To All School Bus and Van Drivers: Thank You

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, a lot of people write out lists of everything in their lives that they’re thankful for. We’re willing to bet that no matter how thorough those people are with their lists, they forget to include how thankful they are for their local school bus and van drivers. School vehicle drivers are underappreciated, and should be thanked much more often than they are.

Driving a school vehicle isn’t necessarily glamorous, but is a role that’s needed by society more than most people consider. Without bus and van drivers, millions of kids would be left without reliable transportation to school. If a child’s parents don’t have access to a vehicle or their work schedules won’t allow them to drive their kid to school, that child simply would not have the chance to attend school. School bus and van drivers ensure that every member of the future generation has an equal opportunity to access education, and that’s more than enough reason to tell your local driver, “thank you.”

It takes a special person to become a school bus or van driver. In a job market where there are a lot of job openings and relatively few people searching for a career, job hunters have a wide variety of fields to search in. People who pursue driving as a career do so confidently and decisively, because driving is by no means an easy job.  All school vehicle drivers undergo several background checks and training in order to become authorized to drive children. School bus drivers take multiple knowledge and on-the-road tests in order to obtain their CDL’s, and take classes to refresh their knowledge every four years after that. Aside from the work it takes to become a school vehicle driver, the day-to-day work can prove challenging; drivers punctually and professionally manage a large vehicle full of (sometimes unpredictable) children, while driving through all traffic and weather conditions. For having the determination and resolve to pursue and perform this career, school vehicle drivers definitely deserve a “thank you.”

Being a school vehicle operator entails a lot more that what is just listed in the job description. School vehicle drivers are the first friendly face, that’s not family, that kids see in the morning, and the last they see in the afternoon. Drivers are kids’ friends, counselors, nurses, and heroes, and they mean much more than just “my bus/van driver” to many students. Believe it or not, drivers care immensely about the safety and well-being of their students, and do everything in their power to keep “their kids” happy and safe. For this reason, probably most of all, it is important to give all school vehicle drivers a “thank you.”

This Thanksgiving season, make sure to give thanks to all your local community heroes (aka school vehicle drivers!), and show appreciation year round for the work they do and the impact they have on the future generation!

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