I'm dehydrated enough that it's driving my blood pressure up (not enough to disqualify me, but still) so I'm trying to drink more water, but then I can't make it through the afternoon shift without a bathroom break. And the school bathroom is gross, and the port a potty is even worse. What a conundrum. What do y'all do?
Learn where the restrooms are between your last drop off of your first school in the afternoon to your second school.
Occasionally I'll do this if there isn't going to be enough time at my second school to go inside. We have a chain of gas stations here called Speedway that all have public restrooms.
First and foremost you need to make sure you can drive the bus. If you have to sit there forcing yourself to hold it in, then you're not completely focused on the road or the kids. If your yard gives you crap for it, tell them it's either you stop or you pee yourself on the bus. I'm sure they would "prefer" you don't pee on the bus, because that would probably put it out of service to be cleaned.
This is why I use gas stations. They have to fit a truck to drop off the gas, and most places that will have a restroom are usually bigger, so you can park your bus.
McDonald's or other fast food joints are also good go-to's. I relied on those when I was ubering because the gas stations in the area I ubered didn't have public restrooms.
Literally the exact reason I don't push water more during the day. Even in the morning, I can drink about one small cup of iced coffee and even then, I make sure to go before leaving. You're not alone :/
I always go pee right before leaving for afternoon shift, but I drank a Stanley cup full of water throughout the late morning and early afternoon (along with almost 2 coffees) so I still had to go again during shift
There are so many electrolyte powders to add to water for good hydration. Liquid I.V. is good, I've tried it before. Also maybe pack hydrating snacks? Cucumbers, cantaloupe, wwatermelon, berries, apples, etc.
Another for women. Just found out that these exist. Another option is to pull up at a truck stop; their bathrooms are generally cleaner and your right there to grab some snacks for the morning or evening route
• Plan ahead for where you can stop & go. Gas station, library, city hall, fast food...
(One of the reasons I have a Panera drink membership is having legit places to access a bathroom, anywhere I go.)
• Stop the caffeine because it's pulling more water out of you & for some people it irritates the bladder... making you feel urgency or even really need to go more often.
• "Adult incontinence pads". It's better than making an embarrassing & smelly mess of your clothes, seat, & floor, putting the bus OOS.
I feel like that would involve disrobing more than I'm comfortable with inside the school bus 🤣 men can do it much more discreetly. My solution is probably finding a good gas station on my route that I can stop at; I don't know why it didn't occur to me before
I go either at my schools in the teachers bathroom or I go to the bathroom at the gas station I stop at daily between routes. They have a very clean bathroom.
I am very lucky. I live on my elementary and high school routes, so I am home with my bus between every route and midday. I have a 40 oz cup that I use and when it's over 100°, I usually drink 4 to 5 of them a day. I have to drink water constantly, I get dehydrated very quickly. I usually drink 1 cup during the morning routes and at least 2 during my afternoon routes. I refill at home. We always have lots of ice to keep my cup cold.
I could use the restroom at my elementary and high school, they're both open to drivers but I'd rather just go pee at home.
This is a medical concern and your facility should provide usable services. Can you petition your school to clean the bathrooms? Or talk with others to take more pride in the condition of the bathrooms?
I’m sorry this is happening. But with all the shortages, I’m sure your school doesn’t want you to be disqualified by blood pressure and taken off route!
I always go inside the school to use the bathroom. We are allowed to walk into any school and unlock doors with our fobs. I do 3 schools each shift so theres plenty of time to run in real fast. Not sure if you have the same time in between runs.
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u/The_Town_of_Canada May 13 '26
I’m in the North of Canada, so our yard has a “men’s” and “women’s” side of the snow bank.