Tucson Region

TUSD's transportation department wins state DPS safety award

In Tucson's largest school district, the wheels on the bus go round-and-round - pretty much without a hitch. It's that efficiency and focus on safety that has earned Tucson Unified School District's transportation department the state Department of Public Safety's all-around safety award. The award is given to two public school districts - one large, one small - that go "above and beyond what is required" in the area of student transportation. Officials took into consideration year-round fleet maintenance, at-fault accidents, driver training and assistance to other transportation departments. The DPS also made note of TUSD's training program and monthly safety meetings for drivers. The key to success in TUSD is finding the right employees, said Bill Ball, TUSD's director of transportation. "You can say it's a professional position, but unless you treat it as a professional position, you don't attract or retain professionals," Ball said. Transportation is an area that directly affects students, Ball said. That's why TUSD has put adult monitors and air conditioning units on most of its buses, hoping to improve the experience for kids.