For immediate release
May 4, 2001

Students learn to stay safe on the bus

        For kindergarten students, getting on a school bus their first day is a big deal. For the Joint Transportation Authority, the safety of those students is an even bigger deal.
        During Education Week, the Joint Transportation Authority of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, together with the local School Bus Operators Association, will be teaching children about bus safety.
        Look for the yellow school bus parked inside the Quinte Mall from Monday, May 7 until Saturday, May 12. Bus drivers and operators will be volunteering their time to answer school bus safety questions and help get children and parents acquainted with the bus. Parents and students are invited to board the bus, sit in the driver's seat and check the mirrors and visibility. The "danger zone" around the school bus will be marked on the floor and the "10 big steps" away from the bus rule will be explained.
        Parents and students from pre-school to age eight are also welcome to attend one of the First Rider Programs being offered on Saturday, May 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Belleville and Bancroft. In Belleville, the program is offered in the parking lot at Centennial Secondary School, 160 Palmer Road. In Bancroft, it's in the parking lot at the Legion, 16 Station Street.
        The First Rider Program is an education and awareness program designed to promote school bus safety to young children and their parents. The program is approximately 45 minutes in length and will include a video called Pooh's Great School Bus Adventure, a review of school bus safety procedures on a stationary bus, a ride on the school bus, and a colouring book, crayons, and placemat to take home as a reminder of school bus safety.
        Think of Us on the Bus is a pilot project initiated by the Ministry of Transportation to raise bus safety awareness issues with students and parents. Think of Us will have it's public launch with the First Rider Program in Belleville.
 

For more information contact:
Gail McCullough, Manager of Transportation, 966-1170 ext. 2225