School Bus Transportation Risk Management and Loss Prevention

Everyone can agree on the singular objective of school bus transportation; to safely transport students to and from school and school activities. No other form of transportation is charged with as much emotion and expectation as this form of transportation.

Yet, as fundamentally important as everyone agrees that it is, most people do not understand the critical elements of school bus transportation; we tend to think that safe and knowledgeable drivers and well-maintained buses are all that it takes. This is an incorrect assumption, however. Communication is a vital element in maintaining safe school bus transportation. Without it, the other two elements, especially having consistently alert and safe drivers, tends to fail.

Consider this: School bus transportation is considered largely important, yet driving a school bus is one of the lowest-paying and least-rewarding jobs available. The meager pay scale suggests that it is not an important job. The conflict, stress, anger and frustration that school bus drivers encounter on a daily basis tends to impress upon drivers that they simply are not important.

As a result, their attitudes may falter, prompting them to seek other employment. In today's economic environment, finding people who physically can drive is difficult - and finding good people who can drive safely is extremely difficult. Because of the lack of quality drivers, high turnover related to low pay and poor working conditions can result in potentially catastrophic situations.

Many school districts deflect such issues by hiring contractors to transport their students. Of course, the districts impress upon the contractors that they must provide quality drivers and safe vehicles. But they then expect for this to simply occur, and rarely provide oversight and management to ensure that it does occur. Even when bus fleets are owned and operated by school districts, the quality of drivers and vehicle maintenance can vary due to tight budgets and tight labor supply.

So, how can school bus transportation providers manage these risks and minimize the potential for harm to the precious passengers who are on board daily?

• Attract and retain quality drivers. This includes developing reasonable compensation packages. It also entails providing required training as well as supplemental training to help drivers cope with stress, conflict, passenger management and safety, and defensive driving. It should include alerting drivers to potential vehicle problems or conditions that can cause breakdowns or unsafe operating conditions. In addition, organizations must find ways to assure drivers that they are part of the organization - an important part of the company's overall success. By helping drivers feel that they "belong," organizations will retain quality drivers.
• A sound, consistent vehicle maintenance program. A school bus wears down and malfunctions just like any other piece of equipment. Often, too much attention is focused on damaged seats and bus interiors. All critical safety systems must be regularly inspected by qualified service technicians. In additions, drivers must conduct thorough daily pre and post trip inspections. This is the best way to detect breakdowns of component failures as they occur.
• Comprehensive, active management involvement. Complete documentation of driver qualifications, training and behaviors during their tenure are fundamental. Complete documentation of vehicle maintenance is crucial as well. Many other items must also be documented, including the results of drug and alcohol testing.

Beyond this, management must work with employees to identify, analyze and solve risk issues. Listening to drivers and other employees, and responding to their safety suggestions or requests is fundamentally important to retaining good employees. Analyzing losses, determining root causes and producing change within the organization to prevent future occurrences should be part of an ongoing process of continuous improvement.

By better understanding risks and root causes, management can more effectively communicate with school districts, parents, teachers associations, and others as demands are presented. Effective communication among all employees, analysis of loss data, and continued efforts toward improvement require active management participation in the process.

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