A yellow school bus drove into a Forward Township home Thursday afternoon, injuring the driver but causing no reported injuries to residents or children, authorities said, as investigators work to determine whether mechanical failure, a medical event or operator error was to blame.

Forward Township police said in a statement that the driver was transported to a regional hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. “There were no students on the bus at the time,” the statement said. The crash produced visible structural damage to the front of the home and left the bus lodged partially against the porch. No one who lived in the house required hospitalization, police and township officials said.

A spokesman for the local school district said buses are being inspected and the district is cooperating with the police investigation. “Our top priority is the safety of our students, staff and community members,” the spokesman said. He declined to comment on the identity of the driver or the condition of the vehicle beyond confirming it had been taken out of service pending examination.

Neighbor Sarah Lopez, whose home sits two doors down, described the scene as “terrifying” but said she was relieved no children were hurt. “It sounded like a freight train,” she said. “We ran outside and saw the bus into the house. The driver was conscious, but shaken.”

Single-vehicle school-bus incidents are rare compared with other road accidents, and school buses are statistically among the safest ways for children to travel to and from school. Federal safety data long cited by transportation authorities indicate students are far less likely to be injured on a school bus than in passenger vehicles. Still, crashes involving buses draw immediate scrutiny because of the potential for mass casualties and the high public expectations for school-transportation safety.

The accident also underscores financial and operational pressures on school districts nationwide. Average replacement costs for a conventional diesel school bus range roughly from $100,000 to $150,000, while newer electric models can cost $300,000 or more, figures that school officials and transport economists use to illustrate mounting capital needs. Districts also face rising insurance premiums tied to claims and liability concerns after crashes, and many are contending with persistent driver shortages that can increase overtime and fatigue risks among remaining staff.

Transportation experts say the mix of aging fleets, tight maintenance budgets and labor scarcity has shifted policy debates toward investments in preventive technology and strengthened medical screening. “Telematics, automated braking and regular health checks for drivers are cost items today but could reduce liability and improve safety outcomes,” said Marcus Ellis, a transportation policy analyst. “The question for many districts is whether they can afford those upfront investments.”

Local authorities have not disclosed a timeline for a complete investigation. The bus and the home will be examined by engineers and insurance adjusters, officials said, and the district said it will review training records and vehicle-maintenance logs as part of its internal review.

For residents and school officials in Forward Township, the immediate priorities are clear: repair the damaged residence, support the injured driver, and reassure parents that school transportation remains safe even as officials probe what went wrong in this troubling but, mercifully, nonfatal incident.