GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1989 SESSION

CHAPTER 558
HOUSE BILL 273

AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS AND ALL DRIVERS OF SCHOOL ACTIVITY BUSES BE AT LEAST EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  G.S. 20-218(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	No person shall drive or operate a school bus over the public roads of North Carolina while the same is occupied by children unless said person shall be fully trained in the operation of motor vehicles, and shall furnish to the superintendent of the schools of the county in which said bus shall be operated a certificate from any representative duly designated by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and the chief mechanic in charge of school buses in said county showing that he has been examined by a representative duly designated by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and said chief mechanic in charge of school buses in said county and that he is a fit and competent person to operate or drive a school bus over the public roads of the State. Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 20-7(a)(3), the driver of a school bus must be at least 18 years of age and hold a driver's license of Class 'A', 'B', or 'C' and a school bus driver's certificate, and the driver of a school activity bus must be at least age 18 and hold a driver's license of Class 'C' and a school bus driver's certificate or a driver's license of Class 'A' or Class 'B'."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 115C-245(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Each local board, which elects to operate a school bus transportation system, shall employ the necessary drivers for such school buses.  The drivers shall have all qualifications prescribed by the regulations of the State Board of Education herein provided for and must be at least 18 years old and have at least six months driving experience as a licensed operator of a motor vehicle before employment as a regular or substitute driver, but the selection and employment of each driver shall be made by the local board of education, and the driver shall be the employee of such local school administrative unit.  Each local board of education shall assign the bus drivers employed by it to the respective schools within the jurisdiction of such board, and the principal of each such school shall assign the drivers to the school buses to be driven by them.  No school bus shall at any time be driven or operated by any person other than the bus driver assigned by such principal to such bus except by the express direction of such principal or in accordance with rules and regulations of the appropriate local board of education."
Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1989.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 4th day of July, 1989.