School transportation professionals often say the industry is all about the students. Yet departments frequently describe their work with facts and figures: How many buses are in the fleet or how many miles they drive. Those numbers matter, but they don’t capture the emotional value transportation provides to families, schools and communities.
At STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada, keynote speaker Bruce Turkel challenged attendees to rethink how they communicate that value. His message was simple. Effective communication must be “All About Them.” He urged student transporters to “figure out the difference between what you sell and what you exchange for money.”
That idea became a central theme of the fourpart education leadership discussion held at the Transportation Director Summit in nearby Lake Tahoe and later during the keynote address back at the full conference. The goal was to help transportation leaders move beyond operational language and build messages that make stakeholders feel seen, heard and understood.
“What you sell is treating every child like your own,” Turkel said. “What you sell is peace of mind. All these things will affect what you exchange for money. But none of them will affect what you sell. You don’t buy your own products. You don’t use your own services. Perhaps there’s something your audience or your clients see that you don’t.”
Student transporters’ audience includes parents, school boards, superintendents, financial analysts, legislators, mayors and many others who view transportation through different priorities and pressures. Turkel advised leaders to be clear in conversations rather than clever, noting that even the catchiest or most sincere message can fall flat if it fails to connect with the intended audience.
He explained how Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan helped shift the shoemaker’s conversation with customers from exercise excuses to empowerment and potential. Student transportation, he noted, has a similar opportunity to reframe its story, not simply as a service that moves buses or students but as one that provides access to education, supports the broader economy and enables students to become contributing members of society. “You’re not moving buses, you’re not moving children. You’re moving opportunity,” Turkel said.
Parents bring strong emotions to anything involving their children, he added, which means student transporters may not need to create to “repaint the bus.”
Instead, they may need to explain differently the value. “Hearts, then minds,” he advised. “Make an emotional connection before an intellectual connection.” That message resonated with attendees looking for practical ways to strengthen trust and communication within their own communities. Quanika Dukes-Spruill director of transportation for the Newark Board of Education in New Jersey, said Turkel gave her immediate action items.
“We have a Special Education Action Committee and they host parent meetings, so I’m asking to join those meetings to share information with parents and, most importantly, listen to them,” she said. “The point our
speaker made today was to listen to your audience.”
Emotional connection and clear communication are not separate from school transportation operations. They are essential to effective leadership. Budgets, contracts, routing systems and compliance requirements matter, but successful departments also depend on genuine relationships with employees, families, administrators and stakeholders.
Later during STN EXPO West, Keba Baldwin of Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland and STN’s 2025 Transportation Director of the Year encouraged industry leaders to stay close to the people who keep daily operations moving. True partnership, he said, begins with understanding and empathy.
Many administrators describe school bus drivers as “the backbone of the operation,” but Baldwin said appreciation must go beyond words. Leaders must spend meaningful time with frontline employees and understand their daily reality. He challenged attendees to examine their own visibility: “How often are you at your bus depot? How often do you ride a bus?” Frequent route ride-alongs and depot visits help to better understand driver challenges, build trust, strengthen relationships and show that they value the human side of the work.
Leaders who stay connected in the field can communicate more effectively with families about route realities, safety priorities and service improvements. That visibility can reduce misunderstandings, build confidence and support transparent conversations with administrators and broader stakeholders. Firsthand experience also strengthens reporting, collaborative problem-solving and shared goals centered on student well-being and educational outcomes.
The challenge now is to think differently. Transportation leaders have an opportunity to become stronger storytellers, clearer communicators and better listeners. They can help redefine the narrative around school transportation and reinforce the true value they provide to the families and communities they serve.
