Thomas Built Buses brings back If You Pass school bus safety campaign
Thomas Built Buses is reviving its If You Pass campaign to spotlight the estimated 218,000 drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses every school day.
- 218,000
- 2025
What Happened
Thomas Built Buses says the problem is real: every school day, an estimated 218,000 drivers illegally pass stopped school buses, which the company calls a genuine risk to students getting on and off the bus. The school bus manufacturer is bringing back its If You Pass campaign, an initiative designed to get people talking about illegal school bus passing. The campaign reminds drivers of one simple rule: when the bus stops, you stop.
218,000per school day
Estimated total cited by Thomas Built Buses from the NASDPTS 2025 survey.
- Wear the message and share it.
- Start a conversation about illegal school bus passing.
- Spread the word so drivers everywhere are reminded that stopping for a school bus is not optional.
- Nominate a school or school district that is making a difference to receive campaign funds, with no purchase necessary.
- Buy limited-edition campaign gear in the Thomas Built store.
Thomas Built Buses explains its blunt wording by saying school bus safety is serious and a polite reminder is sometimes not enough. The If You Pass message says what school bus drivers, transportation professionals and parents are already thinking when someone ignores a stopped school bus. School buses are designed with safety in mind, the company notes, but the people who operate them cannot control every driver sharing the road. When a bus stops to pick up or drop off students, passing it illegally can put children directly in harm's way.
The campaign is not only a message. Proceeds will help support a school or school district working to raise awareness about school bus safety, and the company is inviting people to nominate a school or district that is making a difference to receive those funds. Supporters can also get the gear, spread the word and help make the message harder to miss.
Why this matters
Illegal passing puts students in danger at the exact moment they are getting on or off the bus, and the people operating the buses cannot control the drivers around them. The campaign targets everyday drivers with a blunt reminder, and it will direct proceeds to a school or school district working on school bus safety awareness, so districts and their communities can be affected too.
Terms in This Story
- NASDPTS
- The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, an organization of state officials responsible for school bus transportation.
- Illegal school bus passing
- Driving past a school bus that has stopped with its warning signals on, typically while students are getting on or off.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.