Community
We provide essential services to the communities within which we operate. We provide transport needs for those that do not have access to a car. First Transit’s para transit division undertakes a lot of work with people with special needs. First Student transports millions of children to school each day who would otherwise rely on the private car, with the associated congestion and emissions they bring.
To date most of our community work has been driven through our operating sites. Many of our employees are actively involved in community activity across the country and organise local fundraising events.
In addition we support community events through provision of free transport, sponsorship of local events and activities such as Adopt a Highway or Stuff a Bus programmes.
- Our Mount Pleasant service centre employees work with the cities Adopt a Highway programme. They have pledged to collect litter and plant flowers and shrubs along a two-mile stretch of road four times each year.
- In the Stuff a Bus campaign, First Student bus drivers and their colleagues meet together at Christmas each year and pack buses with donated items such as clothes, toys and non-perishable foods which are then delivered to a deserving cause.
Our employees also often play a very important role in providing assistance to people at times of national emergency.
First Student supports relief efforts in California fires
In the wake of devastating fires that consumed hundreds of thousands of acres of southern California forest, First Student employees activated relief efforts for residents and employees affected by the blazes. First Student contributed $10,000 to the American Red Cross and volunteered available drivers and buses to transport evacuated hospital and convalescence patients. Drivers responded swiftly and effectively to calls to collect children early from their schools. More than 1,100 employees at eleven First Student locations were affected by the fires as schools throughout southern California were closed and communities were evacuated. In an effort to provide some relief, First Student distributed gift cards to local grocery stores to employees who were affected by the fires.
FirstGroup America organise a special heroes ceremony
A special heroes ceremony was organised by FirstGroup America to recognise the brave actions of four people who helped rescue 52 children from a school bus that was on the Minneapolis 1-35W bridge when it collapsed.
Despite debilitating injuries driver Kim Dahl together with staff from Waite House and others who heard the cries for help put aside any thought for personal safety to rescue all the children and return them safely to their families.
Looking ahead
With the significant increase in the size and status of our organisation in North America we are now looking to add to this local activity with a Group focus. This will allow us to mobilise our employees in a common cause and significantly increase the scale of the activities we can support.
We are in the process of identifying one or a small number of charities we can support at Group level in a similar type of relationship to that we have developed with Save the Children in the United Kingdom. We are also establishing a Charity Committee to support the relationship and develop a fair mechanism for evaluating requests for charitable giving. We will also be looking to extend to a larger number of locations local actions such as Stuff a Bus and Adopt a Highway.