Hawaii Administrative Rules › Title 19 - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION › Subtitle 5 - MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY OFFICE › Chapter 143 - PUPIL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY › Section 19-143-11 - Driving of school buses

Current through June, 2024
All school bus carriers, their officers, agents,
				  representatives, and employees responsible for the management,, maintenance,
				  Operation, or driving of school buses, or hiring, supervising, training,
				  assigning, or dispatching of drivers, shall comply with the following:
(1) Drivers shall not permit standees on
				school buses. Drivers shall not put a school bus in motion until all students
				are safely seated. When unloading students, the driver shall not allow students
				to leave their seats until the bus comes to a complete stop.
(2) Drivers shall not reverse school buses on
				the school grounds or at any point where students enter or leave the bus unless
				there are no other safe alternatives. If reversing is necessary, the driver
				shall activate the horn immediately before and intermittently during reversing
				or obtain the assistance of any adult.
(3) Drivers shall not operate school buses
				with any trailer or other vehicle attached when the school bus is being used to
				transport students,
(4) The driver
				shall not smoke or permit other passengers to smoke on the bus whenever
				students are being carried.
(5) The
				school bus driver shall not permit firearms, explosives, flammables or other
				articles likely to endanger the safety of passengers to be carried on a school
				bus,
(6) Passengers in school buses
				equipped with seat belts shall wear them whenever the vehicle is in motion.
				Type II and III school buses shall be equipped with seat belts for the driver
				and passengers. Drivers shall see that all passengers have their seat belts
				fastened whenever the bus is in motion. The driver shall also fasten their seat
				belts before the school bus is in motion.
(7) Whenever passengers are on board, the
				driver shall not put the bus in motion until all the doors are closed and shall
				not open the doors until the bus comes to a complete stop. The driver may open
				the door whenever passengers are not on board for purposes of improving the
				driver's visual field.
(8) The
				driver shall see that windows located on sides of buses which can be opened
				either from the upper or lower half shall be opened only on the upper half. The
				lower half shall be kept closed.
(9) Drivers shall not deviate from the routes
				assigned by the employers. Drivers or owners shall report any hazardous
				conditions on a school bus route to the agency that is responsible for the
				area.
(10) Except in a bona fide
				emergency, drivers operating state contracted school buses shall stop only at
				school bus stops designated or approved by the state agency responsible for
				establishing bus routes. Where bus stops have not been designated by the State,
				bus drivers may stop at locations designated by their employer.
(11) Drivers shall see that their school bus
				is clean and sanitary when transporting students.
(12) All school bus drivers shall activate
				the warning signal lamps whenever the school bus is stopped to load or unload
				passengers on highways as specified by state law.
(13) Drivers of type I school buses equipped
				with seat belts shall wear them whenever the vehicle is in motion.
(14) The following provisions of chapter
				19-141, motor carrier safety regulations, shall be observed; 390.32, 392.3,
				392.4, 392.5, 392.6, 392.7, 392.8, 392.9, 392.9, 392.9,, 392.14, 392.15,
				392.20, 392.22, 392.24, 392.30, 392.31, 392.32, 392.33, 392.40, 392.41, 392.42,
				392.50, 392.51, 392.52, 392.61, 392.62, 392.63, 392.66, 392.68, 395.1, 395.2,
				395.3, 395.7, 395.8, 395.11, and 395.13.