NCST

May 3 - 7, 2025 | Des Moines Holiday Inn Airport in Des Moines, Iowa
Registration details to come.

The National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) was formed in 1939 while regular meetings were held over the years, the decision was made to hold the Congress every five years beginning in 1980. The Congress did not meet in 2020. All Congresses have been comprised of official representatives of state departments of education, public safety, motor vehicles, and police or other state agencies having state-wide responsibilities for the administration of student transportation. Each Congress has resulted in one or more publications containing the specifications and procedures recommendations for school buses and their operations of that particular Congress.

The 2015 National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures Manual can be found here: https://www.nasdpts.org/NSTSP-Documents. The addendums to the 2015 manual, which will be considered during the 2025 Congress, are also found on this page. Any change request submitted should reference the language from the 2015 NSTSP.

The subjects covered in the NSTSP Manual are split among Writing Committees. Each Writing Committee has a chair and a coordinator. These are the Writing Committees and their areas of responsibility:

General Operation: all content in the Congress publication related to or for the content of selected parts of the Operations sections.

Vehicle Specifications:

• School Bus Specifications: all content related to the school bus body, chassis, and related equipment.
• Specialty Equipped School Bus: all content related to the special needs bus and related equipment.
• School Bus Inspection: all content related to the school bus inspections.

Activity Bus and Non-Traditional Vehicles:

• Activity Bus Operation: all content related to activity travel.
• Non-Traditional Vehicles: all content related to non-traditional vehicles.

School Transportation Security & Emergency Preparedness: all content related to security and emergency preparedness.

Students with Disabilities & Special Health Care Needs and Infants, Toddlers & Pre-School Children: 

• Students with Disabilities & Special Needs Care: all content related to the transportation operations for students with disabilities and special health care needs.
• Infants, Toddlers, and Pre-Schoolers: all content related to transportation operations for infants, toddlers, preschoolers.

Emerging Technologies: all content related to emerging technologies.

Alternative Fuels: all content related to alternative fuels.

Any individual may submit a proposed revision or addition to items published in the latest National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures (NSTSP) Manual. Proposals must be submitted as follows:

• The change form can be found here: https://www.nasdpts.org/Committees.
• Proposals must be submitted to the NCST Chairman at ncstconference@gmail.com.
• Two Writing Committees are new for the 2025 Congress. These include the Non-Traditional Vehicle Writing Committee and the Emerging Technologies Writing Committee. Proposals may be submitted to those Committees, but there is no language from 2015 to reference in your proposal submission.
• Revisions or additions shall be submitted in the format and layout specified on the change form. The deadline for submission is July 1, 2024. The original deadline was June 1, 2024, but the deadline has changed to allow more time to submit change requests.
• Writing Committee Chairs are charged with communicating with the individual who submits the proposal as to the status of the proposal.
• All Writing Committee draft proposals must be submitted to their Writing Committee Coordinator for review by October 1, 2024.
• All Writing Committee draft proposals must be submitted to the Editing and Technical Assistance Committees for editing and online preparation by November 1, 2024.
• By December 1, 2024, all Writing Committee proposals must be posted online for state delegations to review, comment, and respond.
• February 1, 2025, is the deadline for comments, recommendations and new proposals from the draft proposals made available on December 1, 2024.

For more detailed information on the NCST process, please consult the NCST Manual of Operations: https://www.nasdpts.org/Manual-of-Operating-Procedures.

The 2025 NCST will be held May 3-7, 2025, at the Des Moines Holiday Inn Airport in Des Moines, Iowa. This is the same location as the 2015 NCST. Registration information will be available closer to the event.

If you have any questions, please contact NCST Chair Pat McManamon at ncstconference@gmail.com.