Guidelines for the Bus Ministry

Bus Ministry Guidelines.

1. The side door must be shut before bus is in motion.
2. All children must be seated before the bus moves.
3. Stop at all railroad tracks.
4. All drivers must have a CDL.
5. All drivers must wear their seat belts.
6. The bus should be locked when not in use, windows up, and bus cleaned out before using again.
7. Keys are never to be left in the bus ignition.
8. Someone else from the church must look around the bus and give the okay sign to the bus driver before leaving the church.
9. Bus captains or helpers are responsible for everyone and their behaviors, including while they are attending Sunday school or other activities. Bus captains and/or bus drivers will handle the discipline of bus kids.
10. Assign someone to be responsible for making sure that all children are taken to their classrooms.
11. Teenagers must not be allowed to take children to classrooms.
12. Teenagers must either attend church or a class for their age group. No running around or being in empty classrooms.
13. Limit your bus route to as short of time as possible to make the bus ride more enjoyable.
14. Do not pull away from the child’s home until you see they are safely inside.
15. Bus drivers must drive the speed limit or below.
16. All unsafe driving by the bus driver must be addressed and reported.
17. Bus drivers and other attendants must report any critical incidents, such as an injury, fight, and discipline issues to the church pastor or someone in charge for reporting and record keeping purposes.
18. No eating or drinking by bus drivers or workers. Snacks to the children will be at the discretion of the driver or attendance helpers.
19. If a driver discovers they have an extra child that is on the bus, the bus driver must call the bus ministry director to have them picked up. Do not take them through the whole route, keeping them from getting back to their family.
20. Do not make a practice of hugging children. Learn where to touch, such as on their back or perhaps doing a side hug.  Children are affectionate but every worker should know the boundaries and to act in a Christian manner (one without question).
21. Never let children sit in your lap where a false impression could be created.
22. Never haul bus riders in your personal vehicle alone.
23. Coordinate time schedules so that children are not left unattended before service or after services. Be prompt on pickup and drop off so that children will not come into the classrooms or church late.
24. If a bus driver is going to be late or cannot run their bus route, the driver must inform the bus ministry director to obtain a new driver and workers.
25. Spend time to review the quality of services, things you could do better, ideas to become more creative and plan a program for your next bus route.
26. Every bus driver and helper must be active in attending church. It is also a good practice to rotate bus drivers and helpers every other month or every two months to help these people sit in church, rest, and prevent burnout.

Used By Permission – Pastoral Care Inc.