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.

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

1007 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on February 07, 2021

Best Rated

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.

Have you ever had a bus fire? What did/would happen?

Asked by Johnson over 6 years ago

Not personally but there have been a few fires in my district. Thankfully no students injured and in both the fire was quickly extinguished by either the driver or the fire department. As for your other question which has been removed i took items out of my bio that i felt could be used to narrow it down to where i am and my district. Its a protection.

Do you relate more to miss frizzle from the magic School busor Auto from the Simpsons?

Asked by PanaSayUh over 6 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.

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 over 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.

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.

What is that tape used for covering up rips, holes, tears, and graffiti called?

Asked by Daniel over 6 years ago

I use duct tape.