Apple Bus also has a contract with the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice to transport firefighters during wildfires, including bringing them between the front lines and their hotels between shifts. About 300 Apple buses in New Orleans recently
weathered Hurricane Ida. Oyster said the company has learned how to prepare buses for severe wind to mini- mize damage. “We’re tying down the stop arms and crossing gates,
zip-tying them closed,” he said. “The wind opens them, then slaps them back against the bus, and eventually breaks the spring, and those have to be replaced after the storm. Hopefully we’re learning from these storms as they come and go.” He noted that Apple began operating in New Orle- ans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed many of the buses owned by small owner-operators. Having sufficient insurance and financial reserves is crucial to planning for and surviving a crisis, Oyster noted. “A lot of school bus operators lost their entire fleets
during Katrina, when the waters receded there were no buses,” he said. “Owner-operators were under-insured or
not insured at all” against such events. After that, the state allowed larger operators like Apple
Bus into the sector. Especially with modern weather forecasting and
communications technology, there is usually signifi- cant advance warning when an earthquake, hurricane or severe storm is expected. But there is still usually little warning possible for tornadoes, which present a danger across the Midwest. “Right down Tornado Alley is where 60 to 70
percent of our operations are,” said Oyster. “When a tornado warning pops up, drivers need to know where to take the bus, how to prepare the riders for an impending strike. We drill that in particularly in the times of year when it’s storm season, early spring and early fall, we’re doing monthly training sessions as refreshers.”
Communication Prevails Communication is crucial during a crisis—district
officials communicating the latest updates and plans to drivers; drivers instructing students while keeping them
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