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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Last Answer on February 07, 2021

Best Rated

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.

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 almost 7 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.

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.

Do you think it’s a good idea to charge students for riding the bus? Kids on free or reduced lunches can be discounted or ride for free. But I think it could save on taxes and as long as it’s not too much but what do you think?

Asked by Trump is amazing over 6 years ago

No. Riding is a privilege not a right. The moment we bring money into it we remove the authority to kick a child off the bus for acting out simply because his parents pay for the service exclusively.

Have you been doing any kind of work during this COVID-19 deal? If so what have you been doing meals or parking buses so kids can get on WIFI just things I have heard of

Asked by 02938457 over 6 years ago

As of now our district is not using us bus drivers yet. We don't have wifi on our buses though i wish we did.

Oh and by the way there have had two way radio trainings and that has not stuck with them!

Asked by The angry redneck almost 7 years ago

Happens here all the time. The radio can be tied up for 10 minutes or longer on non essential crap.