What's in a Website?

For any type of business, maintaining an informative Website is an effective and efficient way to connect with customers.

School bus operations are certainly no exception. Providing key details online lets the customers — students and their parents — learn how to utilize your bus service correctly and can reduce the number of calls to the transportation office.

For seven years now, we at SCHOOL BUS FLEET have been selecting a “Website of the Week” in our e-mail newsletter. To be honest, I thought we’d have run out of candidates a long time ago, but we keep finding new ones. (Some sites have been honored for a second time after being redesigned.)

We don’t have a concrete set of criteria that must be met for a Website to qualify for this honor, but the best sites tend to have several things in common.

For any school bus operation that doesn’t have its own page or is thinking about overhauling its existing page, here are some of the elements that make our Websites of the Week effective. We do also consider the aesthetic appeal of a site, but that’s secondary to the content.

Safety information. This can include tips for kids, parents and motorists. Some transportation pages we’ve seen provide illustrations of the danger zone around the school bus. There should also be details on the exemplary safety record of pupil transportation and what makes it so safe.

Frequently asked questions. Your office surely fields certain questions over and over. Make it easier for parents (and your staff) by providing answers on your page to questions such as, “Can the bus driver stop in front of my house?”

Route details. Many sites have a tool that allows users to find their bus route and stop, in some cases by entering a home address and a grade level.

Help wanted. Driver shortages are common, unfortunately. The transportation page is a great place to attract applicants. Some sites list the requirements for becoming a school bus driver and give a number to call for more information or the place to go to fill out an application.

Important forms. These downloadable documents may include field trip permission slips, residence changes, transportation exception requests and between-building applications for special-needs students.

It’s personal. A nice touch that we don’t see as often as we’d expect is a section that lists the names and sometimes has photos of the primary office personnel, particularly the director. Some are even brave enough to include their direct phone number and/or e-mail address. Regardless, it’s reassuring for parents to see confirmation that there are real people running the show. I’ve come across one site that even had a video of the transportation director saying a few words of welcome.

If you have an exemplary page that hasn’t been named Website of the Week yet, or if it is has won but has since been redesigned, e-mail the link to us at info@schoolbusfleet.com. To review our past winners, go to www.schoolbusfleet.com and click on “Super Sites.”