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.
Hiyas Rootin!
I don't mind when talkitive children sit closer to the front and ask me questions. Sometimes, it can get a bit annoying especially when I'm trying to pay attention to driving in stressful situations, but usually a simple, "Please be quiet for a few minutes, kiddo." usually helps and then the kid does not feel like I am ignoring them. I have many kids ask me if they can open the manual door when we are at a stop. I usually tell them that I will let them open the door at their stops. Some of the older students like to sit up front and chat with me and often will tell me things that are annoying them or upsetting them and ask me for advice.
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If the bus is 30 feet from the intersection, then yes, you can continue travelling on the perpendicular road, however if the bus is closer than that and is clearly letting kids disembark from the bus, its better to be safe and stop than sorry because you ran over a child and were not looking. Children are unpredictable and at any point can go a direction one least expects, including darting back across the street to the bus for a forgotten item.
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Good question Haleigh!
That is really a question that is only answered depending on the district your school is in. Typically speaking though, if the bus services the school, then yes, we normally let children ride in the mornings. We know that sometimes kids end up staying with grandma, or over at a friends house, and usually try to accommodate that situation. If the bus has to go out of district to deliver you to school, then we do have a right to refuse bus service for that reason. Often if a bus driver is faced with an unknown face at a bus stop, either the child has a note written by a parent to present to the bus driver, or the bus driver will radio the bus shop to get clearance. Most of the time we are able to help you out.
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Well obviously, we don't do this job for the money by any means! Most people drive the bus to get the insurance. In my district we usually drive from 5 am to 8 am and then from 2:30 pm to 5 pm. Unfortunately not a lot of workplaces care to hire someone from 8-2 ish. I marketed myself for weekends as well, and it was hard to find a second job. Ideally a job working at a doctor office or lawyers office part time between bus routes would be perfect for someone to go to, if the employers would work with the bus needs. I make extra money by volunteering to take field trips. I also got a job as a transit bus driver for nights and weekends which allowed me to expand my client base from just children. Good luck!
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Sometimes situations happen when a parent is not home to receive their child. We typically instruct the child to knock on the door to try to find out if someone is home. If the child cannot get someone to the door, I will usually send an older student to try to knock harder on the door because little fists don't knock very loudly. Failing that, we will radio in to the bus yard in order to try to get a parent on the phone while we finish the route, drop all other students off and then radio back to the bus yard for advice on how to proceed. If the student's parents are still not home, I will walk to the front door and knock, but I will not open it or enter a stranger's home. In cases where the parents are constantly absent from the bus stop, we will actually take the children up to the police station because of the lack of parental supervision for the child.
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No, that is illegal to do. I will air out my bus without students on it by utilizing the door, but I will never open the door while the bus is moving and in gear with students on it.
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This is a good question, and definitely one I will probably co-post on my blog. Things I recommend for bus drivers to have on hand:
Kleenex - You can never have too many Kleenex. Kids are always asking for a tissue.
Paper towels - Not to be confused with Kleenex, paper towels are always handy for cleaning up spills and other larger messes such as when rain comes in the leaky roof of a bus.
Hand sanitizer - more for yourself than the kids, but some drivers keep it handy for the kids as well.
Baby wipes - If you prefer baby wipes to hand sanitizer, these can serve double duty as cleansing items for the seats and surrounding areas.
Cleaning supplies - most bus barns will provide cleaning supplies for a driver to maintain general cleanliness of their bus. This includes windex, lysol, and other antibacterial agents for cleaning the bus.
Puke powder - yes the name sounds awful but it is essential for that child that you will eventually have that vomits everywhere.
Trashcans and trash bags - again self explanatory, but if you promote a clean bus, most of the trash the children will make will find its way into the can.
Broom - A strong and sturdy broom to reach those hard to get areas, brooms also aid in killing random bugs and other pests that find their way into your bus.
Log book/folder - Your bus barn is going to ask you to handle paperwork, it is handy to have a folder to use to keep all paperwork in. It also helps to keep a current copy of your CPR certification on hand.
Bus roster - This is majorly important if you are in an accident or if a child needs to contact their parents for whatever reason. You need to know who is on your bus at any given time. This goes for bus passes too - I usually keep those for about 2 weeks, then toss them. Things in a bus roster should include the following: Name of the student, Grade/School, Address, Emergency and Parent numbers, and any allergies or special conditions one should be aware about. Your bus barn should provide a form for children and parents to fill out and return to you.
Route description - make sure a route description is handy on your bus for those inevitable days that you are going to be sick. A route description is a lifesaver for sub drivers who do not know your kids. Also, make sure a roster is attached to each route description so that the sub driver can have it available immediately in the case of an emergency.
Bus seating chart - It may be a good idea for you to assign your passengers seats. The seat assignments are also helpful for identifying problem passengers.
Clearly posted rules - these can help students realize what rules they are supposed to follow on the bus. I recommend going over the rules with each group of kids that enter your bus.
Citation/write-up folder - make sure you have a folder full of blank citation/write-up sheets. Explain to students that if they do not follow the rules they are going to get a verbal warning from you, you will talk to their parents, and then if they persist, you will write them up and turn them into the school. Explain that there are consequences for receiving a write-up such as a change in assigned seat to one of the front seats (or a least desireable location). I know of one bus driver that had all of her children sitting up front and left the back of the bus as no-mans-land. There were at least 6 seats between the last group of students and the very back of the bus. A misbehaving child was sent to sit in the last seat by himself, which wasn't viewed as a reward as there was noone around him to help him disobey.
Offer little treats and incentives - Maybe you could develop a positive behavior system on your bus. Some bus drivers use gum as an incentive, or lollypops. If the children behave (for the most part) all week, they get a treat on Fridays. You may want to have them work towards a pizza party or an icecream treat. When I drove for an after school program, I brought things like cupcakes, and on the last day of after school, I brought ice pops since it was so hot out. The kids will appreciate these little treats.
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