a division of Navistar, said his company has been testing the requirements formalized in the new ruling for more than a decade.

"We are not surprised by these regulations and our product plans are not changing as a result," said Hillman.

Rocks in the road?

However, the road to seatbelts in school buses may have some bumps along the way.

Ron Smith, director of marketing for Blue Bird Corporation, sees funding as a potential problem.

"The trouble with a federal government (seatbelt) mandate without federal government funding is that the states and school districts, already strapped for financing operations, increasing fuel costs and the increase in bus costs as a result of federal safety and emission controls, may be forced to make fewer buses available to students needing transport and result in more of these students being forced to use a less safe means of transportation to school," said Smith.

According to Smith, the federal government has not, as yet, helped to finance the cost of school buses, like it does public transit buses. "There is money available for alternative fuel-powered school buses, but it is tied to tax rebates which do not apply to nonprofit institutions, such as school systems," Smith said.

He estimates the entry-level incremental cost of a high-back, 39-inch, three-passenger seat meeting the new requirement at roughly $660 per seat.

Flexible seats

Ken Hedgecock, vice president of sales, marketing and service for Thomas Built Buses, said his company became the first school bus manufacturer to offer the SafeGuard FlexSeat, which allows buses to carry three belted elementary school children or two belted high school children in a standard bus seat.

The FlexSeat offers school districts the ability to add the safety of lap-and-shoulder belts without reducing bus capacity or altering bus routes, while preserving the standard of compartmentalization on Thomas Builts Type A, C and D buses, Hedgecock said.

Hedgecock noted that California already has three-point, lap-and,shoulder seatbelt requirements and Texas will follow suit in 2010.

"States that do not currently mandate seatbelts can expect to pay approximately $800 to $900 per seat more for a standard 39-inch wide, three-passenger lap-and-shoulder seatbelt seat than a non-belted seat of the same size," Hedgecock said.

"Some states already mandate 24-inch high back seats as well, and for those that do not, the increased price over the current standard of 20-inch seat backs would be approximately $30 to $35 per seat."

States will be allowed to use NHTSA highway safety grant funds for the purchase and installation of seatbelts on school buses under the Section 402 program. However, those 402 funds may not be used to purchase a school bus, but may fund only the portion of the cost directly related to the purchase and installation of seatbelts, Hedgecock said.

Hedgecock said Thomas Built Buses already supplies vehicles with the mandated requirements to customers requesting those specifications.

Federal $$$ for buses?

Hillman said IC Corporation, as a founding member of the American School Bus Council, has been a vocal advocate of the need for federal funding for school buses.

The new ruling allows for flexible seating, said James Johnson, sales director for SafeGuard, a division of IMMI. He said SafeGuard, which sells high-back seats with lap-and-shoulder belts to all North American school bus manufacturers, pioneered flexible seating in 2007.

Flexible seating technology maximizes capacity by allowing three small children or two larger children to fit in the same seat.

The rule specifies that one lap-shoulder belt may be installed for every 13 inches of seat bench width, provided that these school bus seats equipped with three lap-shoulder belts also are able to be configured to transport two students, Johnson said.

Johnson applauded NHTSA for its thorough analysis and measured approach to the final rulemaking.

"NHTSAs final rule certainly will improve the crashworthiness of school buses and make school travel safer for all of our children," Johnson said. "The mandate of lap-shoulder belts for school buses under 10,000 pounds, along with higher back seats for all school buses, are certainly changes that will net positive results for student transportation safety."

Johnson said flexible seating "eliminates the capacity concerns related to the previous generation of school bus seats equipped with lap-and-shoulder belts."

Schools act

As a result, an increasing number of school districts, in states like Virginia, Texas, Indiana and Illinois, are voluntarily installing lap-shoulder belts on all school buses in their fleets, not just small buses, he said

These seats, which SafeGuard began manufacturing in 2002, are protecting more than 200,000 children in 40 states, Johnson said. The company worked with NHTSA to share information that led to the final rule on belts and seat backs, he said.

The final price of the new seats will be dictated by school bus dealers, but Johnson estimated their cost per bus will range from $15,000 to $20,000.

"Lap-and-shoulder belts in every vehicle they have ever been introduced in reduce injuries and fatalities by 45 percent, and we expect the exact same type of performance in the school bus environment," Johnson said.

Smith of Blue Bird, which has approximately one-third of the school bus market, said the economy is having an impact on school bus manufacturers.

"The industry does seem to be in consensus, reporting an expected down year in 2009 of from 20 percent to 30 percent," he said.

Seatbelt seats at Expo

SafeGuard will be at the UMA Motorcoach Expo in Orlando next month with a new lap-and-shoulder belt seat specifically designed for motorcoaches.

"The new seat will incorporate compartmentalization," said James Johnson, SafeGuard sales director, "and even offers protection for unrestrained passengers.

"The seat has a high back and is padded, which is designed to deflect and absorb energy. It uses the principles that apply to school buses."