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.
I've never heard of vacuum brakes or doors but I can explain manual doors, air brakes, and standard brakes. On a majority of buses, there is an air system that controls the door, stop sign, crossing arm, and brake system. There is a compression tank that fills to capacity when the bus is turned on. Some drivers are required to "bleed" the brakes when the bus is switched off (more on that in a few). When the system is working properly the items come out like they're supposed to and they operate properly. Of course there are overrides for the systems. In both the drivers seat and in the door frame there is a switch that will override the stop system and shut it down if its malfunctioning. The door has an emergency override switch that allows the air to be released so you can open the door in the case of an emergency. Note that manual doors do not have this. They are operated by the driver manually with a hinge that the driver uses to open and close the door from the driver seat. Air brakes are similar in that there is an override for them but it requires you to bleed the tank by pressing the brake pedal till the emergency parking brake pops out and the brakes set on the bus. Some buses do not have this and have the standard brake system found in all cars.
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Being this has happened a few times while I've been on the bus, generally if we can get the kids to safety, we do so. That usually means a business, other school, or other means of shelter. If we can't we can scope out best and worst case scenarios incase the inevitable does happen. One time we had to evacuate into a middle school and another time we evacuated into a local government office.
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That's a tough question. Most districts purchase buses based on capacity and usability. The capacity of these buses are 48 passenger, 40 for the ones that are wheelchair accessible. The standard capacity for a school bus is 72 passengers at 3 to a seat. Of course this figure is impossible the older and larger a child gets. My route alone takes me an hour and a half in the morning and almost 2 hours in the afternoon. I transport more than 85 to 90 children across all age groups on a good day. A bus like that while appealing because of the comfort items, is impractical because even at full capacity i would need to make at minimum 2 rounds to get everyone to and from school. Many routes are designed to have the maximum number of ridership and in some cases will exceed that amount. Even on the longer routes. If the district had drivers available and enough finances available then sure. But otherwise i think it would waste valuable resources.
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If I could be guaranteed not to lose my job, yes. But too many people don't like social media and I have already gotten in trouble for it thats why I stay anonymous.
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Bar Mitzvah DJ
What's the craziest thing you've seen at a bar mitzvah?
Call Center Employee (Retail)
Do you think it's just a matter of time before all U.S. companies move their customer support overseas?
Veterinarian
Who are the bigger hypochondriacs: dog owners or cat owners?
No not legally required. There are special circumstances where it might happen (like a terrorist attack which may close down major cities etc) but most states leave the decision up to the individual districts and schools to make that call.
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It depends on the manufacturer and state regulations as to what is required to be on a bus.
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Again it depends on district and district policy on how they run routes.
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