A Berks County school transportation provider will receive state funding to help train new school bus drivers as part of a statewide effort to improve student transportation safety and address ongoing driver shortages.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Tuesday that it is investing more than $1.1 million through its School Bus Safety Grant Program to help 26 school districts and transportation providers across 19 counties train more than 430 new school bus drivers.
In Berks County, Quigley Bus Service Inc. was awarded $7,816 to help cover the costs of training new drivers. Eligible expenses include commercial driver’s license (CDL) training, trainee wages, permit and testing fees, and school bus endorsement training.
“With his latest budget, Governor Shapiro continues to make historic investments in education and our children’s future. Making sure we have enough qualified drivers to get students to and from school safely and reliably advances that investment,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “This funding gives schools and communities the support they need to ensure students can focus on learning and achieve success.”
The funding comes through PennDOT’s School Bus Safety Grant Program, which is supported by a portion of fines collected through Pennsylvania’s Automated School Bus Enforcement program. State law directs $25 from every $300 automated school bus stopping law violation to the grant program.
Independent school bus contractors, school entities and municipalities are eligible to apply for the grants, which can also be used to support school bus safety education and training initiatives.
PennDOT also reminded motorists that Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 10 feet from a school bus when its red lights are flashing and stop arm is extended, unless the bus is on the opposite side of a divided highway separated by a physical barrier. Drivers should also slow down and prepare to stop when a school bus activates its flashing yellow warning lights.
The department said Operation Safe Stop 2025 documented 188 violations of Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law during a single day of enforcement, up from 176 violations the previous year. Separately, the state’s Automated School Bus Enforcement program recorded 76,413 violations in 2024.