The Bus Driver
15 Years Experience
South, ..
Female, 37
I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
In that case, then I would turn the bus off. I was just stating that some buses require the bus to be started and running or the key to be turned in the on position to allow power to flow to the lift. Some lifts will not operate without the parking brake being engaged either on some of the smaller "transit" type buses. I would double check your company policy on this issue though.
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Buses are equipped with an emergency or parking brake, but it can be very dangerous to pull this brake while the bus is moving as it will cause the bus to jerk to a stop and can cause an accident if used improperly. In the case of an emergency and the bus is simply rolling low speed (under 5 mph) then the emergency brake button can be pulled in order to stop the bus. It looks like this: http://www.apartswarehouse.com/Images/Products/298818-s.JPG
In the case where the driver becomes incapacitated at any time while the bus is moving at speeds... Read More +
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Get a bus pass from the office. You need to bring a signed note from your parent or guardian to the office and they will issue you a bus pass (usually only good for one day). Trying to skip around on buses is not advised and in some districts can get you removed from riding the bus.
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Hi Alec!
First off - if you notice that the heater in the back is blowing, please let the bus driver know. Their arm may have inadvertently hit the button on the control panel which controls the heat blower. Secondly, most of the time if a driver gets too hot they turn the heat off under the hood or up in the drivers compartment by flipping a lever to stop the heat flow. Third, when you put 40-60 bodies in a small area, its going to be a little hot and uncomfortable. If the driver has air conditioning, they will put it on, but if there is no air conditioning, simply open a few windows on each side all... Read More +
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Depends on the reason for writing the name down. Sometimes I may ask a child for their name and write it down as a note to myself to let the office know I have them still on the bus if they missed their stop. Sometimes, it may be that we need their name to look up their address in the computer system, or find a working parent/guardian number to contact. Finally, I may write a child's name down in order to write them up for misbehavior. Not everything leads to misbehavior and a citation, but for other reasons.
When I had an after school route - I had my students names on one sheet as well as their stops... Read More +
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In order for the lift to operate, there has to be some power to the bus. I do not know if the bus just needs to be in the "on" position or fully running for the lift to work, but usually since on special needs buses there is more than one person on the bus (driver and aide) it is usually safe to leave the bus running while picking up and dropping off a student since there are several adults around to handle situations.
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As far as I know there is no law that requires that to happen, however, each district has its own policies on how routes are set up and run. Sometimes the bus shop dictates how a route goes and other times it is up to the drivers discretion. Personally, I believe that every few years routes need to be revamped and revised and it is best left up to the bus drivers who are driving the routes. The drivers know the number of students that are at each stop and can better determine if a route has a more logical way of being done.
Here in my county, due to some of the distance, the first ones on are often the last... Read More +
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