James M. Barrie Center, Inc.

Riding the school bus for the first time is a big step for a child. Help your kids get a gold star in school bus safety by following these tips. 🚌

Top Tips for Riding the Bus:

Walk with your young kids to the bus stop and wait with them until it arrives. Make sure drivers can see the kids at your bus stop.

Teach kids to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time.

Teach kids to wait for the school bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and not to walk behind the bus.

If your child needs to cross the street after exiting the bus, he or she should take five giant steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the bus driver and cross when the driver indicates it’s safe. Teach kids to look left, right and left again before crossing the street.

Slow down and stop if you’re driving near a school bus that is flashing yellow or red lights. This means the bus is either preparing to stop (yellow) or already stopped (red), and children are getting on or off.

Teach kids that if something happens on the bus that makes them feel scared or unsafe, it's important to tell a trusted adult such as the bus driver, teacher, or school counselor.