Love the Bus Week is the condensed version of Love the Bus Month that is being celebrated here at Green Level! While nationally recognized as lasting the entire month of February, Green Level will put extra emphasis on the celebration through the week of Monday, February 12th, to Friday, February 16th. The week’s purpose is to encourage all to show appreciation for the hard work that bus drivers and other school transportation workers put in throughout the school year. It’s similar to Teacher Appreciation Week but stresses the importance of appreciating the many hardworking and caring bus drivers that often go unnoticed.

Love The Bus Week, while hallmarked by appreciating those involved in school transportation, has also served as a reminder of the importance of the yellow school bus as a symbol in American society. The yellow school bus represents the accessibility of American education and the value we place on nurturing the minds of our country’s children. It can remind us that while we live in a great nation full of opportunity, there are still improvements to be made to our outdated education system.

The month-long celebration is supported and facilitated by the NSTA, or the National School Transportation Association. On their website, they encourage people to post their Love The Bus activities on social media, suggesting that videos and photos get shared on the American School Bus Council (another school transportation organization) Facebook and Twitter pages. They also provide a hashtag, #LoveTheBus, that can be added to posts of students and their families appreciating bus drivers, so as to spread the message of the celebration. Additionally, you can submit stories about impactful bus drivers or school transportation workers on the ASBC’s website.

There are a lot of things you can do to participate in Love The Bus Week here at Green Level. You can make a nice card or note for your bus driver, bring them a small gift or treat, or simply tell them how appreciative you are of them. Bus drivers have gone through a lot over the past few years, including having to go on strike multiple times to get fair pay and other employee benefits. Some words of gratitude could go a long way in keeping them around.