Kinetic’s Tasmania team leads the way in school bus safety with award-winning safety program

Kinetic’s Tasmania team is championing school bus safety through their leadership and involvement in BusSAFE, a national initiative that's transforming how students interact with school transport across Australia.

BusSAFE represents a collaborative effort by transport operators nationwide, creating an industry-led program that teaches children how their actions directly influence safety throughout their bus journey. The interactive initiative addresses critical moments from bus stop to destination, ensuring students understand proper safety protocols.

In Launceston, in Tasmania’s north, Kinetic driver Simon Ansell is a facilitator of the program across the city, delivering engaging sessions that combine education with entertainment to maximise learning outcomes.

"It's a fun session, but it's also serious," Simon explains. “If you have a bit of fun with it, the students go away really having learned something new and wanting to change [their behaviour].”

The BusSAFE program takes a holistic approach to bus safety education, covering three essential phases of student transport: waiting for the bus, behaving while on the bus, and getting off the bus.

Each classroom session is complemented by hands-on learning opportunities where students explore bus safety features on an actual bus, giving them an opportunity to put what they’ve learned into practice.

Simon reports positive feedback from drivers who've noticed substantial behavioural improvements among participating students.

“I’ve had drivers tell me that they cannot believe the difference with the students on their bus,” he said.

“Everything we discussed in the session, from remaining quiet to staying seated until they’ve reached a full stop, they were putting it into action.”

Simon says that the program is filling a long-standing gap in bus safety education, and that he is looking forward to getting to as many schools as possible.

“The schools are really over the moon with how the program is going and it really makes the whole experience feel so worthwhile,” he said.

“I hope it can also assist our drivers directly, making their days more enjoyable and giving them a better experience with the way students interact with them.”

The program's excellence was recently acknowledged at the Australian Road Safety Awards, where BusSAFE received the School Programs Award.

This recognition validates its national impact on enhancing road user behaviour and fostering safety consciousness among Australia's next generation.

By championing programs like BusSAFE, our Tasmania team embody Kinetic's core values of safety leadership and community service, creating positive change that benefits students, drivers, and the broader transport industry across Australia.

Find out more about BusSAFE at www.bussafe.com.au.