The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced an investment of more than $1.1 million in grants to train more than 430 new school bus drivers.
This funding will support 26 schools and transportation providers across 19 Pennsylvania counties, aiming to enhance school transportation safety.
This marks the administration’s second investment in school bus safety this year, funded through PennDOT’s School Bus Safety Grant Program. The program aims to increase school bus safety for students and communities throughout Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Department Secretary Mike Carroll of Transportation (PennDOT), emphasized the importance of the investment.
“With his latest budget, Governor Shapiro continues to make historic investments in education and our children’s future. Making sure we have enough qualified drivers to get students to and from school safely and reliably advances that investment. This funding gives schools and communities the support they need to ensure students can focus on learning and achieve success,” Caroll said.
Funding for the School Bus Safety Grant Program originates, in part, from automated violations of the Pennsylvania School Bus Stopping Law. This law mandates a $300 fine for violations, with $25 of each fine allocated to the program.
Grants can be used for education, training and other costs associated with individuals obtaining commercial learner’s permits, commercial driver’s licenses or school bus endorsements for driving school buses in Pennsylvania. The grants also support efforts to promote and increase overall school bus safety, education and training.
Below is a list of grant awards in our area:
Allegheny County:
- ABC Transit Inc., $75,000
- Deer Lakes School District $17,000
- Sun Coach Lines LLC, $27,100
Beaver County:
- Hopewell Area School District: $15,186
Butler County:
- ABC Transit Inc., $57,000
Indiana County:
- Woodridge Transit LLC, $50,000
Mercer County:
- AC-School Services Inc., $30,000
- Watsons Inc., $14,700
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