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

Entry route. So that’s how it’s set up. Because when we get to the middle school no bus has unloaded yet unless where later getting on. Then the buses are just pulling out when we show up. He said last month that this would not happen anymore.

Asked by Passages over 5 years ago

See my former answer he's probably trying to figure out proper timing.

Hi, have you ever had to start your route a hour early to pick up another neighborhood because there where no subs or other bus to? This happend to slmeonethat he got called at 5:00 saying the bus would be a hour early for that reason. Is this common

Asked by Jaiden over 5 years ago

No, but i have had to run another route after mine is done, or squeeze more kids on my bus in the afternoons to get them home. There is a driver shortage everywhere and no relief in sight.

Do yo ever have problems with white knighting when you get someone in trouble?

Asked by Jill over 5 years ago

I had to look up that term. Often parents don't want to hear that their children did something wrong and will often deflect or attempt to deflect the problem in order to draw attention away from their children's behavior.

An example: little Johnny hit on the bus.Momma: well little suzie told him to!

Do you think someone who is pro abortion should be trusted around kids?

Asked by Ddoooo over 5 years ago

That's a personal choice. Long as they aren't homicidal or anything like that towards the kids personal beliefs shouldn't enter into whether or not a person is effective in doing their job.

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 over 5 years ago

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

Why do not all buses have yellow warning lights only the reds? So it’s harder to know when the bus is approaching a stop Especially in rural areas.

Asked by Mile over 5 years ago

It depends on the manufacturer and state regulations as to what is required to be on a bus.

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 5 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.