Committee hears bills on modernizing student transport and easing school‑bus workforce rules

The Joint Committee on Transportation heard multiple proposals affecting school transportation on matters of safety, driver recruitment and licensing. Leader Jeff Roy and private providers described H.3772 as a modernization measure to permit small‑capacity vehicles to transport individual students when appropriate; Representative Priscilla Souza and drivers warned about licensing hurdles that contribute to driver shortages and asked for an extension of a federal temporary exception.

Why it matters: School transportation touches student safety and daily attendance for vulnerable students (children in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, or students with individualized education plans) and depends on a stable driver workforce.

Leader Jeff Roy, speaking as House leader and bill sponsor at the hearing, said H.3772 would update statutes that currently require physical school‑bus features on any vehicle used for student transport and said the bill “is about flexibility, equity and efficiency.” He described statutory safety requirements the bill would preserve or add for small vehicles, including vehicle model‑year minimums, backup cameras, child‑reminder systems, seat belts for every rider, daily pre‑trip inspections, fire extinguishers and first‑aid kits. Roy said the bill “doesn't lower safety standards. It modernizes them,” and would allow districts to send a single small vehicle for a single student instead of dispatching a 60‑passenger bus.

Private provider testimony echoed those points. Morgan Judge, representing EverDriven Technologies (an alternative student transportation provider), said H.3772 would let vetted drivers use noncommercial small vehicles manufactured after 2018 and retain “everything you would want in terms of safety for small capacity vehicles,” while enabling districts to meet individualized transportation needs cost‑effectively.

Workforce and licensing issues were presented as related but distinct. Representative Priscilla Souza asked the committee to support H.3787, which would create an "under the hood" exception for certain CDL testing for drivers who operate school buses; she noted a recent Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) temporary rule (cited as issued 07/16/2025) relaxed under‑hood testing for public‑transit CDL applicants for two years, and said Massachusetts should pursue a state approach that extends or complements the federal relief so districts do not face recurring driver shortages.

Jim Marks, business agent for Teamsters Local 70, described how seasonal school‑bus employment interacts with unemployment insurance rules: under current state practice, bus drivers collecting unemployment are required to complete weekly job searches and training and can risk losing benefits if they are unavailable to accept recall offers. H.3715 would waive the job‑search requirement for drivers who know they will return to work within 12 weeks; Marks said New Hampshire and other states have adopted similar measures.

Medical‑examination and certification rules drew separate testimony from chiropractors who said current RMV language excludes licensed chiropractic physicians from performing school‑bus medical exams even though they participate as DOT‑certified medical examiners in other programs. Dr. Kirk Schultz and other chiropractic witnesses urged an amendment to explicitly include licensed chiropractic physicians in the list of medical professionals authorized to perform school‑bus driver exams so clinics can provide exams locally and avoid duplicate testing.

No formal action was taken. Committee members asked for follow‑up information about how the bills would interact with FMCSA and RMV rules, and witnesses offered to provide model language and federal guidance.