SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 78

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: JANUARY 23, 1997

 

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 78.

      This bill requires the placement of an additional side emergency door on school buses with a passenger seating capacity of 35 or more manufactured on or after the effective date of the bill. It also provides for an access aisle no less than 24 inches wide from the center aisle to the emergency door and requires a crash barrier adjacent to the emergency exit. In order to meet these requirements, the bill provides that the maximum seating capacity for Type "C" and Type "D" school buses be increased to 71 passengers. It is the committee's understanding that this additional seating capacity should result in long term economic savings from bus route reductions and lower maintenance and labor costs.

      The bill also restricts the maximum overall length of a school bus to 40 feet. It further provides that a minimum of 15 inches of seat space must be provided for each passenger. The bill's provisions would be applicable only to school buses built on chassis manufactured on or after the bill's effective date.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 1996 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review which has been performed.