School bus stops should be established no less than 500 feet apart.  The prewarning amber flashing lights are to be activated 500 feet before a designated stop.

The board of education must require operators of school buses to conduct and prepare a record of the daily pretrip inspection for each school district (5 CSR 30-261.010 (1)(K)).

A hardship transfer is a petition for the assignment of pupils based upon the finding of an unusual or unreasonable transportation hardship, usually requiring a ride time greater than 75 minutes (167.121, RSMo. and 5 CSR 20-261.050).

Regular summer school miles are not reimbursable and should be reported as ineligible-disapproved route miles. Summer school miles for students in an approved special education program, or whose IEP requires summer school transportation, are eligible for reimbursement and should be reported as eligible handicapped miles.

Missouri Minimum Standards for School Buses are equipment specifications that are contained in the Minimum Standards for School Buses Manual and apply to all school buses manufactured after a certain date, used to transport Missouri public school students. The Minimum Standards are usually revised every five years (5 CSR 30-261.025).

There are two school transportation associations in Missouri. The Missouri Association of Pupil Transportation (MAPT) concentrates on membership and services for district-operated transportation systems and the Missouri School Bus Contractors Association (MSBCA) concentrates on membership and services of school bus contractor-operated transportation systems.

Every school bus used to transport children to or from school must be inspected within sixty days prior to operating the bus during the school year (307.375, RSMo).

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides an Exemplary School Bus Maintenance Award to school districts and/or contractors who have 90% or more of their buses pass the Missouri State Highway Patrol spring school bus inspection on their first attempt. An award is also presented to school districts and/or contractors who have achieved the 90% passage for five or more consecutive years.

School district owned vehicles: No (301.260 and 302.010, RSMo). Contractor owned vehicles: Yes, if the vehicle is licensed commercially and the signs indicating it is a school bus are covered in such a way that it will not appear on the highways as a school bus (304.075, RSMo).

The board of education must require operators of school buses to conduct and prepare a record of the daily pre-trip inspection for each school district (5 CSR 30-261.010 (1)(K)).