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 bus driver kick you off for playing music on your phone speaker?

Asked by Lee about 7 years ago

Yes, it's a distraction for the driver and if the driver has asked you to turn it off or turn it down then you can be written up or kicked off the bus. Just do as you're told.

How bad is the bus driver shortage really? What are some reasons that may have cased it?

Asked by Ron about 7 years ago

Come apply and find out for yourself how bad the shortage is. It's bad enough that I am not allowed to be sick even if i get hospitalized by a doctor.

Can the bus driver get off the bus in the middle of the route while there are children on the bus and go into a gas station, leaving the kids alone?

Asked by Rayne about 7 years ago

Generally speaking no its not advised however if there was an emergency situation like a kid having a seizure and they needed to get help, then I would consider that a grey area.

Is it a violation of FERPA for a bus driver to look at or read papers that are in a special education student's backpack? ( Example; checking their daily communication sheet to see how they behaved at school)

Asked by chris88 over 7 years ago

Not necessarily, like all school employees they are bound to keep things confidential. However if the bus driver is using it against the student or improperly then definitely report it.

Have you seen the video of the bus driver being beat in while she was dropping off kids? What are your thoughts on that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R15spaRS6wg

Asked by Jeff about 7 years ago

Yes. She should have stayed in her seat, called for help, shut the door and drove off.

How do you keep from getting a horrible route? (I.e behavior issuies, extremely long, complicated to drive, or just plain horrrible kids to drive)?

Asked by Jj over 7 years ago

That's a complicated question because there is a driver that is good for every route. Kids respond to different ways of handling them and not all kids respond in the same way. Recently, I had to merge my route with another route and took on an additional 40 to 50 kids. It took about two weeks but I'm finally seeing progress in how these kids are responding to me mainly because of the example set by my original kids.

What do you think of strobe lights? Well I guess everyone does not love those clear and amber flashing lights. Some say that aircraft cant use them during inclement weather becuase it makes visibility worse and that is when buses use them.

Asked by Dave over 7 years ago

We use them for visibility reasons. I have no issue with them.