The Activities of the American School Bus Council

Summer, 2009

American School Bus Council

Associations

• National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT)

• National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)

• National School Transportation Association (NSTA)

Manufacturers

• Blue Bird Corp.

• IC Corp.

• Thomas Built Buses

Partners• Collins Industries• STN• School Bus Fleet• Bus Parts Warehouse• Unity school Bus Parts• 24/7 Security

Challenges We Face

• School buses taken for granted– By parents, administrators, legislators, the public

– Others assume it will always be there

– Parents lack information, motivation to change behavior

• No federal commitment to school transportation– Many unfunded mandates

– No direct, regular funding

– Competing priorities threaten funding

• Industry often must play defense– Accidents, while rare, can take center stage in media

– Interest groups attack school buses on health, safety, environment

Challenges We Face

Media, others control the message

“Environmentalists worry about the effect of pollution on children who ride school buses”

– October 23, 2006

“Diesel mandate has schools, trucking firms concerned about costs”

– October 23, 2006“Bus driver may have molested

100 young girls”– November 1, 2006

“Car Collides With School Bus; Students Sent to Hospitals”

– October 31, 2006

“Boy, 15, Arrested After 'Bottle Bomb' Blows Up Near School Bus”

– November 1, 2006

Our Purpose, Our Goals

• Our Purpose– Transporting as many children as possible in the safety of school

buses

– Inform parents and legislators about the advantages of dedicated school transportation

• Our Goals– Increased awareness

– Increased ridership

– Securing federal funding

Our Mission

Our Mission

The mission of the American School Bus Council is to educate parents, school officials and lawmakers about the essential role the yellow school bus plays in the safety, health, security and readiness of America’s schoolchildren. Council members advocate for increased school transportation funding and advances industry standards on safety, security, environment, energy and access to education that are above and beyond state and federal law.

Overall Research Findings

• Parents Have Mixed Feelings About School Bus Transportation

– Positive associations exist that can be leveraged by the American School Bus Council and message platforms can be created to help mitigate the negative

• Parents Cite Convenience and Social Development Opportunities as Advantages of the School Bus

– The school bus alleviates pressure placed on parents – they do not need to take time out of their schedule to transport their children to school

– Parents also recognize the psychological and emotional benefits of socializing with other children

• Parents Say Riding the School Bus Promotes Independence for Younger Children While Constraining Older Children

– Younger students embrace the chance to talk with friends and enjoy time away from parents – and parents seem open to this experience

– But, older children looking for more freedom and flexibility dislike the bus and dismiss it as not “cool”

• According to Parents, Both Parents and Children Share Common Complaints

– Long bus routes with frequent stops, consistent lateness and lack of flexibility make parents and children consider other transportation options

– Negative environment consisting of bullying and other “bad” behaviors are also causes for concern

Overall Research Findings

NC Study Corroborates ASBC Findings

NC Study Corroborates ASBC Findings

• Parents Generally Trust School Bus Transportation, but Not the Bus Driver

– Parents are anxious about the bus driver’s qualifications and history because they have limited information and contact

– Trust can be built by increasing communication and information-sharing with parents

• Top of Mind, Safety is Not Viewed as a Key Advantage– Although parents acknowledge the safety of the vehicle itself,

they do not readily consider the whole experience of riding the school bus to be safe

– Concerns about the bus driver affect perceptions of overall safety, as do the behavioral issues children encounter on the bus

Overall Research Findings

NC Study Corroborates ASBC Findings

NC Data: Only 11% “lack of confidence”

August 2008 Research: Key Findings

• In August 2008, the American School Bus Council conducted an internet survey of parents who have children 5-18 living at home.

– This was a follow-up to a benchmark survey conducted in December 2006

– The 2008 survey included 304 respondents with a +/-5.62% margin of error.

Key finding from August 2008 compared to the initial 2006

• Overall, parents are now hearing less about the yellow school bus in the news

– Among those who say they’ve heard something, accidents and crashes are most often mentioned

– Key measures have stayed steady since the benchmark:– Trust in school bus transportation

– Belief that the yellow school bus is a safe mode of transportation for children to be delivered to-and-from school

– Ridership intention : Among parents of school bus riders the belief that the school bus is a safe mode of transportation has increased significantly since the benchmark

– Perhaps because fewer are hearing about the yellow school bus in the news

The school bus is still considered an important part of the nation’s education system

• The majority of parents say the school bus is a very important part of the education system

• When forced to choose, parents agree the school bus is the only reliable form of transportation for many students

• Without it, the ability of these students to receive a good education would be impacted

Parents remain somewhat conflicted about school buses

• Concern about children riding in a school bus has decreased since the benchmark

– Parents are now more concerned about other children (disorderly conduct, bullying, etc) on the bus than safety issues

– Parents continue to believe a personal vehicle, such as a family or parent’s car is still the safest way for their children to get to-and-from school – possibly because they have more control over the transportation of their own children

Attributes that highlight a direct benefit to parents continue to be strengths to leverage to drive trust

• Are a great convenience for parents to get children to or from school

• Helps parents save on transportation and gas costs

• Maintain reliable schedules

• Are an essential part of the education system

• Are worth investing tax dollars in

Message statements for ridership retention

• Helping parents save money on transportation costs while also being a safe mode of transportation are most likely to drive ridership

• School buses facilitate the reduction of traffic congestion and carbon monoxide emissions were also likely to drive ridership intention

• Less successful message statements did not provide a benefit directly to parents

– Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and emissions-reduction technology

The short message statements successfully moved key behaviors

• Trust in school bus transportation increased across the board as a result of the short message statements

• Parents saying they strongly agree that the yellow school bus is a safe mode of transportation increased

• The likelihood of parents having their children ride the school bus increased slightly among non-riders and remained steady among riders

• Likely because the parents of riders are already well aware of the benefits of public school transportation and they have their children ride the yellow school bus regardless

The rising cost of gas and fuel is having an impact on parents

• Parents strongly agree that school buses can help them save on transportation costs as fuel costs rise

• When forced to choose, in order to save money on the rising cost of gas, the majority of parents agree it is more beneficial for their children to ride the school bus

• Furthermore, over half of all parents strongly disagree with cutting bus stops or routes and even more so are opposed to cutting bus service if school district policy makers are not able to cover the rising cost of fuel

• Overwhelmingly, all parents and sub-audiences would rather school boards develop alternatives to cutting routes or stops in order to reduce the impact of high fuels

Phase 1: Awareness

• Build and communicate the brand

• Communicate as a single, unified voice for the industry

• Recruit third-party allies to tell our story

• Develop industry guidelines

Phase 2: Education

• Develop communication toolkits for districts, state officials and third-party allies

– Template, customizable media materials

– Industry standards and guidelines

– How-to guide for events and advocacy

• Events

Messaging

– School bus transportation is, by far, the safest, healthiest, most secure way to transport children to and from school each day

– The school bus industry is dedicated to the professionalism of its employees, high construction standards and technological advancements

– School buses are school readiness vehicles, providing the access to education every child deserves and ensuring they arrive at school safe and ready to learn

– School buses are valuable investments in the future of our children

Phase 3: Advocacy

• Parents– Advocate for government funding

– Write a letter to their Member of Congress

• Legislators– School bus allies ask fellow Members for support in Congress

– Bring the school bus to the Hill through events

• School districts– Advocate for funding

– Using communications tool kit to ask parents to get involved

Phase 4: Actions and Outcomes

• Parents– Put their children on the school bus

• Legislators– Recognize school bus as safest form of transportation

– Provide funding for safety, accessibility, readiness, security

– Fund grants for new technologies, security, environment, safety

• School districts– Recognize school bus as essential part of education

– Fund at appropriate levels that maintain quality, safety accessibility

– Help educate students and parents about role school bus plays in safety and readiness

Web Site

• Interactive information

• Educational resource

• Advocacy tools

• Press room

• Industry links

www.AmericanSchoolBusCouncil.org

American School Bus Council Encourages More Students to “Go Green and Ride Yellow”

• School Bus Transportation Eliminates the Need for 17.3 Million Cars

• 2.3 Billion Gallons of Fuel and $8 Billion in Fuel Costs

• By reducing the number of cars on the road, the school bus transportation system is providing an estimated annual national savings of 2.3 billion gallons of fuel and $8 billion in gas costs.

American School Bus Council Encourages More Students to “Go Green and Ride Yellow”

• April 9 – Earth Day

• School Bus Transportation Eliminates the Need for 17.3 Million Cars, 2.3 Billion Gallons of Fuel and $8 Billion in Fuel Costs

ASBC Estimates National Fuel Savings

• 36: Avg # cars needed to transport students currently riding 1 school bus

• 17.3 million: Total number of private vehicles needed to transport students currently riding on all school buses.

• 822 million gallons per year: Total fuel used by school bus fleet

• $3.4 billion per year: Total cost of fuel used by the U.S. school bus fleet

• $131 per year: Cost of fuel per child transported by school bus

• 3.1 billion gallons per year: Total fuel for cars replaced by buses

• $11.4 billion per year: Cost of fuel for cars replaced by school buses

• 62.4 billion: Total annual car mileage saved by students school buses

• 346.6 million: Total daily car mge saved - students riding school buses

National Fuel Data

National Fuel Savings

Federal Funding

• Diesel Emissions Reduction

• Security

Correlation to Education / Learning

• Students riding the bus learn better (?)

• Students who ride the bus get to school !!

Your Role

• You are our messengers and ambassadors of the industry

• The Council will provide the tools and training necessary to allow you to be more effective in communicating to your constituencies

• You will have the ability to localize what the Council is doing at the federal level

Children’s Book

Coloring Pages

School Bus Industry Encourages Parents and Children to “Love the Bus”

• Raise awareness and appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers

– who safely transport school children to and from school each day

– 480,000 buses

– the largest and safest transportation system in the country.

• www.LoveTheBus.com – interactive valentines to give to their bus driver on Valentine’s Day

– educator’s toolkit

• Local Events

• Letter to the Editor (template)

• Press release, (template)

School Bus Industry Encourages Parents and Children to “Love the Bus”

• Raise awareness and appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers

– who safely transport school children to and from school each day

– 480,000 buses

– the largest and safest transportation system in the country.

• www.LoveTheBus.com – interactive valentines to give to their bus driver on Valentine’s Day

– educator’s toolkit

• Local Events

• Letter to the Editor (template)

• Press release, (template)

LOVE THE BUS

An Activity of the ASBC:

• Celebrate Valentine’s Day

• Appreciate Drivers

• Generate Positive Publicity

Love The Bus: Food

LOVE THE BUS: Media

Love the Bus: Food

Love the Bus: Cards

Love the Bus: Food

LOVE THE BUS!

PARENTS AND DRIVERS

• Parents want to know their driver’s name.

• Builds confidence in the system

• Look for ways to build a positive image.