School buses are a crucial part of making our education system work. More than 25 million students ride a school bus to get to school in communities across the United States. They are also by far the safest way for children to get to school, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

At Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), we're committed to serving the school bus industry with exceptional school bus insurance. But no matter which insurance policy you choose, there are a few things you should always look for when shopping around for coverage.

Finding the Right School Bus Coverage

When choosing between insurance companies for school bus contractor insurance, you'll want to look at the coverage offered. While the types of coverage can vary, there are a few types of policies that are the most common:

• Auto Liability
  
  Auto liability coverage is a must for school buses. We offer high limits on our auto liability policies, including a standard $1M combined single limit. Umbrella/Excess limits are available. Our auto insurance policies also include coverage of uninsured and underinsured motorists. In places where it is required by law, our liability insurance can include additional personal injury protection.
  
  
• Auto Physical Damage
  
  The right bus insurance will include auto physical damage coverage. We offer excellent policies with both comprehensive insurance coverage and collision insurance coverage that is competitive with the market.
  
  
• Property
  
  When it comes to yellow school bus coverage, there usually isn't much in the way of property. But for cases where there's property to be covered, you'll want an insurance company that can offer a competitive policy. We offer excellent property coverage when necessary with our school bus contractor insurance.
  
  
• General Liability
  
  While Automobile coverage is the biggest factor in School Bus Insurance, Commercial General Liability should not be ignored. PHLY's coverage is designed to address these exposures, including Abuse.
  
  
• Umbrella
  
  Many bus contracts require higher liability limits. PHLY has the ability to offer Umbrella limits of $4,000,000 CSL (excluding Abuse).

Our wide-ranging coverage is available in nearly every state and our policies are designed to meet state requirements. Our school bus contractor insurance products are not available in New York, Michigan, Nevada, Louisiana, and Florida.

Experience

When choosing school bus insurance, you want to select a provider with the right experience in the industry.

PHLY has been serving companies for more than 30 years with a team that brings decades of experience to the sector.

At PHLY, we focused on bringing a comprehensive and competitive school bus contractor insurance product to the market - and the result was an exceptional offering built with each of our customers in mind. With a team led by a product manager and lead underwriter with 30+ years of experience in transportation, we're confident our coverage and service can deliver on all fronts.

All of that experience means we understand the nuances of yellow school bus contractor insurance. This empowers us to offer tailored coverage that is designed to meet the specific needs of our policyholders. With PHLY, you get a team of seasoned professionals that can deliver a quality product with truly exceptional service.

Risk Management

A lot of insurance companies can offer some form of liability coverage, and some even have a lot of experience in the industry. But few can deliver on risk management services that truly add value to your policy.

At PHLY, we offer a wide range of risk management services that set us apart. With a policy from us, you can expect a variety of services, including:

• DMV monitoring
  
  We offer Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) monitoring at no additional charge to our policyholders. With this service, school bus drivers are added to a database equipped with full-time monitoring capabilities. If an issue comes up (for instance, a driver gets a DUI on the weekend), we get notified within a week. It's one of the ways we can be proactive in mitigating risk.
  
  
• Online training
  
  We offer free online training as part of our risk management services. In addition to defensive driving techniques, our training courses go beyond handling the vehicle by covering how to handle the passengers. Training on how to manage unruly students, for instance, is included in our online courses.
  
  
• PHLYTrac and discounts
  
  Through our PHLYTrac program, we offer free GPS monitoring for your yellow school buses. We also offer exclusive discounts on cameras for the vehicles, along with discounted background and motor vehicle record (MVR) checks with best-in-class vendors.
  
  

Customer Service and Claims Management

Evaluating the customer service side of any company you choose is very important when purchasing school bus contractor insurance. At PHLY, we have a proven track record of exceeding customer expectations. We have a 97% overall approval rating from our customers on claims handling. Our consistently high ratings stem from our commitment to excellence in customer service.

Financial Stability

The insurance provider's financial reputation is important. You'll want a company that has the resources to handle any claims that may arise.

You can look for the AM Best rating to help determine financial strength. A strong rating indicates stable financials and excellent positioning in the marketplace. We have an A++ rating from the AM Best Company - the highest rating they offer. And, as a further measure of our financial strength, we have an A+ rating from Standard & Poor's.

PHLY Offers Everything You're Looking for in School Bus Insurance

You can't go wrong with PHLY's competitive coverage, experience, risk management services, exceptional customer service, and solid financial stability when looking for school bus contractors insurance. Learn more about what we can do for you at our product page or talk with your agent about PHLY today.