The American School Bus Council (ASBC) is planning to kick off its annual Love the Bus campaign, which promotes the value of the yellow school bus across the U.S., in Illinois in early February.

This year ASBC will launch its “Love the Bus” campaign with an assembly at a school in Illinois with several activities on Feb. 8, according to the organization’s website.

Pastor A.L. Reeves, who presented at last year’s National School Transportation Association conference, will speak to the assembly, according to the organization’s website. Robotronics’ Buster the School Bus is also scheduled to make an appearance. ASBC will provide Love the Bus T-Shirts to the school's students. ASBC also plans to recognize the 127 district bus drivers by supplying them with a tumbler labeled “Thank You for Driving Students to Success.”

ASBC encourages school districts and school bus contractors to hold their own Love the Bus events throughout February. Events from previous years have included special breakfasts and lunches held to thank school bus drivers, awards presented to school bus drivers, valentines from students, and school bus appreciation assemblies with visits from education and transportation dignitaries.  

ASBC also provides downloadable materials to help with Love the Bus events, including certificates, cards and coloring sheets. This year’s new color sheet, “2019 Stop for Safety” reminds people to stop when children are loading or unloading from the bus.

In addition, ASBC is once again holding a contest on social media. School bus operations can use the tag #LoveTheBus or @WeLoveTheBus on the ASBC Facebook or Twitter pages to share stories, videos, and photos showing how they are observing Love the Bus. Based on the number of likes and how the posts commemorate the meaning of Love the Bus, ASBC will award a $250 first prize, $150 second prize, and $100 third prize. Creators of the top three selected posts will receive Visa gift cards.

Districts and contractors can also submit photos and stories demonstrating their love of the bus or about a driver or school transportation employee who deserves recognition for their efforts in supporting student safety at www.lovethebus.org. ASBC will share stories on its website.