This bill amends current law to enhance safety measures for school buses, particularly those transporting students with disabilities. It mandates that all school buses display specific identifying information, including a school bus identification number, a telephone number, an Internet website address, and any other relevant details on the rear of the bus. This information must be in a contrasting color to the bus itself and is intended to allow the public to report any instances of driver misconduct to the Division of State Police, the board of education, or the nonpublic school associated with the bus. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is tasked with designing a sticker that contains this information.

Additionally, the bill establishes penalties for failure to display the required information, with fines escalating from $250 for the first violation to $1,000 for the third violation, which also includes disqualification from providing transportation services. Reports of driver misconduct must be logged and submitted to the relevant board of education within 10 business days, and if substantiated, the Division of State Police will issue summonses or fines, while the Department of Education will determine the driver's eligibility to continue providing transportation services for the remainder of the school year. The bill clarifies the definition of a school bus in accordance with existing law.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39:3B-2