School Bus Safety Week Raising Awareness Among Youth

Wednesday, 23 October 2019 05:54

Held every year across Canada on the third week of October, School Bus Safety Week gives people an opportunity to talk about the importance of community safety. It runs until this Friday.

WOODSTOCK - It is School Bus Safety Week across Canada.

The Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services puts on the initiative ever third week of October to highlight the importance of school bus safety.

Chief Administrative Officer Maureen Cosyn Heath says a School Bus Driver Appreciation Day will be held today.

She says they hope parents and school staff give recognition to the bus drivers in some form.

"We have seen people make homemade cards, which are always very welcomed and very cute. Sometimes there's a Tim Hortons gift certificate, really small gestures just to show that you appreciate the value that they play in your students' daily life."

The campaign is held across Canada every year and it began on October 21st. They say it provides an opportunity to talk about the overall importance of community safety, especially near school bus stops and school zones.

SOSTS says over 50,000 students from surrounding Counties, including Oxford, take the bus to and from school every day. They also use the school bus for field trips and athletic events.

She says they also want to encourage the conversation online.

"We are very active on social media. We are always constantly promoting social messages and safety messages, so it's just another way to reach people, it's a fun way to engage with our communities. We love it when they tag us in their photos when one of their kids at the bus stops behaving and waiting happily for the bus. It's just a great way to get the message out to the community."

They say throughout the week to watch for social media posts and use #BusSafety19 to get in on the conversation. The SOSTS also encourage people to check out their Facebook and Twitter and Instagram for safety messages.

The campaign runs until this Friday.