The job of driving a school bus for children with special needs might seem straightforward; get the kids to school and get them home safely. But for those who excel, there’s much more to it.
School bus drivers are required to be exceptionally alert. Operating such huge vehicles forces them to pay extra attention to road conditions. If they don’t… there goes somebody’s mirror. Or worse yet, a small child jumps out from nowhere at that hidden crosswalk near school… They can, however, get away with not being as observant, not being as alert regarding the children on board …most of the time. But when they’re just “floating” along, not paying sufficient attention to their passengers, that’s when surprises come up.
Most of the time a driver is simply picking up kids, driving from A to B, purely routine. But once in a while, a parent or child has something to say, that might be stated in an off-hand manner but is actually quite important. And if the bus driver is not really “there” or present, it goes right past him. He has no idea what’s occurring, and they see that. They might not say anything, but they don’t appreciate it.
If he’s listening & observing, he gets exactly what the parents said, and they’re content.
When a special needs school bus driver stops at a house does he notice mom at the front door? Does he wave to her? Does he say hello (by name) to each student as they board his bus? As her little Joey climbs the steps, do you think she’s watching his interaction with him? You bet she is. Do you think she notices if he waits to see Joey in his seat with his seat belt fastened before he pulls off? Yep! Not all parents maybe, but a great many certainly do.
Customer Service for special needs school bus drivers is a mindset. It has everything to do with care & interest, and “paying attention”.
There’s no substitute for care. Kids feel it. Parents notice it. And when they see it in a driver, it puts them at ease. When parents sense their child’s school bus driver is focused on helping, even though he’s only driving, they feel a sense of relief, trusting their child is in good hands.
A focused driver checks his student mirror frequently.
I remember a driver telling me about a time she noticed a child wasn’t looking well and thought it best to pull over. It turned out he was having an episode. She took his hands, stood by him, telling him to breathe…an aide was on the bus but watched quietly, the driver had training on what to do. After some minutes the boy calmed down and she was able to continue the route.
Present. Alert. Perfect school bus driver care.
Another special needs school bus driver, beginning a new route, told me how he observed a small boy being teased by a group of older kids that were twice his size. Seeing the potential for this getting worse, the next morning he quietly moved the little boy to a new seat up front. Simple solution based on observation.
One driver mentioned a 300 lb. student who had great difficulty getting to his seat and putting his belt on. So, he made a point of helping him onto the bus and into his seat every day. The parents were genuinely appreciative.
This same caring school bus driver when starting different routes with severely disabled students, would always ask the parents what he could do to make the kids more comfortable. I’ll bet the parents called in to ask if they could have this driver forever.
A neighbor I know who waits for her daughter by a city bus stop, told me the driver lets dispatch know to call her whenever he’s running unusually late. That’s care!
In the district where I live one of the drivers decorated their bus for Christmas and I’m told the kids had a great time with it! You can be sure the parents were happy about it as well.
These are all examples of CARE and Interest to help. Real customer service for special for Special Needs School Bus Drivers. The kids might not always comment but they treasure it. So do the parents.
Care is essential but if you don’t look & listen your customer service will still be subpar.
It all begins with Paying Attention! Observation! Just as we pay close attention to road conditions with respect to driving. Paying attention to kids being transported is the beginning of customer service.
But… In order to pay attention, you need to be “there” and present, not just putting things on automatic, and going through the motions.
All parents want from special needs school bus drivers is a feeling their kids are being taken care of. So the little things drivers do: saying hello to their kids, engaging them in conversations, however brief, helping them when they need it, not pulling off before their kids are sat & seat-belted. Saying goodbye and not pulling away too fast are all things parents note, and when done gives them a sense of relief and comfort. The kids feel better too!
The poet Maya Angelou, once said:
- “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
That’s what Customer Service is all about.
Rick Grassi
The Little Customer Service Book
A Common Sense Guide to Helping People
Recommended Links:
https://thelittlecustomerservicebook.com/warmth-in-customer-service/
https://thelittlecustomerservicebook.com/commonsensecustomerservice
