Social media has become an integral part of daily life for most individuals.  Today, we discuss the use of social media as it relates to school transportation.

A great way to showcase your school or district’s hard work and achievements is through social media.  Linkedin is a way to connect with other school transportation affiliates across the country.  Instagram can display your bus fleet or hardworking employees.  Facebook can host your school’s webpage.  Twitter can alert parents to any snow days or bus run cancellations.  Furthermore, social media can be used to hire new bus drivers by advertising and screening.

Students heavily utilize social media many different ways.  They can capture pictures and videos of the surroundings and upload them online in just a few seconds.  This means if a driver is behaving inappropriately behind the wheel, it may be easily recorded and uploaded to the internet for all to see.  Therefore, all school bus drivers should always conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism while on and off duty – if just to ensure the safety of the students utilizing the buses to get to and from school and activities.

School bus drivers should also be educated on the risks of cyber baiting, or the taunting of authority figures to capture their reaction and then post it online.  This is an ongoing issue throughout the education community and affects school administrators, teachers, and school bus drivers alike.

Be careful to not let the risks of social media deter you from using it.  With cautious measures, social media can be a great tool to bring positive attention to the things school bus drivers are doing for their community.