im not sure about anywhere else in the country, but in the tri-state area, I have NEVER seen a school bus with LED warning lights. I have, however, many times, seen a pair of LEDs on the stop sign, and the rear stop/tail/turn lights are almost always LED. But as far as the amber and red warning lights up top, they're ALWAYS halogen bulbs. Just imagine what 4 Whelen M6s to the front and rear would look like. A pair of amber and red, with colored lenses to the front and rear respectively. (you could always go crazy and add a few red M4s to the stop sign(s). Just picture the ambers on a 'Single Flash' at 90fpm while moving, and then they would switch to a 'Single Flash' 60 in red, while stopped. I think they would be 10,000 times more effective than the Weldon 7" round halogens that they're using now. EVERYTHING (police, fire, EMS, construction, DOT, plowing, security, sanitation, etc) has gone to LED for obvious reasons, whats the hold-up in the school bus industry? Does anyone else see school busses with LED warning lights? or am I the only one who doesn't?
School Bus LED warning lights
- Thread starter Storm4200
- Start date
tsquale
Lifetime VIP Donor
The buses up here all use halogen. I have talked to a friend who drives for a local company and he said it is because the halogen melts the snow dust off where LEDs wouldn't be able to.
EHFD_Tower_751
Member
odd...........all the school buses here use the LED weldon lights, they look pretty cool too.
They dont do the regular back and forth slow though, its more along the lines of a quad blink flash back and forth.
They dont do the regular back and forth slow though, its more along the lines of a quad blink flash back and forth.
lafd55
Member
It's mixed around here with LED and Halogen. The big thing that is becoming more common are the clear strobes on top of the bus, only a couple years ago did they start that.
I see some with LEDs here. The rest seem to be about half strobe and half halogen. Almost all have the clear strobe and have for as long as I can remember.
tsquale
Lifetime VIP Donor
In WI, the clear strobe on the roof is always on when there are people on board (unless it is just the driver). It used to only be on in inclement weather and at night, but that changed maybe 10 years ago.
chief1562
Member
Yeah that clear strobe on top at the rear is on all the school buses around here.
I had a guy who has a juckyard try and sell me the strobe units that are in the stop signs these use on the side of the bus when they open the door at a stop.
Sure can't miss it coming down the road when the kids get home after dark.
I had a guy who has a juckyard try and sell me the strobe units that are in the stop signs these use on the side of the bus when they open the door at a stop.
Sure can't miss it coming down the road when the kids get home after dark.
Storm4200 said:
By Tri-state area, I'm assuming you mean Delaware, Maryland and Viginia (DelMarVa)? Cause I have no idea why NJ would be included in that?
Anyways, we have some school busses with led warning lights. However, most are still halogen. I do like that the leds though. I've seen them do a quad-flash and wig-pattern. IMHO its better then a halogen ones, esp in the worming when the sun is right in front of the school bus.
RDT Car 25
Member
It's a mix here in CT too. Mostly halogen with occassional LED or strobe. The rear white strobes are a federal requirement, but some state laws supercede it. CT doesn't require it, so very rare to see one at all.
RDT Car 25 said:
Some places the clear strobe is mandated depended what is going on. FOr example, some places require the beacon be on anytime students are on board. Some places, only if students are on board, in bad weather. Some only when loading or discharging students. I'm not sure what NJs requirements are, if they have any at all.
MtnMan
Member
I see very few LEDs. School buses tend to be bare-bones, low-budget vehicles, and when school districts around here are firing teachers and cutting programs, I can't see them spending extra for fancy lighting.
grfd711
Member
Sound Off Signal sells a 7" round LED in red or amber for buses. Has three wires: one for ground, steady burn and pulsing. When the "pulsing" hot wire is wired to the alternating flasher, the LEDs will appear to do a quad flash, whereas if the steady burn is wired to the flasher you'll get the old school wig-wag. I've wired these on a few older fire apparatus to upgrade from the 7" round incandescent lights.
HILO
Member
LED's on school buses if pretty old school (!) in the Dallas area. The Weldon's are crazy bright, even in direct sunlight, big and round in a double flash alternating pattern. I think the coolest application of LED lighting for school bus use is on the Thomas Sat-T-Liner series.
The clear strobe, and I've seen about 3 clear LED beacons, are used in Texas as well.
The clear strobe, and I've seen about 3 clear LED beacons, are used in Texas as well.
Mattdecker
Member
Down where I'm at most of the buses have the halogen lights. The only exception of course are the new deliveries we get. Those have the LEDs. Back in 2010 when I rode the bus every now and then senior year we had one that was a new delivery that had leds but they switched them to halogen, and then for some reason they switched them back to the leds.
As far as the clear strobes on the top, we had them but not all the drivers used them. Some times they were on and then sometimes they weren't. Never thought to ask.
As far as the clear strobes on the top, we had them but not all the drivers used them. Some times they were on and then sometimes they weren't. Never thought to ask.
NERT11
Member
tsquale said:
I agree with that for plow lights 100%, but for how long the warning lights are on, I don't think they'd generate enough heat to accomplish that
RyanZ71
Member
Many of the districts around here have gone to these style of buses which come from the factory with LEDs. They work pretty nicely.
Yellow Bus, Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 - School Bus - Thomas Built Buses
Yellow Bus, Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 - School Bus - Thomas Built Buses
Here in the true Tri state area, NY NJ PA (Tri states marker in Port Jervis) All the new buses have gone full Led except for the headlights. The majority seem to have the tall rectangle shaped lights for the amber / red. We started seeing full Led buses approx 4 years ago.
NPS Ranger
Member
Storm4200 said:
NJ is a little different, they have the "CHMSL" (center high mounted Secaucus light). Every school bus in NJ has an air quality sensor on the roof, & when the local air quality matches the air quality measured that day on the NJ Turnpike, the light will flash.
I seem to see those lights flashing pretty much all the time.
Station 3
Member
I have seen down here mostly LED warning lights with what appears to be "sho-me" by the inch leds crammed in the rear of the bus so when its at a stop they flash.
RyanZ71 said:
Those lights are great until the sun comes out. The absence of a visor or hood, combined with the up-and-back slope of the lens provides the perfect conditions for a huge washout problem.