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

What are my daughters rights as far as getting to school on time? My daughter is a special needs child. She needs extra time to prepare in school. The bus driver gets her to school late almost every day. What can I do? They don't help.

Asked by Denise almost 8 years ago

Is your daughter riding a regular education school bus? You can request special education school bus transportation for your child to be written into your child's IEP or 504 plan. If your child already has a 504 and an IEP in place then modifications to those must be made before any district will make any changes or concessions. Get those in place and the district should help you at least fight that battle of getting your child to school on time. That being said, riding the bus is a privilege not a right and therefore it is something that most districts provide because many parents do not have other options for their children to get to school. If your child needs extra time to prepare to be in school I do suggest that you look into alternatives such as driving her yourself in the morning times so that it is not as stressful if the other options do not work.

Have you ever had any close calls with motorists disobeying your stop sign? Does it happen often?

Asked by Bill over 9 years ago

Yes. I have had a few close calls, though luckily none of my children have been hurt. Motorists disobeying the stop sign happens more often than you think. I apologize for the delay in responding.

Yesterday I left something very important on my school bus, today my school is closed and I need that item for Sunday, I do not know who to call or who to contact. Please help.

Asked by Trisha over 8 years ago

You can try calling the bus shop or the board of education to try to get the bus yard number. If you can get ahold of somebody there, then great. Other than that, unfortunately, you'll have to wait until Monday to get the item.

What is the consequence for a bus driver if they've made unscheduled stops for personal business...such as stopping at their bank and taking the students inside with them?

Asked by Marie about 8 years ago

That's a bit dicey. It is frowned upon for us to do personal business in the bus in general. That isn't to say that we aren't allowed to make stops at a grocery store or Walmart for one reason or another as long as we do not abuse the privilege. What you may have witnessed too is a class field trip to a bank that may have been pre-planned for a teacher and students. Don't be so quick to judge as there may have been many reasons for a bus to be stopping at a local business for one reason or another. Keep in mind we often have second jobs and we get permission to park our buses at one location or another that is not on school property. If you are concerned about seeing a bus making repeated stops at a location, a phone call to the bus yard may clarify the situation and allow the proper authorities to be notified of any ill behavior.

can a bus driver be a babysitter

Asked by carlos perez about 8 years ago

That would depend on what you mean. If you intend on using the bus as free child care, NO. Your children need to be dropped off and picked up at their designated stop times in the mornings and the afternoons. Exceptions can be made if you are running late or emergencies occur (we understand when things are out of your control) but we prefer things like these don't become a habit. It's not fair to your children or the other children on the bus. If you know of a neighbor or friend of yours that is a bus driver and you want to ask them to babysit your children in their off times, then that falls under the category of personal friendship/relationships and is outside the realm of professional bus duties. For example, I transport my friends 3 teenage children. They often need help with homework so I will go over to their house after my bus route to help them. This is because we are friends outside of my job not because we became friends THROUGH my job, though the same or similar scenario can occur.

Can you turn off the camera inside the bus

Asked by dee almost 9 years ago

Our cameras are locked away to where we cannot turn off the cameras when the bus is on. However when the bus is stopped and turned off and NO students are on board, the cameras will turn off just like any other electronic when you turn on or off your vehicle. For the safety of the drivers, we are not allowed to turn off our buses while we have students on them except when waiting at a school, and then most of us turn our keys to the left all the way to keep the cameras rolling.

My kids bus drove by with out stopping...ain't they supposed to stop or can they just drive by with out stopping it's happened a few times.

Asked by Deanna almost 8 years ago

Are your kids standing out at the stop 5-10 minutes ahead of time for the bus driver to see them? There may have been a substitute on the bus and not every substitute knows every stop and most rely on students being out at their designated stops on time. If your children have been told multiple times to be out on time ready and waiting and they were not, then I have no sympathy. That being said our policy in our district is that we go by every stop and at least look to see if the kids are at each stop. On colder mornings or mornings where rain is a concern, I don't mind waiting an extra minute for kids to come from the house but generally the kids need to be out and ready and waiting on the bus.