New Book: "School Bus Drivers Who Care" is out NOW!

School Bus Drivers Who Care: 20 Tips to Improve Student-Driver Relationships is the latest release in my series of books about customer service for public schools. So far I've written books for all employees, administrators, teachers, food service employees, and front office staff. Now, I focus on the transportation department—a group I find to be overlooked by many administrators looking to improve their school's customer service.

In School Bus Drivers Who Care, I share real stories from bus drivers who have forged impactful relationships with students. I also use advice acquired from my regular ride alongs with drivers, interactions with bus drivers/transportation directors, and years of working with school administrators to encourage and teach employees to build strong relationships with students.

Many bus drivers do not realize how important they are to a student's day. They are the bookends—the exclamation marks at the beginning and end of student's experience with your school. A bad day at home or at school can turn around with a few simple words from a caring bus driver. Imagine knowing that no matter what is going on in your students' lives, they'll begin and end each school day with at least one positive interaction with a school employee. That daunting test might seem a little less scary when their bus driver tells them they believe they can do it. Stressful situations at home could be met with courage and strength from a bus driver telling them they're such a great kid and a joy to have on their bus.

Topics in this book range from tips on greeting students, how to have fun on the ride to create a friendly, social atmosphere on the bus, how to toe the line between being the "fun" driver and maintaining order and control on the bus, and how to view the job professionally in order to make oneself indispensable to their school district.

I've found that when my transportation department practices these customer service concepts, they've had less discipline issues both on the bus and at school. Students have reported higher overall happiness with their school experience and feel a bond with their bus driver. I believe that incorporating even a few of the concepts in this book will help turn your school's transportation department from a means to an end—getting kids to and from school—into another touch point to increase student happiness and achievement.

School Bus Drivers Who Care is available on Amazon and through my site.