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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1007 Questions

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Last Answer on February 07, 2021

Best Rated

If bus have stop sign out is it ok to drive straight perpendicular, so technically you won't be passing bus

Asked by Lisa almost 10 years ago

If the bus is at an intersection letting off children, the best thing to do is simply sit and wait until the bus clears the area. When in doubt, stop. You don't want to be responsible for the death of a child because you thought you could drive around the bus.

Why do bus drivers sometimes have a random person riding on the bus with them? Is that person just examining the driver or is the driver gonna quit? Went through this once and my bus driver stayed.

Asked by Kendra almost 11 years ago

There can be any number of reasons a bus driver has someone riding the bus with them. If its not a regular occurrence, then the person is likely a safety evaluator or supervisor of some sort. This may be so that the driver is periodically and randomly evaluated by the company they work for. Another reason you might find someone riding the bus with your driver is simply so that other person can learn your bus drivers route details. Periodically we might have to be absent from work for some reason or another and a substitute driver is needed. In order to cut down on the confusion, subs will often learn each route separately. Finally, if your bus is one that needs supervision by an aide, the driver could have requested someone to be an aide on the bus in order to help manage students behavior.

How far does the 2 way radio reach?

Asked by Antuony over 9 years ago

It depends on a lot of factors. Bus to bus... probably a couple miles if we're travelling on a trip and get separated and stuff like that. In town with the tower it can reach from the county line and beyond, though the further from the tower the bus is the signal deteriorates.

While the kids are on break,do the bus driver still work or get paid

Asked by Tanisha over 9 years ago

That depends on the local bus depot and district contracts. In my district we get paid year round so even through the summer we get a paycheck. It often means our monthly pay is lower than normal than if we were to only get paid for the months we actually work but it balances out because then we aren't left without pay during the times when school is out. Pay is often low enough that drivers have to take on second and third jobs just to support their families.

On my bus there is a person that always sits on the bus in the first seat on the door side. They're older and they are always on the bus. Why?

Asked by MacKenzie over 10 years ago

They could be a monitor or a new driver learning the route. If they have been there year round then I'd lean towards monitor or driver helper. If not, then it might be a new driver who has been told they need to learn every route in the district. Another possibility might be the driver could be being evaluated for a promotion or other work related things.

I'm a Mad 13 year old old boy. I was literally just a second ago drove by with no stop or hesitation by a bus driver, she drive down my steep hill. Is it legal what she did by not stopping at all for when I was walking up to the bus stop.

Asked by MadKid6969 almost 10 years ago

Were you at your designated stop on time and ready for the bus driver to pick you up? If you were and she did not stop then there may have been a substitute bus driver who did not know the route and stops on the bus route very well. We make mistakes. The best thing for you to do in that situation is go home and ask your parents to call the bus yard or school and see if they can send the bus back to get you or have them drive you to school and call in to the bus yard to find out what happened.

Can a bus driver ask your child personal questions about the family?

Asked by Davis45 over 8 years ago

It depends on the type of questions asked. If one of my bus kids comes to me with a concern about their home life, I might ask questions to further determine the type of advice I would give or whether further school intervention is necessary to protect the child. For example if they mentioned they had no power on at home I would listen to conversations with other students before asking questions of them to find out how they are coping with no power at home. Keeping in mind if they have other resources like a relative or family member that is close by whom they are staying with instead. If they came to me I would have to ask those sort of questions so that I could determine if I needed to report to the school if they needed help.