School Bus Advertising: All Wrapped Up in Red Tape

Enacted this winter with overwhelming support, the New Jersey law allowing  was a sign of the times, a chance for cash-strapped school systems to raise any revenue they could.

And as simple as the original idea sounded, nothing about it has been easy. Proof could be seen in the four pages of regulations before the state Board of Education yesterday, all for a one-page law.

The new regulations define how the ads should be attached to a bus, what the ads can contain, who would handle the transactions, and how it all would be tracked.

More than Nuts and Bolts

“The nuts and bolts of this are more difficult than just slapping a sign on a bus," said Dorothy Shelmet, who leads the state’s Office of Student Transportation.

Actually, under the proposed regulations a district could neither slap a sign on a bus nor use nuts and bolts.

Shelmet explained to the board that part of the process that has taken so long is having a number of agencies looking at the proposal, most notably the Motor Vehicle Commission, which regulates and inspects school buses.

And she said the MVC has been adamant that framed signs could not be used for safety reasons.

"They are very concerned about anything that could catch on backpacks, clothing, anything like that," she said. "There is a great deal of concern about anything that would extend out and maybe get caught on a drawstring."

That leaves the main option being the large decals that have grown more commonplace on public buses. But they also cost more, board members said.

"I think we are being overfraught in terms of the danger of this," said Ilan Plawker, the board’s vice chairman.

Another member said the board should do its best to minimize regulations on districts, not add them. “We should be looking for as little regulation as possible, said Andrew Mulvihill.

Shelmet said the MVC was insistent. "If they say they will fail buses on inspection, the last thing we want is buses being pulled off the road," she said.

"Is nobody standing up to say this is nonsense?" Plawker responded.

Continue reading this story in NJ Spotlight.

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