The person being trained travels with a licensed bus driver, and then takes a state test to gain a commercial license. State instructors offer an annual, and required, four-hour course for the drivers. In Catoosa County, nearly 5,000 students travel on 89 school buses every day. A driver must receive certification from the state and hold a commercial driver's license, Mrs. Brown said. Once certified, bus drivers in Catoosa County get an annual refresher course before they are evaluated by certified trainers.
Drivers conduct a pre-trip bus inspection each morning and afternoon.
Once a month, county mechanics check the mechanical condition of each bus, and once a year Georgia state troopers inspect each bus. In Polk County, about 1,850 of the school system's 2,315 students ride school buses, Mr. Bigham said. Chattanooga Publishing Co. All rights reserved. This document cannot be reprinted without express written permission.