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

How do/would you react in a situation when you called someone a he or she and they responded in anger demanding you call them by their pronouns? Could and would you get in trouble if you refused because Against your values? Would you call them their pronouns even if you did not have to?

Asked by I am the person over 5 years ago

Personally if the person asked (not demanded) i would be far more receptive to it. However i do respect that people choose to be identified by different pronouns than their physical gender and that it can be a sensitive subject for some people.

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 over 5 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.

I know some routes in my district go multiple different places. So it makes the route bigger but instead of picking up EVERY kid in a neighbourhood we will take a little off another bus. Then they can do transfers.

Asked by Dsmmsdm over 5 years ago

Again it depends on district and district policy on how they run routes.

How loud do those radios go on the bus? I heard somewhere some of them have a pretty good bass if you crank them up.

Asked by Sam over 5 years ago

They get pretty loud. From the drivers seat it doesn't sound too loud, but moving away from the noise of the engine it can get really loud. The bass and treble are marginal at best.

When you request subs do you do it online or the old fashion way? Do you have a program like ASOP or something like that you just put your going to be gone on so and so and then subs get a text.

Asked by Don’Marie over 5 years ago

Again that varies district by district. Some districts have a sub list, others have an automated system and still others will have the traditional call in and have your supervisor find somebody to run your route.

Do bus drivers really even follow the 55 law?

Asked by Ruth over 5 years ago

Most of the time we follow the posted speed limit. Though the maximum speed we should go is 55, it can be dangerous in a highway situation so we tend to bend the rules and top out the buses usually if they're governed at 60 or 65 in order to not impede traffic. Some companies and districts do not govern their buses and those are the ones we see most often speeding way faster than they need to be with kids lives at stake. Personally I don't think i could go faster than 59 to 61 with children on board.

I think it may have something to do with the school board though they think they need to get new everything. I think the buses where about 20 years of age. Their down a few buses as well because some did not get replacements.

Asked by Kelly over 5 years ago

School boards don't like to spend money if they don't have to. One of the first things to go out of a budget is transportation funds.