Safety-Driven Company Culture
Professional school bus driver training is critical to a driver’s confidence in their job, and we aim to foster a strong, safety-driven culture that empowers our employees to feel proud of the work they do.
It is our goal to hire school bus drivers and transportation staff who share our values of compassion, safety, and customer service, and we provide our employees with training of the highest level. We believe that starting each day with a familiar face is an important step in the education process, with drivers who are compassionate and confident in the safe management of their school bus. Our drivers receive sensitivity training for working with special needs students, learn bullying prevention and awareness methods, undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, and have their driving records reviewed on a regular basis.
Our Safety Team
Our trainers are focused on all aspects of safety, including driver training, driver education, and customer safety education. We employ full-time, fully licenced trainers in all our locations, along with our Area Manager of Safety & Training, all of whom have signing authority authorized by the Ministry of Transportation Licensing Branch which enables them to upgrade and re-test our drivers.
Driver Training Program
Our Driver Training Program consists of in-class and behind-the-wheel training in order for our drivers to obtain a “B” license, as well as our own 8-hour School Bus Driver Improvement Course, approved by the Ministry of Transportation, which all drivers must complete to upgrade their license to a “B”. Our existing drivers must also complete a School Bus Driver Improvement Refresher course every 3 years. Additionally, drivers are reviewed bi-annually as a part of their on-going training, both formally and during spot checks. This allows the opportunity for both driver and trainer to review safety procedures and address any concerns or questions.
Continual Education
We are committed to the continual safety awareness and preparedness of our drivers. Each driver is required to participate in 10 hours of training within a school year, which includes a combination of branch pre-season start-up meetings, safety meetings, and local & provincial-required programs. Topics for this training may include supporting passengers with life-threatening allergies, Bill 157, winter driving hazards, First-Aid (where required), and transporting special needs passengers.
In-Service Training
We provide our employees with high quality training material throughout the year, with a series of campaigns that highlight specific topics relevant to our local operations.
The series focuses on key months of the school year with material that includes meeting presentations and quizzes, videos, prevention tips and safety reminders, printable safety activities, and more. This ongoing focus on safety and training ensures that Parkview’s professional drivers provide you the safest possible transportation solution.
