WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the fourth annual Love the Bus campaign just a couple of months away, materials are available to help operations honor their school bus drivers, raise awareness about school bus safety and to present the value of yellow school buses to students, parents and the community throughout the month of February.

The materials, created by the American School Bus Council, include a press release template for local media market use and a Love the Bus toolkit to help operations participate in Love the Bus activities.

The press release template contains information on the purpose of the Love the Bus program, ways for parents, teachers and children to demonstrate their appreciation for bus drivers, and the qualifications necessary to become a school bus driver. There are spaces in the press release for school districts or bus companies to insert information and data about their operation.  

The toolkit offers numerous suggestions for celebrating the program and bus drivers, including asking students to submit testimonials on their favorite bus drivers, creating valentines for drivers and presenting them on Valentine’s Day, and inviting parents and local media to attend a Love the Bus event to show bus drivers how much they are valued.

Moreover, fact sheets within the kit can be distributed to students and parents to teach them about school bus safety; the kit also provides tips on how to communicate school transportation information to parents.   

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and the National School Transportation Association have sent the materials to their members and encouraged them to participate in Love the Bus.