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.
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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The bright flashing lights are known as strobe lights and they are on the roof of the bus for visibility reasons. Just like a garbage truck or a street cleaner or a snow plow will have flashing lights on it, a school bus is something that requires lots of visibility due to the precious cargo we transport every day. Our student lights will flash amber/yellow and red and our stop signs will come out and flash. Some newer models have included strobe lights in the stop sign to increase visibility to distracted drivers. If the light is low level or there is heavy fog, snow, or rain, the strobe light allows drivers to spot our vehicles from several feet and allow other drivers to take necessary precautions when driving in those conditions.
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Hi T-Dog,
There are various reasons why kids get written up on the school bus, and what happens to them depends on what they did. For a student who disrespected the bus driver, the consequence might be a warning the first time, then subsequent suspensions ranging anywhere from 1-10 days depending on the number of other write-ups the student has received. But, for a student who may have been physically fighting on the bus, the school may opt to jump over the "warning" stage and simply go right to suspension.
In my district, the general progression of write-ups is warning, 1-3 days off, 3-5 days off, 5-7 days off, 10 days off, then permanently off for the rest of the semester/year.
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That would be a question for an auto mechanic. Unfortunately I am a bus driver, but there happens to be an auto mechanic on jobstr. Hope you get an answer.
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"w. dog" - First I am not sure what you're asking because I actually read english and write in english. Second, please feel free to resubmit your question using proper english sentences.
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First off - is the dirt road a dead end road? Secondly - is the dirt road a road that gets a significant amount of traffic? I ask these questions because dirt roads can vary. If there is not alot of traffic going down your particular dirt road, then a sidewalk is not really needed or necessary. It won't kill kids to walk a little bit. (For my readers, 200 yards is about 2 football fields long.) Unless your child is in 1st grade or younger, then there is really no reason why they couldn't walk a little bit. Chances are good the only folks who will be coming down your dirt road will be neighbors who live nearby and you likely let them walk over to the neighbors house. Additionally, if the road is a dead end (as many dirt roads are), there may not be a place for a school bus to turn around. If you are still concerned, you can always meet the bus in your vehicle in order to collect your children.
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I had to look up what dual tier vs. single tier is first. If I understand it correctly, dual tier is when school bus routes are split by grade level, for example: 1 elementary run, 1 middle school run, and 1 high school run. There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. I grew up in a multi-tier system whereas when I moved and became a bus driver myself, it is now single tier. I suppose the district is trying to save money and time by consolidating all the dual routes into single routes. As for them not wanting to pay insurance for their employees, that is a different beast all together. I don't see the change from dual to single backfiring, but I do see a lot of backlash over the health insurance issue, especially if you live in a state like mine which does not offer expanded medicaid under the new "Obamacare" health fiasco. Lots of businesses are looking for ways to cut corners thanks to the aforementioned three ring circus in DC.
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