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.
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.
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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.
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Hi Jenna!
Moving can be scary, but just a few tips for when you get on the bus in your new town. Ask the bus driver if they have a place for you to sit. If the driver says sit anywhere or sit in x section, you can either go down the aisle and ask another kid if you can sit with them or find an empty seat depending on where you are in the route. Sometimes as a driver I have some kids raise their hands so I can tell a new kid to sit with someone I know is going to be friendly and welcome them. If the driver has assigned seating, they will probably tell you where to sit.
Finally if you're still nervous, have your parent or guardian call and speak to the bus driver before you get on the bus. I have lots of parents calling me asking me questions about my bus, and to get a time for their children to be at their designated bus stop. Good luck!
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Sorry for the delay in reply. Usually it means that the bus is governed to a certain speed that it can't exceed. Some buses have alarms to notify the driver of a speed exceeded in which case the bus will automatically slow. Other buses will just hit that maximum speed and simply slow or hold at that max speed.
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Professional Gamer
Is the stereotype of gamers as overweight dudes living in parents' basements accurate?
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What's the scariest flight you've ever been on?
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Call it in to the authorities, or to the local bus shop/school district labeled on the outside of the school bus. Sometimes drivers do get distracted and make poor decisions. They still need to be notified so that they can adjust their driving style. There have been a few times where I have not made the best decision and pulled out inadvertently in front of someone on a blind corner, but we are human and all make mistakes. I would rather someone come to me and tell me that I need to watch how I drive than to endanger children anymore than necessary.
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Legally speaking, probably not. However did the child do something that would warrant a need to clean up the bus? If so, such consequences should be discussed with the parent before hand unless the school opts to handle it that way. For example, a kid who has a chronic problem of not throwing away his trash may be asked to clean the bus in lieu of a harsher punishment like In School Suspension or Detention. My bus kids always like to help pick up the bus and I do have a couple of them who like to sweep up.
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I don't know if there is a law or not. Most, if not all, school buses come equipped with heaters. Not every bus has an air conditioner, but a heater is fairly standard. Occasionally, as with other mechanical items on a bus, the heater may break down. This is usually unexpected and not preventable. It makes for a very cold bus ride in the mornings during the winter months if a heater breaks. Most of the time its fixable or if it needs further service, the bus companies will often swap buses out for a fully functioning bus. Also, as I told the kids who got on my bus in short sleeves and shivering this morning while holding their jacket in their arms... a jacket works better when its ON!
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