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.

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

1007 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on February 07, 2021

Best Rated

Hello, is your district ever going to have you deliver meals to kids like the ice cream truck or naw?

Asked by Bro about 6 years ago

I wish we could but right now the answer is no.

I heard that there are limits on how long bus routes can be. Is this true and is there exceptions for rural districts or districts that cover a large area in general? I personally would rather a longer route then a overcrowded one too.

Asked by Dsmmsdm almost 7 years ago

It depends on the district. We are shorthanded everywhere so overcrowding is bound to happen. Routes are made longer and schools are not changing the way they do things to accommodate the sheer number and stress we are under. The amount of kids also depends on the location of the route. A rural route is less crowded but longer whereas a city route can be very crowded at times.

Do you relate more to miss frizzle from the magic School busor Auto from the Simpsons?

Asked by PanaSayUh almost 7 years ago

Chris farley.

Good point. Now would it be better if the bus was used on a long route or be a extra spare bus until needed for a district that had a lot of trips that went out of state. Or is this still overkill?

Asked by Interviewer over 6 years ago

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.

Has someone ever tried watching porn on your bus? If yes what happened? If no what would/will you do in that situation?

Asked by Rocco over 6 years ago

Generally if someone chooses to watch explicit material they are discreet about it and use headphones. I can usually tell if something isn't right by the looks on kids faces and whether or not they draw a crowd. With the added availability of technology everywhere, explicit material is widely available to even the youngest person. If someone were to be reported for watching porn, I would have to write them up and confiscate the device.

Can I ask the bus driver not to have my child sit with the bully?

Asked by Jen almost 7 years ago

You can ask, but its not a guarantee if the child in question is not being a bully to begin with. I would start with asking if your child can be moved to a place thats within closer earshot of the driver so that they can keep a better eye on your child.

What do I do if the bus is always later then the posted stop time by five, ten, sometimes fifteen minutes but substitutes come pretty close to the stop time. Would calling the transportation director and asking to have the stop time raised be okay?

Asked by Sydney almost 7 years ago

Actually thats a good solution. If your regular driver runs late but the sub runs on time then the transportation needs to be aware so that they can make changes to the route so kids don't miss the bus by mistake.