School-Chartered Buses (School Pupil Activity Buses – SPAB)

To ensure the safety of students, NCSIG establishes the following guidelines regarding use of school-chartered buses:

Compliance Requirements

• All charter bus companies engaged by member districts must:
• Hold a valid California Highway Patrol (CHP) SPAB certification for each vehicle used;
• Provide a certificate of insurance with the following:
  • Commercial Auto insurance in the amount of $5 million;
  • General Liability insurance in the amount of $2 million per occurrence;
  • Proof of Workers’ Compensation coverage as required by California law.
• Ensure all drivers:
  • Possess a valid SPAB driver certification;
  • Comply with all state and federal safety standards, including drug and alcohol testing requirements;
  • Adhere to all applicable California Vehicle Code and Title 13 CCR regulations governing SPAB operations.

Pre-Trip Inspection Requirements

Prior to each activity trip, the SPAB driver shall conduct a comprehensive pre-trip inspection of the vehicle in accordance with industry safety standards and CHP guidelines, verifying that all safety-critical components are operational and no visible defects exist. A signed and dated pre-trip inspection checklist shall be provided to the district before boarding.

Districts must verify compliance to these requirements prior to contracting with any charter bus company.

If a district engages a charter bus company that does not meet these requirements, the district will be responsible for paying NCSIG’s full self-insured retention amount into the Northern California Region Liability Excess Fund (NCR) program.