WARRENVILLE, Ill. — National Express Corp. recently held a challenge for its customer service centers to bolster school transportation safety.

Blue Bird Corp. sponsored the awards, which totaled $4,000 ($1,000 for each of the four National Express Corp. regions).

Officials at National Express Corp. — the parent company of student transportation providers Durham School Services and Stock Transportation — said that the objective of the safety challenge was to reduce preventable street accidents and work-related injuries.

Competition was fostered between each of the customer service centers, and each region was graded on its accumulated safety points. Safety points were earned by completing child-check observations, having no preventable street accidents each month and having no lost-time injuries each month.

“Safety is our number one priority at National Express, and we greatly appreciate the support from Blue Bird,” said Michele McDermott, senior vice president of safety and human resources for National Express Corp. “As always, they are a great partner and true advocate of school bus safety.”

Each of the National Express Corp. regions identified a large and small customer service center award recipient. The winning centers split the $1,000 awarded to them by Blue Bird.

“Child safety is at the core of all initiatives at Blue Bird,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corp. “Blue Bird understands the importance of preventative drills in ensuring a safe environment for our children. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate the School Bus Safety Challenge winners.”

The winners, by region, are:

• West: Santa Clara, Calif., and Cimarron, N.M.
• Central: Justin, Texas, and Oklahoma
• East: Spring Grove, Pa., and Northampton, Mass.
• Canada: Greely, Ontario, and Nanticoke, Ontario