On the first day of school, buses will pick up about 63,000 children and take them to school.
Courtesy PWCS
On Tuesday, September 3, the first day of school, 825 Prince William County school buses will roll, some as early as 6 a.m., to pick up children and take them to the county’s 93 schools. About 63,000 of an estimated 86,000 students will be transported by bus. School Division staff work hard to ensure the safety of students on buses, but their safety also depends largely on the willingness of motorists to follow laws concerning school buses.Motorists are reminded that flashing yellow lights in school zones will be on beginning September 3. School zone lights were turned off at most schools in the county during the summer.
By law, motorists must stop when a school bus is stopped with its red lights blinking and stop sign extended, except when the bus is on the opposite side of a median strip. Motorists must also stop if the bus is loading or unloading children and the signal devices are not functioning properly. Passing a stopped school bus is considered reckless driving. This is a misdemeanor in Virginia and violators face fines of up to $2,500 and jail time, as well as six points on their driving record.
“School buses are the safest form of ground transportation on this planet, and we want to keep it that way,” said Edward Bishop, director of Transportation Services for Prince William County Public Schools.PWCS bus schedules are now online and in the mail. View details.
