VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Over the last few months, News 3 has covered a number of stories regarding the changing technologies on school buses. Most recently, in Virginia Beach, they just installed new stop arm cameras. However, we were curious as to whether or not this new tech was making those vehicles safer, so we decided to talk to a woman who has seen it all.
“I guess I just like it, but this year, this is it,” said Margaret (Marge) Moore, who has been driving a Virginia Beach school bus since October of 1972. That’s 53 years!
Watch: Virginia Beach school bus cameras will flag when drivers don't stop
“One thing that really sticks is like, the ones who I started with back in the 70s, now I’m hauling their children,” she told News 3.
Marge retires at the end of the school year, which will be a big blow. The higher ups tell News 3 she’s one of their best drivers, having not been involved in an incident since 1979. So with all these safety improvements being made to the buses, this no-nonsense driver was the perfect person to talk to when it comes to those upgrades.
“I like to have them in their seats, not moving around, and waiting until the bus stops before attempting to get off,” she said.
For Marge, she thinks a lot of the upgrades made to the outside of the buses, like the front arm and extra mirrors, are a step in the right direction.
“They do help, because you can look in them and see if someone is there. Say they drop something and the gate is there, you’ll be able to see them pick it up,” Moore said.
For the latest outside upgrade, the stop arm cameras, Marge thinks it’s still too early to tell. She hopes it will encourage high schoolers to take it easy on the roads, as those are the drivers she see speeding by the arms more than anyone else.
“When the bus is stopped, and I drive on Witchduck Road, down past what used to be Bayside Hospital. Those kids fly by,” she said.
Upgrades have been made inside the buses too, like more cameras and an ID scanner to keep track of the students. But Marge says this new tech is only half the battle when it comes to keeping students safe. For her, enforcing the rules is just as important as any new enhancement. As she drives her last routes, it’s something she wants the school district and her coworkers to remember.
“I want these kids to have a safe driver, whoever it is," she said.
According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, they have already approved more than 60 violations from these stop arm cameras, and the school district will finish installing them on all their buses over spring break.
Oh! And congratulations to Marge on her well-earned retirement.
