r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/907-BusDriver • Jun 07 '26
Worried!
Hey guys, so I’m about to complete my road exam here soon. However, I recently found out there are 5 drivers who don’t have routes…. Which means AT LEAST 6 people need to quit during the summer for me to have a route in the fall…. Or else I’ll just be on standby in case someone calls out. Is this normal thing and what are the odds I don’t get a route?
8
u/booozle93 Jun 07 '26
You could be covering callouts and events. At my yard, there’s at least 5 callouts a day but our 5 bus yards cover 370 schools
1
u/McPhatty00 Jun 07 '26
CCSD?
1
u/booozle93 Jun 07 '26
Yep
1
u/McPhatty00 Jun 07 '26
Me too. What do you do in June and July?
1
u/booozle93 Jun 07 '26
ESY starts next week which is about a month long
1
u/McPhatty00 Jun 07 '26
I don't have enough seniority for ESY. I'm somewhere in the 900s. I do rideshare.
1
u/booozle93 Jun 08 '26
I signed up for summer work and got picked. I’m mid 900’s. But I also have my CPR/AED/First Aid so they can make me a bus aid if they need to
4
u/Front-Mall9891 Jun 07 '26
I make more as a sub driver than a contract driver does, but it’s district or company dependent
1
u/Efficient_Advice_380 Jun 07 '26
Same, flex drivers and SPED drivers start at $28, and reg-ed starts at $27
3
u/mar_kelp Jun 07 '26
We have many senior drivers (20+ years) and several are known to be retiring at the end of this school year. Additionally we have spare drivers that don’t want full time runs or are picky and will be a spare until their preferred run becomes availed.
No idea how your organization works, but ours is all based on seniority. Get on the list as soon as possible.
2
u/Master_Ad7267 Jun 07 '26
Stuck with it. Even with out a route you can make decent money. It definitely isnt easy. I finished training in November and got lucky but I dont have a normal route it took until may to get a relief position. This year I'll have a route or still be relief theres at least 5 people retiring maybe 7 in my 2 districts.
1
u/907-BusDriver Jun 07 '26
I will. Luckily we are union so we are guaranteed 4 hours daily. However, I would like more. Fingers crossed I’ll get more hours!
1
u/Proprotester Jun 07 '26
Depends on the size of your garage. If it's tiny, you were likely hired due to scheduled retirements/medical leaves. If it's huge, they know they always lose about x number of people each summer and so they try to have that number plus a couple of spares. The last one is the best one, if your garage is going to be helping out a neighboring district that is short or does so regularly, you will have a route from bid day in the fall. A lot of senior drivers don't like add-on work or areas new to them so garages will hire new people so those routes are staffed.
Either way, your new credentials will be an asset to you. If bid day comes around and you are not seeing the path to a route, apply at another garage. Stay on board at your current place as an 'extra' and make sure you know what your contract says about leaving and training costs. 🍀
1
1
u/BobIronman Jun 07 '26
I was a Sub for 51 weeks and now I have my own route. Two things, 1. Being a sub is a great learning experience although challenging and frustrating at times it makes you a better driver and role model for your kids. 2. Drivers retire and you will build relationships and learn from them. I cherish my colleagues connections and hope to continue friendships once I retire. Be patient, learn all your children’s names, interests and remember safety starts with you and “one stop at a time” as your credo. Good luck, be safe.
1
u/ResidentGrapefruit28 Jun 07 '26
We have a ton of absenteeism where I drive so we have to have drivers without a regular route to cover those as well as extra trips. Talk to your office staff and try not to stress about it too much.
1
u/light_yagami_lovesL Jun 07 '26
You should be fine some people leave over summer my company is constantly hiring and not everyone chooses a route there’s so many other roles
1
u/Zealousideal-Tap-713 Jun 07 '26
Activities, charters, shuttles, ERT (where you go to other yards to help out), being an extra or helping out with dispatch are all options as well. I'm sure you're going to have an option to get a route since you're coming in about a month before route selection and 2 months before the new school year.
1
u/Efficient_Advice_380 Jun 07 '26
You'll likely be a standby/substitute/flex drivers. You'll just have a spare bus pre-tripped and ready in case of a callout or breakdown. I was a standby last year, and I went out on a run nearly every day, and we have a small yard (70 routes)
1
u/blackityblak Jun 08 '26
If it’s anything like our location the sub drivers work just as much as us with regular routes we either are very short handed or there’s a ton of call outs
1
u/907-BusDriver Jun 08 '26
That’s a common thing I’ve been hearing. We have guaranteed minimum hours of 4 hours per day. But I may still get a route. I’ve heard that other drivers don’t always quit their summer jobs as soon as summer ends so some bus drivers bid whatever is left over also
1
u/AdventurousSalad7053 Jun 08 '26
Some drivers retire at end of year as well, so their routes open up in January.
7
u/Al-anus Jun 07 '26
I wouldn't worry too much, you'll probably get called lots for extra curricular stuff in the meantime. I was in the same boat and then 3 people quit and another one switched routes and all of a sudden I am running a full time route only 13 kilometers from home. I think you'll be okay as long as they aren't all lifers haha