Operating from Hackensack, New Jersey, John Leckie Inc. is a school bus company that serves students in over 50 towns in Bergen County. For about 59 years, John Leckie Inc. has hired and trained responsible drivers that adhere to a rigorous safety program in order to ensure that the company’s buses are the safest way for students in Bergen County to get to school.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), students who take buses to school are eight times safer than those who ride in a car or walk. This is due, in part, to the fact that school buses are designed for child safety. The bright color, high-back seats, large mirrors, flashing safety lights, and attached stop sign all alert other drivers to the presence of schoolchildren. Additionally, school bus drivers are required to have special safety training, a commercial driver's license (CDL), and certain endorsements that vary by state.
Lap and shoulder seat belts were made available on school buses in 2002 and gained the support of the NHTSA in 2015. Certain states, including New Jersey and New York, require seat belts on school buses.
Family-owned and -operated, John Leckie, Inc. has served the northern New Jersey area for more than 58 years. John Leckie, Inc. is responsible for transporting students to more than 70 schools across the region, relying on a highly maintained fleet of light- and medium-duty buses.New and innovative technologies are increasingly affecting how school buses are monitored, tracked, and repaired. For example, school bus tracking systems offering scheduling, location, and drop-off information are being tested on a wide-scale basis, and new software that utilizes constantly updated mapping data is creating the most efficient school bus routes in an effort to save time and money. Electric buses that can operate from 50 to 100 miles on a single charge are becoming a more affordable, popular alternative due to available grants and subsidies offered by many states to offset the higher upfront costs, and safety sensors that trigger alarms when a child darts in front of or behind the bus are increasingly being adopted.
John Leckie Inc. provides safe and professional bus transportation to school children across northern New Jersey. Based in Hackensack, John Leckie Inc. maintains rigorous safety and training requirements for its drivers.To become a school bus driver in New Jersey, one must be a licensed driver with endorsements as both a passenger (P) and a school bus (S) operator. The Passenger endorsement is available to individuals who are at least 21 years old, can recognize red, green, and amber as colors, and have 20/40 vision and 70-degree peripheral vision in each eye. The driver may meet vision requirements with or without corrective lenses.The driver must be physically capable of performing his or her duties and must submit a Medical Examiner's Certificate, both at the receipt of licensure and every two years. This asserts the driver's capabilities. The driver must then successfully complete a background check and fingerprinting, which is also required for the school bus endorsement.The school bus endorsement further requires that drivers obtain and submit a copy of a Department of Education Criminal History Review Unit Blue Seal Approval letter, which must have a date of issue no more than 90 days prior to the endorsement application date. Those who drive for the Department of Education must also complete a training program that covers all aspects of the job, including accident procedures and student management. Those who transport students with special needs must complete additional training, which includes watching a video that helps drivers interact effectively with their charges.
