Busing on the Lookout (BOTL)

When building an army to fight a crime like human trafficking, the bus industry has a key role to fill. Through their sheer numbers, extensive travels, and the nature of their jobs, members of the bus industry—commercial and school—are uniquely positioned to provide an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement in recovering victims and arresting traffickers.

Human traffickers are counting on people not paying attention and not knowing the signs to look for or the questions to ask. If every bus driver and bus station employee could be trained to identify the signs of human trafficking and how to report it effectively, imagine how many victims could be recovered and, potentially, how many traffickers could be arrested!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Be on the lookout for red flags and call the hotline (888-3737-888) to report suspicions.
• Train every bus driver—commercial or school—and all bus terminal employees with BOTL materials.
• Display BOTL materials in bus terminals and on buses, so that victims will see them and self-report.
• Assess loopholes in company policies on ticket purchases or travel of minors.
• Donate ticket vouchers to help victims escape or participate in the prosecution of their traffickers.
• Make sure your school has a protocol on child trafficking and that all school bus drivers know the steps to follow.
• Partner with law enforcement and government agencies to facilitate the investigation of human trafficking cases discovered through the bus industry.