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

What’s your opinion on electric and alternative fueled buses?

Asked by Mickey Mouse over 6 years ago

Great for inner city and areas that are largely congested where pollution might be a large concern. Impractical for large areas due to limits on how fast and long it can run on the alternative fuels before returning to regular fuel.

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.

what is the weirdest item a student brought on your bus?

Asked by ash almost 7 years ago

Truthfully, I haven't had any weird or odd items brought on my bus. Though once I had a pre k kid bring a bag of acorns on the bus and tell me to look at his nuts. I told him to put his nuts away and that they were very nice nuts. Another kid asked if they could hold his nuts and I had to say no you cannot hold his nuts.

Why would your bosses be so concerned about what you have on here?

Asked by Gkxlhclgclhclhcl over 6 years ago

Because there are some districts and states with a very strict publicity policy

Hello, so this kids teacher made them stay behind in class for a extra few minutes or so. So when he got to the buses we where pulling out and she obviously saw him and we where yelling at her to stop. She told us to shut up and left him.

Asked by Ndnddndnd over 6 years ago

No the driver cannot get into trouble. It is the student's responsibility to get out to the bus on time. Bus drivers are on a time schedule. It is not the fault of the driver that the student stayed after at the teacher's request. We are not taxi's.

Do drivers get fired for mishandling students. I don’t mean assaulting, batting, or calling them horrible names. But like yelling too much, too many citations, and/or swearing

Asked by Nsnsnsnsnssdnej almost 7 years ago

That depends on the district. Most districts prefer drivers to try to get along and strike a balance with their bus kids.

Hey do you know what the difference is between air brakes and vacuum brakes? Thanks! Also air and vacuum doors, stop arms, etc. Thanks

Asked by Conner over 6 years ago

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.