School Bus Driver

School Bus Driver

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.

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Last Answer on February 07, 2021

Best Rated

So today I threw something on the bus , and it landed close to the bus driver . So he stop the bus and called in the radio and asked who threw it and I said it was me , what will happen to me ?

Asked by What will happen to me ? over 9 years ago

Did you apologize for throwing something? If so, its likely the driver probably accepted your apology, no harm no foul. If he said he was going to write you up, then you will have to accept the consequences that the school gives you for throwing something you shouldn't have. If you want to really impress the bus driver and let him know you are really sorry for what you did, you can simply write him an apology letter and hand it to him tomorrow when you board the bus. If you don't feel like writing an apology, then simply saying you're sorry to the bus driver will make all the difference in the world. My bus kids know that its easier to be up front and honest with me and that its likely they will only get a verbal warning for their behavior. Good luck.

I do have responsible high school kids on my bus that I could of send to get water. luckily one of the student had a water bottle. My question is what if I had no water supervisor says no don't pull over. Child passes out. Who does the blame fall on

Asked by cali over 9 years ago

The blame falls on the school district in my opinion. Heat is not something you want to play around with especially around children. If you're hot, imagine the ones who can't speak up for themselves or the little ones who get overheated really quickly. That's why even if my supervisor says no to stopping at a store to get water for the child that is obviously in distress, I would still do so because that child is depending on me to help them and my first responsibility is to the children in my care on the bus. Case in point - I have a diabetic child on my bus. Even though she has not shown any signs of distress or problems managing her diabetes, I always keep a water bottle and some easily dissolved sugar on the bus just in case she has a crisis. Maybe you could keep some water bottles or something on the bus to help manage a situation like that before it gets to be a problem? Finally, if they try to blame you for the child's distress (as some parents will), your best course of action is to take the situation above your supervisor if your supervisor is unsupportive.

Hello. Is the pre-trip inspection hard? Right now, I'm not very mechanic. So, I've heard you need to check the lights, simple, but what about all the other stuff? And when should bus drivers start to wake up and go to bed?

Asked by Carter. over 10 years ago

The pre-trip inspections vary from state to state and bus shop to bus shop, but overall, they aren't all that hard to follow.  In my district, our pre-trip inspections are basically ensuring all the lights work, the horn works, the stop arm and the stop sign come out, emergency buzzers are active and working as well as the door functional. Any mechanical issue is usually discovered either in the fuel line or when the bus stops working for some reason.  Since we don't fuel our own buses, the mechanics do it, they check the fluids and all under the hood for us.  

As far as going to bed and waking up, that will depend on your individual route and district.  For mine, I don't have a set bedtime or anything like that, but my route starts at 6:35 am every morning so I have to plan to be up and out the door by 6:10-6:15 every morning.  I usually wake up at 5:45 ish (start to wake up/alarm goes off at 5:30), in the shower by 5:50, and out the door by 6:20. It only takes me a few minutes to drive to work, so I'm on the bus yard by 6:25 and on my bus and enroute by 6:30 to my first stop.

I am a school bus driver. I have an unruly student who is videotaping and taking pictures of me and other students. I don't like it and the students don't either. What can I do? Can I take his Ipod from him?

Asked by flewggle about 10 years ago

I would check to see what your district policy is on electronics on school property. In my district, electronics such as cellphones or music players or the like are not allowed primarily in school or on school property which includes the school bus. As for me, I allow these things unless they start to cause a nuisance between the kids, in which case I usually will warn the child with the offending device and warn of the consequences (confiscation and a parental phone call) Most of the time the kids will tone it down and behave. Have you tried warning this child of the consequences for his behavior? Finally, you can get the back up of your supervisor in order to help manage this.

Can I take my own children on my route instead of having to find alternate childcare?

Asked by SusanB over 9 years ago

That would depend on your local bus company. Different companies have different policies. In my district, as long as the children are school age, they are allowed to ride our buses. It also will depend on which schools you end up serving as to where your children can attend school within the district. Your best bet is to call the bus shop and speak to the supervisor on the bus shop's policy on the matter.

I have a couple questions about retarders on the school buses? Are they allowed in all states? Are they required? When were they first introduced? Why were they put on buses in the first place?

Asked by Belinda about 10 years ago

I'm not sure of the legalities associated with retarders or governors on buses, however I do know that the federal speedlimit for buses is 55 mph maximum. Various states and counties may have their own rules, but as for ours, we are pre-set to 55-59 mph maximum speed. This is to keep the children safe as well as drivers.

How many feet off the school bus does the cameras pick up sound?

Asked by Angelina about 10 years ago

It depends on the type of system, but most sound systems on a bus pick up surrounding noise, but the best noise happens about 4-6 feet surrounding the microphone.