Sometimes when people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them that I write for a magazine about the school bus industry, they look surprised and say they never realized that there were enough topics on this industry to fill a magazine month after month.

Of course you know that there’s always plenty going on in the world of pupil transportation, and like you, my colleagues and I stay busy throughout the year.

I do find, however, that I tend to have at least a little more time during the summer months to work on goals for the magazine and our website beyond my usual tasks that are sometimes a challenge to fit into my days during the early and latter parts of the year — things like creating more photo galleries, generating ideas for articles and researching information for news story ideas.    

The summer months are also typically more relaxing for me on a personal level than the spring, fall and winter, mostly due to fewer engagements to attend on the weekends. Although I’m going to be moving in about a week and will be spending at least part of this summer getting settled in my new place, I’m looking forward to having more time to devote to my hobbies as well.

With summer just around the corner, I’m curious to read about how the summer months stack up for you, both professionally and personally.

Several years ago, I wrote a feature called “Pupil Transporters Recharge, Stay Productive During the Summer,” where officials shared with me insight on their workload, projects that they’d scheduled, etc.

Some people said that the summer months give them a chance to “catch their breath,” while other people said summer is a “very hectic” time for their operations. And in addition to transporting students for summer school, officials told me that they also spend these months recruiting and training bus drivers, performing software updates and preparing for the upcoming school year.

Are these the types of tasks in store for your operation this summer? Do you have other projects lined up to improve efficiency or reduce costs?

And outside of work, do you have any goals that you hope to accomplish before the fall?

Until next time,

Kelly Roher
Managing Editor