The school transport manager primarily oversees the fleet of buses that transport the students to and from the school.
The manager plays a crucial role in the overall planning and management of the bus routes, scheduling, vehicle maintenance and acquisition and much more.
This position requires the candidate to have the capability to organize, possess leadership skills, and maintain good relationships with others.
In total, the transport manager along with assistants have to ensure safe, effective, responsive and efficient transport service to the staff and the students.
We shall, in this article, discuss the duties and responsibilities to be taken on by the transport manager of a school bus fleet.
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Duties and Responsibilities of the Transport Manager
1. The transport manager is responsible for the transportation of school and sees that the day-to-day operations are going on without any problems.
For this, the transport manager has to monitor the operations and assure efficient performance in compliance with the regulations and according to the policies, guideline and procedures that are laid down.
2. The transport manager is expected to resolve all the challenges arises in the transport department.
They are supposed to handle different aspects of bus maintenance issues and emergencies if any.
3. In addition to performing road checks during inclement weather, the transport manager holds the complete responsibility of overseeing the timely maintenance checks of all the buses.
The manager is also responsible for maintaining complete records of all the maintenance that have taken place on every bus.
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The manager facilitates staff meetings in this connection and also provides direction to the bus maintenance staff.
The transport manager is in charge of inspecting the buses frequently to ensure that all the buses are in tip-top condition and safe enough to transport the students to and from the school.
4. The transport manager is in charge of setting the routes for the buses, dispatch of the buses, working out their schedule, and managing the driver.
They are also incharge of managing other members of the transport department such as staff representatives from the school, manage fuel consumption of the buses, and also development of the bus timetable.
All these are done keeping in mind the child safety that is being transported on the bus.
5. The transport manager shall coordinate with the specific district representative for the transportation of student with special needs.
He is also responsible to prepare and submit all the related reports in a timely manner.
6. The transport manager is responsible for the purchase of any equipment for the school bus fleet in compliance with all the existing policies and procedures.
7. The transport manager is responsible for the conduct and behaviour of the bus drivers and attendants.
In this connection, he is responsible for the recruitment of the said personnel.
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So, He must be very careful while appointing candidates for the positions of driver and bus attendants.
He should only appoint them after screening their applications thoroughly and checking their credentials and backgrounds.
The transport manager is in charge of training programs and safety programs for the bus staff.
He conducts the bus driver performance evaluations in a timely manner.
He trains the staff on how to communicate effectively so that they can voice their concerns and opinions appropriately.
He is in charge of developing and maintaining the training manual with all the records complete.
He must also ensure that they are promoted to higher positions at the right times and that they are compensated according to their position.
He is in charge of tackling any unrest that may arise in the department.
8. The transport manager maintains a positive relationship with parents, students and the staff members of the school.
He coordinates and strives to resolve all the concerns that crop up.
The responsibilities of the transport manager include keeping the parents informed of any route change, schedule change or timing change of the bus trip.
He should also keep them informed in case there is a new person that has assumed the role of the driver or bus attendant.
9. The role of a transport manager becomes a prominent one in times of a crisis such as an accident or emergency (such as a breakdown).
In such a case his action should be immediate so that there is no harm (or only a minimal loss) and every child reaches their home safe and sound.
The transport manager is expected to have the contact details of all the vehicles repair services of the area as well as those of doctors, nursing homes and hospitals.
10. The transport manager is in charge of coordinating with all the transport staff and the government authorities to keep the bus feet in a ready state for the annual state inspection of the vehicle fleet.
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11. The Transport manager shall plan and execute the purchase of spare buses as additions to the existing fleet.
This help in handling the situation when the necessity of school bus arises.
12. The transport manager shall assist the school authorities in the development of operating procedures.
These include policies, upgrading the existing systems and their implementation and staffing changes at the departmental level.
13. The transport manager is expected to maintain safety standards in compliance with regulations for insurance requirements.
A preventative safety program has to be developed by the manager.
All insurance reports have to be completed and submitted to the authorities by the transport manager.
14. The transport manager is responsible to conduct mock evacuation and emergency drills in a timely manner.
15. It is the responsibility of the transport manager to submit a variety of reports in a timely fashion to the school authorities and government departments in compliance with policies and procedures.
All expenditures must be properly recorded allocated and accounted for.
Complaints and concerns should be recorded and all the related follow-up correspondence should be copied, saved and stored appropriately.
Conclusion
The transport manager is expected to be a person with a positive attitude with a professional approach in tackling the various issues of the transportation department.
Ultimately, the service to the children should be of paramount importance.
