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 is all in the tool box(s

Asked by CUZ about 6 years ago

Good question! There is usually one box for first aid. That has your typical bandaids and other first aidey type items. Then there is the body fluid clean up kit which we break out in the event a child vomits on the bus or blood is shed. That has gloves and specific instructions on how to dispose of body fluids.

Finally the long thin red box usually bolted to the floor is reflective triangles that we can unfold and pop up when the bus is broken down and we need to give motorists warning of what's on the road.

I know some routes in my district go multiple different places. So it makes the route bigger but instead of picking up EVERY kid in a neighbourhood we will take a little off another bus. Then they can do transfers.

Asked by Dsmmsdm almost 7 years ago

Again it depends on district and district policy on how they run routes.

Well true most school boards are cheap. But my school board is trying to remodel a 10 year old building. Every building in the district needs to be “re innovated”. I think it may be more of the superintendent though and their kissing ass.

Asked by Kelly over 6 years ago

Sometimes renovating a decent building is worth it, but sometimes your best course of action is to start fresh.

Hi, do you think more districts should have programs that track buses and alert parents also alerts that say for delays, early arrivals, and other changes to the bus schedule? Do you think while convenient they raise privacy concerns or not?

Asked by 02983457 over 6 years ago

I would like to see something like this but it could get abused by parents. I think it could be regulated by each district and company. That way the company can relay info to parents without giving up location info to parents for safety of children.

Should I call the bus barn after the bus took off and the neighbors could not get their lunch because she honked then drove off as soon as they came out. I don't know how much money they have and that driver could have caused them to miss a meal

Asked by Jay over 6 years ago

Being that some systems are on a certain schedule, it's likely the parent has been notified of when the bus will be there to drop food. If you did witness this, the neighborly thing to do would be to check on the family and ask if you can help them by calling the bus barn. It's hard to say whether or not they've already been told "be out at x time we will be there at y time" just like a normal bus stop. I would err on the side of caution and be polite with a phone call.

Why are my co workers so rude? What do you think? So I did not move because a kid was misbehaving and I called the principal. The other busses where having trouble getting around me so they breaded me on the radio. One lady demanding that I pull

Asked by Tom almost 7 years ago

Generally some people get irritated if things are holding them up. The polite thing to do would be to move to let others out and put your hazards on while you wait for the principal to attend to your bus. This way you're not holding up the line. If I'm late to my school in the afternoons I'll hold up traffic to let my co workers out before picking up my kids. Its just polite.

How do I not get a certain sub again? I always get complaints on her and she messes with seat controls, changes the radio station, leaves windows down, climate controls, etc. I also get a lot of negative feedback about her.

Asked by Glynn over 6 years ago

So you expect a sub to not adjust a seat and mirrors to help them do their jobs? Things like that are a safety concern for the students. If a sub cannot see adequately out the mirrors and out the dash board you are putting the kids at risk. As far as leaving windows down, the sub should put the windows up. Radio stations are an easy fix. Have the driver put their favorite stations on a separate band. Generally radios have 3 bands of FM radio available. When they plan to be out, simply inform them to switch the band that way their presets are not messed with.