Leave Our School Buses Yellow!

ALBANY, NY (05/17/2011)(readMedia)-- In a letter sent to members of the State Assembly and Senate, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation has called for defeat of legislation that would allow for the placement of advertisements on yellow school buses.

NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, noted that: "The school bus is known by all Americans in its National School Bus Chrome, or yellow, coloring. That color was specifically selected for its uniqueness as well as for its visibility. To compromise the integrity and familiarity of that iconic color is simply wrong and presents safety risks to our children."

NYAPT is opposing S. 3229-A offered by Senator Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) and A. 7701 by Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-E.Setauket) that would amend the State's Education Law that provides that "...any school district in the state may enter into a contract for the sale of advertising space on the exterior sides of school buses owned or leased by the school district..."

In a letter to the Senate and Assembly, NYAPT asserted that the safety of children riding school buses must remain paramount over the current struggle to identify new financial resources. In addition to its concern over compromising the uniform color of the school bus, NYAPT is concerned about the impact that advertisements could have on protecting children from passing motorists. "We have a problem in our state with thousands of motorists passing our school buses illegally every day. We are concerned that motorists will be even more distracted by advertisements on the school buses and we will see an increase in illegal passing. No amount of revenues will protect a child from a passing vehicle."

"We are also concerned that children may take unnecessary risks in boarding the school bus if they are distracted by advertisements on the side of the bus. Many of our younger children are easily distracted and having an ad for cereal or sneakers or TV shows in front of them can only increase that distraction."

NYAPT President, David Christopher (Shenendehowa Central School District) noted: "While other states recently have enacted laws that allow for advertising on school buses, New York passed legislation in the late 1990s that prohibits advertising. We supported passage of that law and we strongly oppose this legislation. We know that our schools – the schools where we work -- are struggling to keep pace with increasing costs and decreasing revenues. However, we do not believe that placing ads on our yellow school buses is an appropriate answer to those problems."

National research studies have shown the yellow school bus to be the safest mode of transporting school children two and from school. The National School Bus Chrome yellow was adopted as a universal standard in 1939 at a national conference convened by Dr. Frank Cyr, a New York educator and Columbia University professor for the purpose of ensuring the safety of children en route to school. Mannella stated: "That color has not changed one iota over these past 75 years. We oppose this attempt to compromise that yellow for the purpose generating ad revenues."

NYAPT is a professional association dedicated to the support, development and representation of the women and men who are responsible for the safe and efficient transportation of our school children. NYAPT is comprised of nearly 500 professionals who work in school districts, BOCES, private school bus contractors, and other organizations engaged in school transportation services.

For further information, contact Peter Mannella, at the NYAPT office at 518-463-4937, or by cell phone (518-588-3924) or email at peter@nyapt.org.