As a school administrator, you most likely do not have day-to-day interaction with your school bus contractor’s drivers. You’re too busy running everything else to make sure everything in your district logistically goes according to plan. Of course, you don’t have time to sit down and interview each and every bus driver who happens to serve your school!

It’s only by working with a top-quality, student-oriented provider of school bus services, then, that you can trust all your drivers are treating your students with respect and driving with the appropriate caution. Northstar Bus Lines of Maple Grove, Minnesota, is proud to embody what we believe should be the industry standard when it comes to our drivers. From our extensive paid training to our supportive company culture, we work hard to keep our drivers happy and content in their work. Well-valued and supported employees are set up on an emotional level to interact positively and empathetically with the students in their care. In addition, many of our employees are former or retired school workers themselves who sought a new way to make a difference in children’s lives. As a school bus contractor, we strive to make sure your students are properly cared for by creating a working culture that supports that from the ground up.

However, as much pride as we take in our group transportation services, we also believe that every district that seeks a provider of student transportation services or school bus rental should know how all bus drivers should behave. We’re not talking about cramming a diverse working group into a box. We’re talking about the indications that your drivers are treating your students with the utmost respect and care. After all, children are people too, and they deserve to be treated with kindness. As a school administrator who cares deeply for your students’ well-being, it’s your duty to identify indications that this may or may not be the case.

Northstar Bus Lines, an employer of some of the most cheerful and intuitive bus drivers around, is happy to describe how a school bus driver should behave. After all, we’re experts in going above and beyond these basic standards. Read on to discover if your school bus contractor is up to par.

School Bus Drivers Should be Service-Minded

Learning how to become a bus driver is certainly a skill. Just look at how confusing the class B CDL process can be without the help of a seasoned school bus contractor like us. However, the industry itself is arguably more about providing a service than demonstrating a skill, though, on some level, these two ideas intersect. Bus drivers are in the business of providing an irreplaceable service that makes it possible for students to attend your school. Therefore, your district’s drivers must understand the importance of what it is they do and, out of respect for your students, perform their duties with the appropriate professionalism. Getting your students to school on time each day is a decent indication that the school bus contractor you’ve hired employs drivers who take their jobs seriously.

Of course, your school bus drivers are also obligated to interact with your students in a positive way. Drivers are often one of the first people your students exchange contact with during the mornings. They have a responsibility to transport your students safely, but also to make a positive impact on their moods and get them to school ready to learn.

Additional indications that your school bus drivers are fostering this mindset include:

• Treating your students with respect | Children are young, and they need appropriate boundaries from all adults in their lives in order to thrive. However, boundaries are not the same thing as outright disrespect. Your school bus drivers, while they should enforce appropriate discipline on their routes, should also talk to your students in a respectful way. Demeaning students, using fear tactics, or abusive behavior from your drivers is absolutely unacceptable, and any student complaints should be taken seriously.

• A positive attitude | Of course, good things your students have to say about your school bus services should also be taken seriously! Your bus drivers should be in the business of spreading cheer and goodwill to your students. As the people who bookend your students’ days, the impact they make on them cannot be overstated. You’re paying your school bus contractor money to make sure it’s a good one.

• Friendly relationships with students | Stand outside your school one day and watch as your students get on the bus to go home. Greetings to bus drivers and perhaps a brief conversation or two are great indications that your school bus drivers are fostering a positive, welcoming environment on your buses.

Call Northstar Bus Lines For Top-Notch School Bus Services

We know what quality looks like—we just told you all about it! To inquire about services for your district, give us a call now at 763-425-2542.