The 2024 holiday season featured celebrations that included Stuff-the-Bus drives for local communities, appreciation events for transportation staff, and lots of decorated school buses. Click through the gallery of photos below.

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LISLE, Ill. – For the holiday season, Durham School Services’ team members have once again demonstrated their continued commitment to giving back to their communities. Team members from across the country participated in various community events such as holiday food drives, fundraisers, clothing and toy drives, school bus donations, providing complimentary transportation, holiday parades, volunteering at food banks, and more.

These community outreach efforts are carried out as part of the Company’s community outreach program, Partners Beyond the Bus, which aims to raise and increase awareness of and recognize the volunteer efforts of our teams and strengthen ties with our customers and community partners.

A few highlights from the holiday season include:

Little Egg Harbor, NJ – Hosted their annual food drive to provide ten families from four different school districts with a delicious and generous variety of food for the upcoming holiday.
Hutchinson, KS – Together with their partner, Salty Cycles, collected over $5,000 in cash and toys in addition to bicycle donations for the Annual Reno County Toy Run.
California, MO – Participated in the community’s Tipton Christmas Parade and won first place with their spectacular and realistic-looking Grinch themed bus.
Grayslake, IL – Donated transportation to the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, IL to transport over 100 cadets to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4600.
Jacksonville, FL – Hosted a toy drive for community partner and donated six buses for National Wreaths Across America Day to transport volunteers to and from the Jacksonville National Cemetery where volunteers placed wreaths to honor and remember fallen soldiers.
San Bernardino, CA – Donated a school bus to the All-American Boys Chorus to transport the choir to and from their regular and holiday season concerts and field trips.

“I can’t praise our team members enough for their unmatched generosity and commitment to their communities year-round  particularly during the holidays when it can be especially meaningful to so many,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Student Transportation, National Express. “It is a great honor to work amongst such giving, selfless community heroes who constantly lead by example. As a result of their example, I find myself also learning from their good deeds and actions. Thank you again to all our team members for their dedication to living the Company’s values every day and supporting their communities.”

About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.

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Students and staff from Mobile County Public Schools stuffing school buses with Christmas gifts for local children and teenagers.

On Dec. 14, the school district thanked everyone who had helped “Stuff the Bus” with over 5,500 toys this month for needy children in the community. Students, faculty, staff, 54 school sites, and the district central office participated and helped collect the toys for the campaign.

According to local news, this is the 12th year for the district to Stuff the Bus. This year two buses were reportedly stuffed with gifts.

The district said via social media that while many of the donated gifts will be distributed to students in need who attend Mobile County schools, the rest will be distributed by the Salvation Army to children throughout the community

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Wellington, Kansas – Durham School Services (DSS), a student transportation leader committed to serving and giving back to its communities, has donated a school bus to Freewill Baptist Church to use for transportation to community events.

Thus far, the church has utilized the donated bus for several local trips to community events, concerts, church services, and even an out-of-state youth retreat to Oklahoma. Most recently, for the holiday season, the church utilized the bus for a Christmas Home Tour and has plans to go Christmas Caroling at local nursing homes around the community to spread holiday spirit and cheer.

“We are so grateful to be able to provide transportation for our church and community! It’s been a huge blessing to our church,” said Pastor Zane Brooks, Freewill Baptist Church. “Having this bus has allowed for a much more comfortable experience for everyone while traveling to community events. Thank you again for Durham’s generosity. Numerous people have benefited from such a kind gift, and we are all very grateful!”

“As a partner of the Wellington community, we are glad to have had this opportunity to fulfill a transportation void in the community with this bus donation to the Freewill Baptist Church,” said Heather Helpingstine, General Manager, Durham School Services. “When community outreach opportunities present themselves, I am extremely proud to say that our team is always more than willing to step up and give back. This bus donation is an example of that fact. We are happy to be able to offer a helping hand to another partner in the community with whom we respect greatly and does so much for the Wellington community.”

About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.

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Bourne Intermediate School in Bourne, Massachusetts, will host a “Stuff A Bus” event on Dec. 7 to collect toy donations for local children this holiday season.

Bourne Public Schools released a statement announcing the “Stuff A Bus” event that will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bourne Intermediate School.

Residents are encouraged to drop off unwrapped gifts or gift cards for children of all ages. Bourne bus drivers and District staff will collect the donations, which will be distributed only to children within the Bourne community.

According to the release, “Stuff A Bus” is sponsored by Bourne Public Schools bus drivers, as an opportunity for community members to support disadvantaged children.

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Tri-Town senior citizens in Massachusetts celebrated an early Thanksgiving dinner at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School with the help of 50 student volunteers, reported Sippican Week.

According to the news report, a Thanksgiving dinner was held on Sunday where nearly 250 senior citizens joined and enjoyed the event.

It was the 31st rendition of the annual event and school administrative assistant Toni Bailey said via the article that it was one of the largest held.

The event was reportedly funded by the Tri-Town community. Donations were raised for the turkey and other thanksgiving specialties and local farms donate apple pies and cider.

The school’s principal, Silas Coellner, said the event also provides a great learning experience for the student volunteers.

In years past, volunteers for the event had reportedly been eighth graders only; however, this year seventh graders joined them.

Students helped senior citizens find their seats, served them food, refill their drinks and clear their plates. After the meal was finished, dozens of gifts and prizes that were reportedly donated by the community were raffled off to guests.

“The kids love it, and the seniors love it” said Coellner via the article.

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Police in Hillsborough, New Jersey, will be hosting a food driver “stuff the bus” this holiday season.

The Hillsborough Township Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 205 shared news on its social media confirming that a food drive will be hosted on Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to provide food for those who are in need.

According to local news report, members of the Township Police will be outside the ShopRite supermarket at Nelson’s Corner shopping center, Route 206, days before the event to collect donations from shoppers.

Residents who will collaborate are being asked to purchase non-perishable items to fill the bus with essentials. A yellow school bus will be parked outside the store as donations are being dropped off. The school bus will then be driven back to the Community Assistance Network facility, where donations will be unloaded and prepared for distribution.

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