American School Bus Hits International Stage at Busworld Asia
03 December 2012
www.chinabuses.org: The Chinese government and local enterprise continue to ramp up efforts to increase student transportation safety after several high-profile crashes shocked the global community, and increasingly they are looking West for insights on how to accomplish these goals as several U.S. student transporters presented to Chinese and other foreign bus representatives last week.
International outrage centered on a head-on crash last November involving a school van packed with 62 students, ages 5 and 6, and a truck. Twenty-one of the students, their driver and an adult chaperone were killed while 41 students were seriously injured. This tragedy came after China began implementing new regulations in 2010 to mandate seat belts and black boxes in school buses that are now painted yellow like their American cousin. However, Chinese school buses are actually motorcoaches and not constructed to U.S. federal standards.
Busworld Asia in Guangzhou, China, about two hours by train from Hong Kong, was the site of the latest industry event that looked at the benefits of the American yellow school bus. It ran from Nov. 22-24. Earlier this year, Blue Bird and IC Bus exhibited their American school bus brands at Chinese industry trade shows.
The Busworld Asia event began in partnership with Chinese bus builders in 2001. An event spokeswoman said the Asian Coach Week Awards were presented for the first time this year to Chinese school bus manufacturers. Some members of the American contingent were invited to watch the judging.
During the conference portion, NAPT President Alexandra Robinson, the executive director of student transportation for the New York City Department of Education, provided a regulatory overview of the U.S. school bus industry. She will also talked about NAPT and its member iniatives. NAPT’s Executive Director Michael Martin said Robinson has made it a priority as president to continue what she calls “global outreach.”
Source : www.chinabuses.org
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