(a) Each agency providing transportation services must ensure that in planning fixed routes the safety of the children being transported is the primary consideration.

(b) The agency must also ensure that the following basic principles of trip routing are adhered to:

(1) The time a child is in transit to and from the Head Start or Early Head Start program must not exceed one hour unless there is no shorter route available or any alternative shorter route is either unsafe or impractical.

(2) Vehicles must not be loaded beyond the maximum passenger capacity at any time.

(3) Vehicles must not be required to back up or make “U” turns, except when necessary for reasons of safety or because of physical barriers.

(4) Stops must be located to minimize traffic disruptions and to afford the driver a good field of view in front of and behind the vehicle.

(5) When possible, stops must be located to eliminate the need for children to cross the street or highway to board or leave the vehicle.

(6) If children must cross the street before boarding or after leaving the vehicle because curbside drop off or pick up is impossible, they must be escorted across the street by the bus monitor or another adult.

(7) Specific procedures must be established for use of alternate routes in the case of hazardous conditions that could affect the safety of the children who are being transported, such as ice or water build up, natural gas line breaks, or emergency road closing. In selecting among alternatives, transportation providers must choose routes that comply as much as possible with the requirements of this section.