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.
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.
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.
Because there are some districts and states with a very strict publicity policy
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.
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Yes. I do. Mostly Friday, Saturday, and Sunday though I will pick up the occasional trip other days.
School districts do not have crystal balls indicating how weather is going to go. Sometimes it's a gamble and they release early and nothing happens. Other times stuff like that happens.
Because some kids would never come to school if transportation wasn't provided. Some parents just do not care about their kids education or can't be bothered to make sure they go to school.
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