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

Can a person be a School Bus Driver if they have had an accident in the past year? The accident was their fault

Asked by Chuck almost 9 years ago

Hi Chuck! Sorry for the delay in response. It would depend on what the accident involved. I can't speak for most bus companies but many of them go on a case by case basis. Most require a 5-7 year MVR history regardless of whether or not there was any offenses in that time. If you are disqualified from driving, you will be notified then. Good luck!

Why do bus drivers sometimes have a random person riding on the bus with them? Is that person just examining the driver or is the driver gonna quit? Went through this once and my bus driver stayed.

Asked by Kendra over 10 years ago

There can be any number of reasons a bus driver has someone riding the bus with them. If its not a regular occurrence, then the person is likely a safety evaluator or supervisor of some sort. This may be so that the driver is periodically and randomly evaluated by the company they work for. Another reason you might find someone riding the bus with your driver is simply so that other person can learn your bus drivers route details. Periodically we might have to be absent from work for some reason or another and a substitute driver is needed. In order to cut down on the confusion, subs will often learn each route separately. Finally, if your bus is one that needs supervision by an aide, the driver could have requested someone to be an aide on the bus in order to help manage students behavior.

Is there a law against a school bus driver getting off the bus while it is parked in the middle of the road and running and no other adults on the bus, to walk up to every child’s house and knock on the door and talk to parents? State of Texas

Asked by Cgarcia over 8 years ago

At every stop? Not sure to be honest. If this bus is a special needs bus there is likely a monitor on the bus. If the bus is having to talk to parents at every stop I'm not sure what the issue was but there may have been an incident or a route change and this driver felt it best to notify by going door to door. It also depends on the districts policy too.

I'm a Mad 13 year old old boy. I was literally just a second ago drove by with no stop or hesitation by a bus driver, she drive down my steep hill. Is it legal what she did by not stopping at all for when I was walking up to the bus stop.

Asked by MadKid6969 about 9 years ago

Were you at your designated stop on time and ready for the bus driver to pick you up? If you were and she did not stop then there may have been a substitute bus driver who did not know the route and stops on the bus route very well. We make mistakes. The best thing for you to do in that situation is go home and ask your parents to call the bus yard or school and see if they can send the bus back to get you or have them drive you to school and call in to the bus yard to find out what happened.

If a student ever asked you to open the door at a stop, would you do it?

Asked by Sam over 9 years ago

It would depend on the situation. We are not allowed to let children off at undesignated areas unless previously being notified to. If the student simply wanted to get off the bus randomly, the answer would likely be no unless there is a safety issue at hand.

If bus have stop sign out is it ok to drive straight perpendicular, so technically you won't be passing bus

Asked by Lisa over 9 years ago

If the bus is at an intersection letting off children, the best thing to do is simply sit and wait until the bus clears the area. When in doubt, stop. You don't want to be responsible for the death of a child because you thought you could drive around the bus.

after i get let out of school my bus driver is often not on the bus;my peers n i have to wait til she arrives n yells at us when we open the door without her can she get in trouble for this? if so please give me a cite to where it clearly states so

Asked by a person almost 9 years ago

I have to say I side with the bus driver on this one to be honest. It is our policy that no students get on any buses when the buses are unattended by an adult. She is right to reprimand you and your fellow students for opening the door and getting on the bus without her there. If an administrator or school official told you to get on the bus without her there then you do have the right to complain and let her know that the administrator told you to get on the bus without her there. Simply taking it upon yourselves to enter the bus without the driver is not okay though. If there is another adult besides the driver telling you to get on the bus without the driver there then I would approach the driver and let her know politely whats going on so she can address it with the school as per the policy of the district.