Crowded school buses concern Volusia County parents

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Crowded school buses have some parents concerned because they said not only is there standing room at times, but it's a dangerous situation that needs to be fixed.

"If the bus is overcrowded it presents a real safety issue," said Erik Dissinger.

Erik Dissinger said his two daughters can barely fit on their school bus because there's just not enough room.

"They have to normally sit three to a seat. One hit and they can get hurt," he said.

Dissinger also said he called the Volusia County School District's transportation department to address his concerns.

"I'm a CDL driver and you're not supposed to overload a bus and she's like well, you call who you got to call."

News 6 waited for the bus to drop off kids on Thursday afternoon. Some students agree with Dissinger and said they can't even use the seat belts provided because it doesn't reach around all three students. Dissinger's daughter also snapped pictures of what the bus looks like on a typical day.

However, the Volusia County School District said that overcrowding on school buses are not unusual at the beginning of the school year. The district said the buses are built for three to a seat and there are seat belts to accommodate that number.

The district also said it follows state law which states that students are allowed to stand if it is a temporary situation. Students are given the choice to sit three to a seat or stand, both are permissible.

The school district also mentioned it'll take a look at re-doing some of its routes where overcrowding is an issue.

"They might not be breaking any law but there's a safety issue there. It's all well and good until somebody gets hurt," said Dissinger.

Volusia County School District pulled numbers from Dissinger's bus, which shows it holds 77 passengers but the district said it caps at 60 for high school. The district also told News 6 that for the last two weeks this bus averaged 59 and 55 students, so it is not over capacity.