Across North America, National Express LLC (NELLC) teams have supported their local communities to mark the holiday season. These outreach efforts form part of NELLC’s Partners Beyond the Bus (PBTB) community outreach program, an on-going effort to serve students' growing, diverse needs and increase the positive impact we make on their lives beyond school and their communities.

Teams across the nation from both its school and newly combined shuttle and transit division, as well as the corporate office, gave back to our communities during the holiday season through numerous food and toy drives, holiday parades, “Stuff the Bus” events, transportation service and gift donations, and more.

This year, the Lisle corporate office partnered with the Alliance for the Children for their Giving Tree program, which provides clothing to children in need. Participating companies are provided wish-lists written by children in their assigned area and staff then select one or all items on a wish-list to fulfill. Altogether, the corporate office was able to fulfill 100 wish-lists. 

Each division’s community outreach efforts are highlighted below.

Student Transportation

• Grayslake, Illinois, USA – Partnered with local organization Operation: Christmas for the second year in a row to provide holiday gifts for children. Through the team’s gift drive, they were able to sponsor three families.
• California, Missouri, USA – Community-wide Grinch shenanigans and Christmas parade participation with a Grinch themed bus.
• North Bay, Ontario, Canada – Sponsored and participated in the City of North Bay’s annual Santa Claus Parade in partnership with YMCA North Bay.

Transit

• Bakersfield, California, USA – Helped collect 2,452 stuffed animals for United Way of Kern County’s Teddy Bear Drive, which were donated to agencies in Kern County that work with children.
• Boston, Massachusetts, USA – Running a food drive for the Greater Boston Food Bank from November through the end of the holidays.
• Manteca, California, USA – Joined the Second Harvest Food Bank of Manteca to host a Stuff the Bus event to collect non-perishable food items for families in need.

Shuttle (WeDriveU)

• 7^th Annual Stuff the Bus – Brought cheer to local children served by its fire department and police department partners and non-profit organizations across the U.S. Clients, passengers, partners and regional customer service center teams shared generous donations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Manteca, Portland, Seattle and Stockton.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA – The WeDriveU team participated as a Silver Supporter in Ronald McDonald House Charities’ (RMHC) Give a Little Love Telethon in November benefiting RMHC® of the Philadelphia Region. The company sponsored hearts from its local bus drivers and made a donation to the campaign.

“Giving back to the communities in which we serve is a company value we hold very dear to our hearts,” said Gary Waits, CEO, National Express, Student Transportation. “Our team members seek out opportunities to give back to their communities and community members not only during the holidays, but year-round. From bus donations, fundraisers, complimentary transportation service, to park clean-ups and more, our teams have participated in numerous events to help elevate the safety and well-being of their communities. I am proud and grateful to have such inspiring, hardworking, and not to mention, selfless, individuals as part of the National Express team.”