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Uvalde ISD reviews Senate Bill 546 timeline and cost estimates for three‑point seat belts
Summary
Transportation staff told the Uvalde ISD board that Senate Bill 546 requires three-point seat belts on every Texas school bus by Sept. 1, 2029; district inventory and replacement/retrofit cost estimates were presented and trustees asked for more fleet-age and mileage data to guide budgeting.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District staff briefed trustees on Senate Bill 546, which the presenter said requires every Texas school bus to be equipped with three-point seat belts for every passenger and driver by Sept. 1, 2029.
Transportation staff reported the district currently operates a fleet that includes 19 propane buses, 17 diesel buses and one activity bus. The presenter said six buses already have three-point seat belts and 37 buses would need three-point systems added.
The staff presented two cost approaches: replace older buses on a five-per-year replacement schedule (at an average new-bus cost of about $161,000) — five buses per year would cost approximately $806,000 annually and replacing 37 buses at that rate would total roughly $6 million — or retrofit existing buses. Retrofit vendor quotes found by staff averaged about $30,000 per bus, which the presenter estimated would cost roughly $1.11 million to modify 37 buses. The presenter also noted that state funding guidance suggests an offset of roughly $6,000 per bus may be available, which would leave districts responsible for the remaining cost per bus.
Trustees asked whether buses could be modified instead of replaced and requested a report showing average age and mileage for each unit to help weigh keep-versus-replace decisions. Staff said they can provide age and mileage records and will investigate grant and legislative funding opportunities that may become available. The presenter also described maintenance and part-supply challenges for certain propane-bus systems.
Next steps: Staff will provide a fleet-age/mileage report and further cost estimates, explore grant or legislative funding as it becomes available, and continue planning ahead of the May 30, 2026 data-reporting step and the Sept. 1, 2029 compliance date noted in the presentation.
