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EDITORS NOTE: Advanced Career Institute has discontinued our School Bus Driving Program. We still offer our Commercial Bus Driver Program at select campuses. Buses are an environmentally friendly form of travel, at least when compared to other transit modes. The bus industry, which is growing and has a demand for professionally trained drivers, is considered a cleaner form of travel when compared to cars, trains, and airplanes. The American Bus Association Foundation and The Union of Concerned Scientists have reported that buses and motor coaches are the most environmentally friendly form of transportation. According to a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a couple riding a bus will cut their carbon emissions by almost half when compared with driving even a hybrid car. “And if they take the motorcoach rather than flying, they will cut their emissions by 55 to 75 percent, depending on the distance they travel,” says the ABA. Other environment statistics from the ABA show that: • Buses provide 207 passenger miles per gallon of fuel, compared to 92 passenger MPG for commuter rail, 44 passenger MPG for domestic airlines, and 27 MPG for single passenger automobiles. • Each bus has the potential to take as many as 55 cars off of the road, reducing congestion, saving fuel, and significantly cutting emissions. • The motorcoach industry is growing, providing some 700 million passenger trips annually. The FAA says in 2011, the airlines provided 732 million passenger trips. In contrast, long-distance passenger rail carried 30.2 million passengers in 2012. • According to DePaul University of Chicago, intercity bus service grew by 7.5 percent between the end of 2011 and 2012—the highest rate of growth in four years. Conventional bus lines expanded by 1.4%, in part due to Greyhound and Peter Pan’s new express services. • Daily departures on express bus carriers surged in 2012, up by 30.6%, and for the first time, they exceeded more than 1,000 daily scheduled operations. Because buses are considered one of the cleanest forms of travel, they are growing in popularity as a form of transportation for public transit departments and businesses. “The motorcoach industry is committed to continuing to be the most environmentally friendly form of transportation,” said ABA President and CEO Peter J. Pantuso. “Our ABA member companies every day provide high-quality, safe transportation to hundreds of thousands of people. Our members are leaders when it comes to improving the environment because they know that improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions make their companies better. We are proud of the work our industry is doing and will continue to do.” Because of this environmentally friendly form of travel, the bus industry is in need of thousands of drivers who have professional training. The Advanced Career Institute’s commercial bus training program can help a person start a new career as a bus driver in an industry that is not only growing but helping to lead the way in environmentally friendly travel.

EDITORS NOTE: Advanced Career Institute has discontinued our School Bus Driving Program. We still offer our Commercial Bus Driver Program at select campuses. Michael Cross has worked as a school bus driver for over 20 years and has been the director of a school bus driving department at three different school districts. He says the demand for quality school bus drivers is large, and each district he has worked for is constantly hiring more drivers. But, while a good career can be found as a professional school bus driver, Cross also says potential applicants should be aware that the job requires a certain type of person. “It’s a great job in terms of scheduling and being able to not have to work from behind a desk,” Cross said. “But it also requires some skill because driving a school bus isn’t just like driving your car.” Cross said the first piece of advice he would give a person considering a career as a school bus driver is to get some form of professional training. “Training is important because different situations come up all the time, and trained drivers are much better at handling those situations,” Cross said. Cross also said a good school bus driver training program can better prepare drivers when it comes to vehicle care and maintenance. “It’s true that a lot of companies and schools have maintenance professionals,” Cross said, “but believe me, we are always interested in drivers that know how to take care of their bus because it helps everyone out.” Cross said school bus drivers are more than chauffeurs but also act as “teachers.” “We encourage our bus drivers to interact with students, safely, of course, and there is a lot of problem-solving on the job,” Cross said. “It’s not for everybody but a lot of people who have the right personality can be very successful and find a lot of enjoyment in (being a school bus driver).” The growth of school districts, new transportation regulations, and the upcoming retirement of many current school bus drivers have created a great need for new drivers. A shortage of school bus drivers exists across the country but students of Advanced Career Institute’s school bus driver program are helping to meet the demand. The school bus driver program at Advanced prepares students to obtain Class B bus CDL with school bus certification and endorsements. Students are also taught the skills to operate a school bus safely and to provide proper care and maintenance for a school bus. “I really encourage people to consider this as a line of work and it’s something I have enjoyed doing for over 20 years,” Cross said. “If you can get some good training and experience behind the wheel of (a school bus) it can really put you ahead of the pack when looking for a job.”