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

Is there really anything good about the back of the bus? I mean Rosa Parks did not like it so if she did not like it then it must not be such a magical place after all was it

Asked by Johnny on the sopt about 6 years ago

Not really though kids think they can get away with stuff back there. They really can't.

I will try and ask a new questions since everyone keeps asking the same and similar questions lol. Okay why do a lot of places require a HS diploma or equivalent? It makes no since you can get CDL, endorsements, and learn to drive a bus without.





How does a diploma determine how good of a bus driver someone is?

Asked by Daniel about 6 years ago

Good question. Most employers in general ask for at minimum a highschool diploma even though you can get things like a drivers license and other things without one because they want to see how dedicated a person is to finishing what they start. A high school diploma (or GED) also shows that a person has dedicated time to finish something that was far more difficult than just a simple test. Stay in school.

Why unlike a lot of other people in education bus drivers mostly conservative

Asked by Stewie almost 6 years ago

Many people in education come from a varied background. Lots of drivers I know are very liberal and some are conservative as well. There are lots of people that have differing opinions on political views. That's not to say that our views are right or wrong. Many of us are living pay check to pay check and have seen the harsh reality of the service industry so when we get somebody that wants to offer free stuff we have a question about the legitimacy of the offer.

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

Asked by The angry redneck over 6 years ago

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

It’s sad that they need to come up with all that stuff. Honestly people should be able to know when to stop on the really old buses that just had the solid light. Unfortunately people will run them no matter how much you pimp the buses out. But it’s worth a try to get someone to stop.

Asked by Pj over 6 years ago

It is sad and year after year we have more kids get hit by other drivers who don't pay attention.

So my state just mandated that schools be closed for the remainder of the term. So what next do you think there will be lay offs? How are they going to do this it must be hard enough to do a month. Many schools are not made for doing this long term. I feel like most places try and say this will never happen and now this is going to be a bigger cluster duckey then it is. Thanks

Asked by So sorry if I post more then once I don't know whats going on right now with the site. almost 6 years ago

There have already been some layoffs in some districts. Most districts, I believe, will still in some way be paying their employees their contracted amount. Given that school is a necessary thing and that some jobs such as bus driving can be modified temporarily to accommodate the needs of the students, it is unlikely that things are going to never be needed.

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.