School Bus Fleet, July 2015

18 SCHOOL B U S F L E E T J U LY 2 0 1 5 SPREADING GOOD NEWS mends performing really good external maintenance Make your buses shine for the public Similarly bus drivers appearance can affect the communitys perception of the transportation department and the district Have good dress grooming and hygiene standards that can be enforced Prothro suggests Take part in community gatherings County fairs parades safety events and other community gatherings can serve as opportunities to inform the public on school bus safety topics and to enhance the transportation departments public image At Greater Albany Crabtree is planning to talk about transportation at kindergarten roundup events in which incoming kindergartners and their parents visit their new school before the year starts Well dazzle them with statistics on how safe we are and the service we provide Crabtree says Contact us As you may know there are publications that cover school bus industry news School Bus Fleet is one of those publications Send us an email info@ schoolbusfleet com when you have success stories or other positive developments to share Even if its just a quick note about a job promotion a retirement or an award well help get the word out of the ways that we try to keep our folks informed Shields says Fairports transportation department has a magnetic board for daily announcements Along with such items as news stories and policy reminders Lawrence posts positive comments about staff members When someone calls in to recognize a driver or attendant well ask them to submit an email to the director Lawrence says Ill respond to that person and copy in the assistant superintendent of business and the superintendent of schools Ill also meet with the staff member give them a copy of the email and put it in their file and Ill ask if they dont mind sharing it on our daily announcement board Create a slogan Clark of Broward County Public Schools says that the district has been rejuvenating its transportation department To help promote that effort one of the school bus drivers came up with a slogan On the Road to Success T shirts with that wording were made and distributed to all of the drivers Also the driver who devised the slogan was recognized at a school board meeting Use buses for good PR The school buses themselves can help promote a positive image of your operation Prothro of Georgetown ISD recomof our staff and how much they care about kids Salem Keizer Public Schools in Salem Oregon gives out a positive acknowledgement award called The Pickle Teachers can nominate school bus drivers who provide extraordinary customer service Michael Shields director of transportation and auxiliary services honors Pickle recipients at Dialogue with the Director meetings that he holds with staff Meslin recommends recognizing partners from outside of the transportation department If theres a relationship that your department has built with another department or school site publicize this beneficial connection by nominating a key member of their team to a district wide or company wide award Meslin says Make sure you point out the benefits to the customers achieved through the hard work of your partner People will get the message about the good things youre doing without you having to make it about yourself or your department Post messages in the driver lounge Promoting good news isnt just an external effort Informing employees within the transportation department of the positive things that are happening can help boost morale and instill pride in the teams work At Salem Keizer electronic reader boards in the driver lounge display a variety of messages such as safety reminders welcome notes for new drivers and recognitions of drivers of the month The reader boards are one Clean shining buses reflect well on the transportation department Electronic reader boards in Salem Keizers driver lounge display a variety of messages including driver of the month recognitions Photo courtesy Texas Railroad Commission 11 12 13 15 14