Crashes get all the attention, but they're a small share of what happens on a school bus. A student hurts their hand in the door. Two students fight in the back. A bus clips a mailbox backing out of a driveway. A bus breaks down on the highway with 40 children on board. Each one needs a written report, and each one can come back months later as a complaint, a claim or a district question.
A good school bus incident report form works for all of them: the same core facts every time, plus the details each kind of incident needs. Here's what to include, how to write it, and who should see it. For crashes, our post on what to do after a school bus accident covers the steps at the scene.
Kinds of incidents to report
| Kind | Examples | Also record |
|---|---|---|
| Collision or accident | Another vehicle, a pole, a parked car | Police report number, the other driver, insurance |
| Passenger incident | A fight, bullying, a student injured getting on or off, a student left on the bus | Students involved (by name for the school), what the driver did, who was told |
| Property damage | A mailbox, a fence, a gate, a branch through a window | The owner, photos, an estimate |
| Mechanical failure | A breakdown, smoke, a door or lift that stops working | Where the bus stopped, how students were moved, the defect |
| Safety incident | A car running the stop arm, a near miss, a student crossing unsafely | Plate number, time and place, camera footage |
What every report needs
- When and where: the date, the time and the exact place (the stop, the road, the cross street).
- Who: the driver, the aide, the bus, and the route or run.
- What happened, in order, in plain words. What the driver saw and did, not guesses about why.
- Injuries: who, what kind, and whether first aid or an ambulance was needed.
- Damage: to the bus and to anything else.
- Witnesses: names and phone numbers, including other drivers and adults at the stop.
- Numbers: a police report number and an insurance claim number, when there are any.
- Photos, video and papers: the scene, the damage, camera footage, signed statements.
- Who was told and when: dispatch, the school, the parents, the district, the insurer.
Tip: Write it the same day, while it's fresh, and stick to facts. "Student A pushed student B into the window; I stopped the bus at the next safe place and separated them" is useful. "The kids were out of control again" isn't.
Who sees the report
- The driver writes it (or tells the office, who writes it) the same day.
- A manager reviews it, asks questions and adds what's missing.
- The school and parents are told about anything involving a student, under your contract's rules.
- The district gets its copy if your contract asks for incident reports.
- The insurer is told about anything that could become a claim, even a small one.
- The report is closed once everything is done, and kept with the bus and the driver's records.
Good to know: Your state, district contract and insurer may have their own forms and deadlines, especially for injuries and crashes. Use theirs where they ask, and keep a copy. Be careful with students' names and details outside the people who need them.
Doing it in FleetCommander
Reporting it. Drivers press Report an incident on My Day, with their bus already chosen. The office uses Report incident on Incidents. The form asks When, Type (Accident, Collision, Passenger incident, Property damage, Mechanical failure, Safety incident or Other), Location, Vehicle, Driver and What happened?, with ticks for Injuries reported and Property damage, the Police report number, Insurance claim number, Estimated cost ($) and Witnesses. Photos, documents and videos such as dash-cam footage go with it. Managers are told as soon as it's saved.
Following it up. Each incident's status moves Open → Under review → Closed. While it's open, a Needs attention box says if someone was hurt, there are no photos or documents yet, or there's no insurance claim number. Add the Actual cost ($) when it's known, and attach signed statements and the police report later on its Photos, documents & videos tab. An incident with a claim or police report number is kept as the record and can't be deleted. The list exports as CSV, and incidents show on each vehicle's page. See the Incidents guide and our free school bus accident report form.
Ava (Beta), the assistant in the app, answers Any open incidents? or Incidents on Bus 12 this year?. More on her page.
Related reading
Questions people ask
- What should a school bus incident report include?
- When and where, who was involved (driver, aide, bus, route), what happened in order, any injuries and damage, witnesses, police and claim numbers, photos or video, and who was told and when.
- Do bus drivers have to report student behavior incidents?
- Most companies and districts ask drivers to report fights, injuries and serious behavior the same day, so the school can follow up. Check your district contract for what it requires.
- Is a breakdown an incident?
- It's worth reporting as one when students were on board or had to be moved, so you have a record of where the bus stopped, how long it took and how students got to school.
- Who should see a school bus incident report?
- A manager reviews it; the school and parents hear about anything involving a student; the district and insurer get what your contract and policy require. Keep students' details to the people who need them.