When Apple won a new contract in St.


Joseph, Mo., last August, Oyster attributed it to the company’s “human touch.” “We used our resources to really go


overboard and visit administrators, like working with IT to clean up data concerns. We brought them onsite, which is some- thing our predecessors had never done. We had them come into the transportation terminal and see the faces of people they


would be dealing with,” Oyster explained. “It’s amazing the support we’ve gotten as a result of that. If you’re partners, you can fix issues so much more quickly. Tat little bit we invested up front pays dividends forever.” Lourdes Perez, training department


supervisor at Student Transportation of America’s Los Angeles office, said collabo- rating with the California Highway Patrol and the LAUSD pays off because it can


prevent driver missteps and accidents. Her department also works with


LAUSD’s special-education department to ensure drivers know how to properly tie down wheelchairs and how to handle trays, tubes and other medical devices. “We get a lot of information from the


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state. Every time they add something new for a child, whether it’s equipment or medical device, it has to be approved by LAUSD,” said Perez. “We’re always working together as a team. We’re always talking to the drivers about safety — that’s our main concern here — and making sure they act professionally and put the students first.” Perez shared that she’s always had an open-door policy with her drivers and wel- comes honest, open dialogue. “I make sure they have what they need, and this helps them do a better job. We’re open to listening to anybody with any con- cern and with something they want to learn. If I don’t have the answer, then I will look for it,” she added. Transportation Director Arby Creach of


Brevard Public Schools in Florida said the nature of his job brings him into contact with virtually every department, but he most often collaborates with special education, communications, and safety and security. “When there’s criminal activity in the


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area, we lock down our schools immediately. Oftentimes bus drivers are the first ones to know about it. We get the word back to the communications department, and they coordinate with safety and security imme- diately, which is what it’s all about,” Creach remarked. “Communications gets the word out to parents about what’s going on in transportation during a lockdown or other emergency situation.” Tis past school year, he said transporta-


tion had to work closely with the facilities department after the school district decided to eliminate “choice” schooling, which led to school closures. “With the Space Shuttle program ending


(at nearby Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral), we lost a lot of jobs at the district because of losing student population and such. We had to collaborate heavily with facilities to repurpose schools that were closing to ensure we were able to provide the transportation they needed to send those students to other schools and keep the costs low,” he continued. “Communication helps you to know the needs of the other departments, how they relate to your goals, and how they can help you get business done every day.” 


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