Thousands of school children in Austin and across the country are making Valentine cards for someone extra special in their lives this year, their school bus drivers.

To thank the men and women who take more than 26 million children safely to schools each day, the American School Bus Council (ASBC) is encouraging students, parents and teachers to “love the bus” in February and recognize their school bus drivers. 

AISD school bus drivers travel thousands of miles navigating neighborhood streets, dirt roads and highways in all types of weather to get 86,000 students in Austin to and from school safely.

Love the Bus is also an opportunity for parents and children to learn more about the safety and environmental benefits of school bus transportation. According to the National Academy of Sciences, a child is 13 times safer in a school bus than the average of other ways to get to and from school. Additionally, the nation’s school bus system eliminates the need for an estimated 17.3 million cars each morning and 2.3 billion gallons of gas annually. Every year new safety features make the school bus more trustworthy than ever. These include:

• Swing arms attached to the front of the bus help guarantee children’s walk out where drivers can see them at all times.

• “Sleeping child alarms” in the rear of new buses guarantee the driver checks each seat at the end of the route.

• Reinforced side panels resist side impacts.

• Higher seat backs increase the effectiveness of passenger protection.

Parents, teachers and students can say thank you to these hardworking employees in several ways: share stories about your favorite bus drivers and make interactive Valentine cards to e-mail or print and give during the month of February. Educators can also download the Love the Bus toolkit, which provides resources for implementing a comprehensive program in your school.

Join in on the fun and show your appreciation for these valuable employees who safely transport Austin's children to and from school every single day.

Click here, to visit the Love the Bus website.