The phone rings at 7:40 in the morning: one of your buses has been hit at an intersection. There are students on board, a parent is already on the way, and the school wants to know what happened. Knowing what to do after a school bus accident before it happens is what keeps the next hour calm — for the driver at the scene and for the office.
This guide gives you a plan you can hand to every driver and dispatcher: the first steps at the scene, what the office does next, what a good accident report includes, and the difference between an accident and an incident. It's practical advice, not legal advice — your state, your districts and your insurer set the exact rules.
School bus incident vs accident: what's the difference?
Companies and districts use the words a little differently, but the usual split is simple. An accident involves the bus hitting, or being hit by, something — another vehicle, a pole, a parked car, a person — however small. An incident is any other event that affects safety or needs a record.
| Usually called an accident | Usually called an incident |
|---|---|
| A car rear-ends the bus at a stop | A student is hurt getting off the bus |
| The bus clips a mirror while turning | A fight or a medical emergency on board |
| The bus backs into a gate in the yard | A student is dropped at the wrong stop |
Most contracts ask you to report both to the school or district, often on the same form. When in doubt, write it up.
What to do after a school bus accident: the driver's first steps
- Stop and secure the bus. Parking brake on, hazard lights on. Turn the engine off if there's any sign of fire or leaking fuel.
- Check the students and yourself. If anyone is hurt — or might be — call 911 first. Don't move an injured student unless they're in danger where they are.
- Keep students on the bus unless it's unsafe. Evacuate only for fire, fuel, smoke, or a risk of being hit again. Your drills are for exactly this moment.
- Call dispatch. Give the location, the bus number, the route, how many students are on board and whether anyone is hurt.
- Call the police if your company, district or state requires a police report — know the rule before the day you need it, and when unsure, call.
- Swap information with the other driver: name, phone, plate, insurance company and policy number. Stick to the facts; don't argue about fault.
- Get witnesses' names and phone numbers, and take photos of the vehicles, the road and the damage if it's safe.
- Account for every student against your list, and release students only as your company and the district's procedure says.
- Fill in the accident report while it's fresh — before the end of the shift.
Tip: Keep a few printed copies of the school bus accident report form in every bus, with a pen and the insurance card. A driver with a form in hand forgets far less.
What the office does next
- Send help: a supervisor and, if needed, a replacement bus.
- Tell the school and the district. Your contract usually says how fast. Parents are often told through the school — follow the district's policy.
- Drug and alcohol testing. CDL drivers — school bus drivers included — are in the DOT drug and alcohol testing program, and certain accidents call for a post-accident test within set time limits. Check the rules with your testing provider the same day.
- Take the bus out of service until a mechanic has checked it, even if the damage looks cosmetic.
- Call your insurance carrier and write down the claim number.
- File any state report. Some states have their own forms and deadlines. Pennsylvania, for example, asks the operator to report a school bus accident to the school's chief administrator within 24 hours and send an accident report to PennDOT within 5 days — see our school bus inspection requirements by state.
School bus accident report: what to include
A good report answers the questions the district, the insurer and the police will ask — so nobody has to call the driver at home that evening. Our free, printable school bus accident and incident report has a space for each of these:
- The basics: date, time, location, bus number, route, driver, students on board, and the weather and road.
- What happened: a few plain sentences, in order. Facts, not opinions.
- Other vehicles: each driver's name, phone, plate, and insurance company and policy.
- Injuries: the name (student or other), the injury, and the treatment or where they were taken.
- Witnesses: names and phone numbers.
- The police: the department, the report number and the officer's name.
- Who was told: dispatch, police, EMS, the school, parents — and whether photos were taken and a drug and alcohol test was done (if required).
- Signatures: the driver's and the supervisor's.
Print it or save it as a PDF from the form's page.
After the day: follow-up
Part of what to do after a school bus accident happens in the weeks after: write down the costs and the claim number as they come in, talk to the driver once things are calm, and look for patterns — the same corner, the same bus, the same time of day. Close the report only when the bus is repaired, the claim is settled and the district has what it asked for.
Accident records also belong in the driver's file — see our driver qualification file checklist. And if your drivers haven't practised getting students off a bus lately, read how to conduct a school bus evacuation drill.
Doing it in FleetCommander
In FleetCommander, drivers have an incident button on My Day, so they can report from their phone at the scene. In the office, Report incident asks for when and where, the type (accident, collision, passenger incident, property damage, mechanical failure, safety incident, other), the vehicle and driver, a description, ticks for injuries and property damage, the police report number, the insurance claim number, witnesses and the estimated cost. Managers are notified as soon as it's saved.
Add photos, documents and videos — dash-cam or phone footage included — while you report it or later on the incident's Photos, documents & videos tab. The status moves from Open to Under review to Closed, and you add the actual cost when it's known. While it's open, a Needs attention box says if someone was hurt, if there are no photos or documents yet, or if there's no insurance claim number. An incident with a claim or police report number is kept as the record and can't be deleted. Each incident shows on the bus's page too. See the Incidents guide.
Ava (Beta), the assistant built into FleetCommander, helps here too. Say Report an incident and she asks for what's missing, one question at a time, then shows a card — nothing is saved until you press Report incident. Ask her Open incidents, the latest incident on bus 102 or Which driver has the most incidents this year? to see where things stand. More on her page.
Good to know: This is general guidance, not legal advice. Accident reporting, police reports, post-accident testing and deadlines differ by state, by district contract and by insurer — check your state's school transportation rules, your contracts and your attorney or insurance agent.
Questions people ask
- What should a school bus driver do right after an accident?
- Secure the bus, check the students and call 911 if anyone may be hurt, call dispatch, keep students on board unless it's unsafe, swap information with the other driver, get witnesses' names, take photos, and fill in the accident report the same day.
- What is the difference between a school bus accident and an incident?
- An accident usually means the bus hit, or was hit by, something. An incident is any other event that affects safety — a student hurt getting off, a fight, a medical emergency, a wrong stop. Most districts want both reported.
- Do school bus drivers get drug tested after an accident?
- School bus drivers with a CDL are in the DOT drug and alcohol testing program, and certain accidents require a post-accident test within set time limits. Check which accidents qualify with your testing provider and your state.