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.
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.
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I would love to see these standard on all buses. I would also love to see more lights to flash even more to help a driver see the bus in question.
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Mostly because when you're a younger driver you are more of an age peer than an authority figure. They figure it out real quick when you write them up for their bullshit.
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I would notify them of the archives and link them to the archives then they can fix the problem.
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SWAT Team Commander (Retired)
How do you decide whether to try and kill a hostage taker?
Nail Technician
How sanitary are the pedicure basins really?
Farmer
Do friends with office jobs look down on what you do?
Happens here all the time. The radio can be tied up for 10 minutes or longer on non essential crap.
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Many people in education come from a varied background. Lots of drivers I know are very liberal and some are conservative as well. There are lots of people that have differing opinions on political views. That's not to say that our views are right or wrong. Many of us are living pay check to pay check and have seen the harsh reality of the service industry so when we get somebody that wants to offer free stuff we have a question about the legitimacy of the offer.
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It is sad and year after year we have more kids get hit by other drivers who don't pay attention.
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