School Bus Service Guidelines & Schedule: Fill & Download for Free

Let’s look at the relative sizes of the countries. The United States is approximately 40 times the size of the United Kingdom, which is comprised of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are 11 US states which are larger than the UK, and 31 states which are larger than England. Canada is even bigger than the US, and 7 of its 10 provinces are bigger than the UK. The distances are vast in North America.Then look at the population distribution. Back when school buses were first invented, the US and Canada were largely rural and governments were giving away free farms of 160 acres to European immigrants. These were far larger than most farms in Europe, which meant that most students were a long, long walk away from their one-room rural schools.This is my one room rural school in Canada. No, really it is, they turned it into a museum. I’m an official ancient artifact like the dinosaurs that litter the landscape nearby. You can visit it if you happen to go to the tourist ghost town of Rowley in Alberta. See: Alberta Chronicles - Prairie LandscapesUnlike the UK, which was the main imperial power at the time, the US and Canada were relatively democratic and had decided that free education was an entitlement for their children (which was quite different from Europe where education was considered an upper class luxury). That mean they had to get their kids to their often distant schools somehow. Riding a horse was an option, but horses were for rich people. Most people were poor.They started off with kid hacks, a horse-drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The word hack, meaning a horse-drawn cab, is short for hackney carriage. Later they added gasoline engines.In 1939 a conference at Columbia University organized by rural education expert Dr. Frank W. Cyr forever changed the design and production of North American school buses. One part of its legacy remains a key part of every school bus in North America today: the adoption of a standard paint color for all school buses. Technically named "National School Bus Glossy Yellow", this color became the standard for school buses throughout North America and is government-mandated in the US and Canada.During the 1940s, school bus ownership transitioned, shifting from single individuals hired by school districts to fleets of buses operated by district employees. With urban growth, one-room schools were largely phased out in favor of the multi-grade schools. My own one-room rural school was closed in 1957 and I had to be bused to the nearest town.However, distances are still vast in North America, and it is traditional for children to take yellow school buses to save their parents the time and money required to drive their own kids to school. Every year in the United States and Canada, school buses provide an estimated 8 billion student trips from home and school; over half of the United States K–12 student population is transported by school bus. In the United States and Canada, school bus services operate independent of public transport, with their own bus stops and schedules, coordinated with school class times.When loading or unloading students, yellow school buses are given traffic priority; their red warning lights and stop signs allow them to stop traffic in both directions while loading and unloading as a safety measure for children.School bus stopping trafficSee: School bus - WikipediaWhere I live in Alberta, there are multiple competing school districts (long story on how that happened), and they all contract out their bus services to private contractors. For city students who are close enough, they can walk, or if they are on city bus lines, they can get student bus passes from their school. For all the others there are the yellow school buses. Parents are discourage from driving their children to school because it creates horrendous traffic problems at the school.In Alberta, even the expensive private schools expect their students to take the yellow school bus to their school.STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOLTRANSPORTATION POLICYFirst Student Canada provides bus service to Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in accordance with the following guidelines.Except where bus service cannot be provided it is expected that students should ride the bus to and from school each day. Students who plan to use the bus must send a deposit on or before June 1 each year. Before the school year begins, a bus schedule will be distributed to each family who has committed to using the bus. Occasional busing is available to other students only if a seat is still available.Elite Private School StudentsTheir Non-Elite School BusesSo, when I was working for a while in the UK, in the suburbs of London, I found it bizarre that all the mothers were driving their children to their local school. The traffic problems were horrendous. The Brits had a certain way of making their lives difficult for themselves rather than just getting a yellow school bus to take the kids to school.

Banks are surrounded by one of the deepest moats in a capitalist economy - government regulations. Every action and operational aspect of banks are governed by thousands of pages of international, federal, state and local laws. Banks use technology to enable their operations, but technology companies cannot become financial operators themselves without coming under the constraints of these very tight regulations that are only growing heavier by the day.Google can run endless tests to optimize its search algorithms, but if Google were a financial institution and decided to run their loan approval process like that, it would likely run afoul of any number of Fair Lending guidelines in a nano-second. It is easy to optimize operations and smooth out friction when all you are doing is centered around achieving the fastest search or building the best e-commerce experience.Banks unfortunately cannot do that. Their actions are tightly regulated and the downside to a misstep is steep: both from portfolio risk standpoint as well as government fines that can go into the billions of dollars. No one will fine Amazon for making their shopping cart easier or harder, but if Amazon was in the banking business, you can bet that they can't do a thing without being vetted by their legal and compliance departments.I don't mean to sound like an apologist for the banks, as there are plenty of things that can be done to enhance the customer experience. But it is important to call out the fallacy that technology or retail companies for that matter can simply jump into financial services and suddenly make things so much better. They cannot, because the rules that apply to banks are so different that it is akin to thinking that if you put a Formula 1 driver into a school bus, the school bus will suddenly start to go at 200mph around the lap.

I’m a Native Japanese undergrad student. Due to my background, I also have a lot of interactions with foreign students visiting Japan. I’ve seen several cases where these foreigners run into troubles and transform their exciting trip into nightmares - some of which even I wasn’t able to help out with.Here are some of the lesser known rules that people should consider while visiting Japan, covering practical tips to serious felonies:Safety and Legal tips.DO NOT bring any illegal drugs into the country for any reason. This is a very serious crime - and unlike our western counterparts, Japan enforces them very strictly. Our government, as well as our society have zero tolerance over any drugs that are illegal. This also includes drugs prescribed by your doctor for medical purposes. Please always check the immigration website before considering bringing any drugs — even if they were prescribed by your doctor — and contact professional legal advisers for help. Offenders can be punished up to 20 years in prison and barred from entering the country possibly for life.Always carry your ID with you at all times! Although other cultures differ regarding their attitudes towards personal identification, Japan is one of the countries that are strict regarding personal ID. In our culture, the common scene is where anyone over the age of 12 always carries some form of ID with picture of their face (student card, drivers license, etc) while going out. It’s a criminal offense for anyone without Japanese nationality to fail to carry their legal IDs with them. You as a foreigner are legally required to carry ether your passport or your permanent residency card at all times. ‘Offenders’ can be fined or punished up to 2 years in prison and a possible deportation.Be careful with what you carry in public!!! We have very strict and somewhat peculiar laws regarding what we can carry in public. In Japan, it’s illegal to carry any types of weapon: this even includes cutter knives and scissors. Yes, people get arrested and criminally charged for carrying scissors!! Violators can be punished up to 10 years in prison. Screwdrivers are also illegal to carry in public, under the Picking Prohibition Act. The punishment for offenders can be up to two years in prison. Foreigners are particularly ill-informed about this law, however, so people are regularly arrested for violating these laws. Just last week, a man was arrested after a pair of scissors that he’d forgotten about were discovered inside of his car.Beware of groping inside packed trains! It’s a common incident to happen in this country, and everyone needs to be aware of that. If you’re a teenager or a young woman, I strongly advise that you take the woman only car that’s operated during the rush hour, if available. Men aren’t safe from groping either; young adults and teenagers occasionally fall victim to it (including myself, I was regularly groped inside packed trains). Be sure to look confident inside of crowded places, as people tend to prey on those who don’t appear to have self esteem. That aura can be a powerful defense. Also, if you believe that you have been victimized by this crime, catch the arm that you’ve believed has touched you and cry out loud.On the flip side, beware of being falsely accused of groping someone. It’s almost impossible to know who the perpetrator is when groping occurs in pressurized rush hour trains. The Japanese justice system is very flawed, and the prosecutors can use mental torture to forcefully make a suspect confess for a crime they didn’t commit. Although our criminal system is internationally condemned, it isn’t likely to change any time soon, so once you’re accused of groping someone, that’ll be the end. If accused, some lawyers say that it’s better to admit the confession and plea for mercy than to prove your innocence, unless you have a strong physical evidence.Avoid hostess clubs, they’re mostly illegal! Many hostess clubs in Japan are operated by criminal organizations, and often involved in illegal child trafficking and prostitution. Also, people regularly get blackmailed by their owners to pay outrageous amount of money. Some hostess clubs even forcefully abduct people to buy their products. I was abducted by them once during my high school trip to Osaka and was forced to pay all of my money for good. They don’t have mercy for anyone.Check their age before you go out on a date. Although it’s widely known that the age of consent in Japan is 13, you still need parental consent in order to date anyone under the age of 18 or 20, depending on the administration and circumstances. It’s widely considered that this is the de-jure age of consent in Japan. This age is notably higher than most of our western counterparts, so if you’re a high school student or a college undergrad, please keep this in mind. There are no age gap exceptions anywhere other than a few prefectures, so if you’re under 20, or dating someone under 20, always have it be a family-based relationship.No underage drinking or smoking, please. Although we previously had some tolerance with underage drinking, after a series of tragic alcohol related deaths among minors, this view changed completely. You must be over 20 years old to drink or smoke in Japan.Manners and social norms:It’s always good to wear appropriate clothing outside. Japanese people often don’t like seeing people showing their skin. It’s generally advised to avoid wearing tank tops or sleeveless clothing during the summer — regardless of gender. If you think the weather is too hot and want to wear tank top, it’d be best to wear a see through T-shirt on top of your tank top to feel cool, without showing your bare skin, since it’s considered to be rude. If you’re a teenage or adult male, it’s recommended to wear something under your T-shirt, even during summer. A lot of girls despise boys who wear only one layer of clothing. They consider it gross, since our humid climate drenches their clothes with sweat: an extremely uncomfortable thing to watch. Personally, I always wear a tank top under my T-shirt when I go to school.Avoid making jokes about/insulting the Emperor at all costs!! Although many other constitutional monarchies in western countries have a pretty laid-back attitude towards innocent jokes against their monarchy, Japan isn’t in that party. Lese-majesty is no longer punishable by law as of 1947, but it’s still a very insulting thing to do. There are many right and left wing individuals who react to it. Some people get assaulted for criticizing the emperor (a mayor was assassinated some while ago), especially if the argument becomes public via mass media or online. Very bad idea!Take off your shoes in private spaces. It’s a common custom in Eastern Asia and Russia for individuals to take off their shoes in private, to avoid things from getting dirty. It’s even common for public spaces, such as schools, to require students to wear separate shoes within their facility.Don’t allow yourself to get wet. Like earlier, due Japan’s humid, crowded climate, people are expected to be hygiene conscious at all times. This includes staying dry at all times. It might be a custom in some cultures to not care about getting wet in the rain, especially during the summer or when it’s snowing during the winter, but in Japan, we strongly recommend that you use your umbrella and try hard to be as dry as possible. This is important because in such a humid and crowded climate, it’s easy for harmful germs to spread around.Mute your phone while riding on public transit. This is an imperative, and you need to know it. It’s required for individuals to turn off their phones inside of trains and buses.Smell etiquette. Be careful with how you smell. You’re expected to frequently commute in a crowded environment if you’re staying in a densely populated area. It’s nothing short of hell when someone has strong body odor — particularly in packed trains. Take showers frequently during the summer.Body hair etiquette. Although body hair on men may be considered sexy in many cultures around the world, many Japanese find it disgusting. It’s common for boys to shave their body hair. Hell, I’ve ended up shaving my body hair after being socially pressured to do so. It’s recommended that you don’t proactively show your body hair in public places, as some Japanese may find it scary and even barbaric (this is another reason why Japanese don’t like just tank tops.)Safety:Avoid dangerous areas. Japan maybe a safe place relative to places like the US. However, that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. There ’re dangerous hot spots around the country, particularly in the cities.It’s recommended that teenagers and young adults travel in groups for their first trip. Incidents do happen while you travel, yet most legal personals aren’t trained to help foreigners. It’s common for people to be groped and sexually assaulted in public areas, so it’s recommended that you travel with your friends until you get used to the country.Earthquake awareness is important. We’re an earthquake-prone country. We get major earthquakes once every five years or so, so make sure you that review your earthquake awareness skills. When you choose where you’re gonna live, check if the building is built under the newest earthquake safety code. If you’re staying or visiting in coastal areas, review its tsunami evacuation guidelines.Useful tips for travel:Pick Haneda airport if you have options to land in Tokyo. Narita airport is over 100km away from the city center.If you choose Narita, don’t use a cheap bus to go to central Tokyo. Instead, use the Keisei train with direct subway connection if you want to go to Tokyo on the cheap. The bus service forces you to walk a lot while carrying your luggage to Tokyo Station.Do not use taxis. They’re expensive and easily exceed 10000 yen. Use the public transport system instead.Don’t talk to strangers to find a girlfriend!! Many western cultures tolerate boys talking to girls that they find attractive, even if they’re strangers. In Japan, that can be considered sexual harassment, even if she’s your classmate. You should wait until she talks to you first instead. I learned this the hard way…