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.
That depends on the district. Most districts prefer drivers to try to get along and strike a balance with their bus kids.
It depends on the district. We are shorthanded everywhere so overcrowding is bound to happen. Routes are made longer and schools are not changing the way they do things to accommodate the sheer number and stress we are under. The amount of kids also depends on the location of the route. A rural route is less crowded but longer whereas a city route can be very crowded at times.
Not personally but there have been a few fires in my district. Thankfully no students injured and in both the fire was quickly extinguished by either the driver or the fire department. As for your other question which has been removed i took items out of my bio that i felt could be used to narrow it down to where i am and my district. Its a protection.
Still illegal.
Air Traffic Controller
Have you ever ordered a pilot to abort mid-takeoff?
Navy Officer (Former)
Why do so many people miss the military after they get out?
Toll Collector
Do you think there will be a time where all tolls are automated?
That's a tough question. Most districts purchase buses based on capacity and usability. The capacity of these buses are 48 passenger, 40 for the ones that are wheelchair accessible. The standard capacity for a school bus is 72 passengers at 3 to a seat. Of course this figure is impossible the older and larger a child gets. My route alone takes me an hour and a half in the morning and almost 2 hours in the afternoon. I transport more than 85 to 90 children across all age groups on a good day. A bus like that while appealing because of the comfort items, is impractical because even at full capacity i would need to make at minimum 2 rounds to get everyone to and from school. Many routes are designed to have the maximum number of ridership and in some cases will exceed that amount. Even on the longer routes. If the district had drivers available and enough finances available then sure. But otherwise i think it would waste valuable resources.
It sounds like the monitor might not need to be on the bus but you can ask for video to be pulled which has audio recording and it will also show if your child was showing out and the monitor was correcting her by telling her to sit down and behave. We have a lot of kids who try to get us as drivers in trouble for saying things when they are angry they got in trouble in the first place.
Happens here all the time. The radio can be tied up for 10 minutes or longer on non essential crap.
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