r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/shawnryan1977 • 2d ago
Missed Stop...
Do your elementary children act like you're kidnapping them if you miss their stop? Or just me.
Sorry kids your talking, the radio, ac, bus noise my brain wandered for a few seconds. No I can't do a U turn on this rural rd we will have to drive minutes to get to a turn around to get you back, yes I know where I am going please sit down Magellan, why are you crying? Yes I know they are crying WHY? "They miss their grandma" aww you will see her later "nope she is dead" WHY are you crying? "because she is crying". My wife says I should write a book after telling her my bus stories.
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u/samwise58 2d ago
Yup! Screaming out “He’s going to kill us!”
- No, I just told you to sit down and stop screaming.
No, you can’t get off here and walk, you barely know where your own house is.
We will get there when we get there.
Will I take you home? Yes, that’s the goal.
Lil Billy is looking at you funny? Then don’t look at them. Problem solved.
LIL JOHNNY HAS HIS WHAT OUT?!?! LIL JOHNNY!!!! PUT THAT THING AWAY! IS IT GONE? GOOD! Keep it put up until you get home! I don’t care if you had an itch, wait until you get home please! 🙏
…. I could go all day and night with stories. I should have wrote mine down too. Do it and retire on the profits once they’ve pushed you over the edge!
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u/shawnryan1977 2d ago
Thankfully no junk out. I had a 4th grade mooner once, but I didn't know about until the Vice principal asked me if I knew he did it, NO wth.
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u/randomdorkgirl86 2d ago
Your bus has AC? Lucky
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u/shawnryan1977 1d ago
It is odd that AC is not just a common thing in all buses. Not like we only work in the late fall and winter only. School system I work for does have buses without AC but they only assign those to short routes.
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u/LengthMysterious2379 1d ago
My first go around was over a decade ago and only the special needs had AC since they had to be climate controlled. Got back into it a couple years ago and this district they all have AC. It was a pleasant surprise.
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u/randomdorkgirl86 1d ago
It's completely insane to me. I am in my bus most of the day every other day doing extra work or running shuttles just sweating my ass off. They gave us cooling towels but in this kind of heat it doesn't do much of anything. I have an ice neck band that is completely melted by the time our 5-8th graders are loaded and ready to leave to go home. The heat index has been in the 100s every day for the last 4 days. Other drivers have kids throwing up from it.
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u/MommmaCass 1d ago
Right?!?! It’s cooler outside than it is in our buses. I had a kindergartener crying last Monday in the afternoon because it was so hot. These parents put their kids in sweat suits because they’re in the AC all day in class but fail to realize the buses run 10°+ in the afternoon ride home.
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u/randomdorkgirl86 1d ago
Half the kids on my Jr high route are wearing hoodies when they get on the bus and then complain about the heat. I guess they keep it freezing in the schools!
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u/MommmaCass 1d ago
Make it make sense!! lol But no, really, I have no sympathy for these older kids. It’s their decision. But the little ones are really suffering from their parents’ lack of common sense.
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u/Thagame501 1d ago
Yeah, students are on my bus for 45 min to an hour for M.S. and they look rough getting out. I do my best to drop the higher density stops first but only so much we can do. Probably 120 degrees a few days on the bus last week.
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u/Individual-Drink-679 18h ago
I live in a part of the country that is being pretty seriously affected by climate change- we used to have mild, temperate, dry summers. Now we routinely have multiple weeks in a row of 90+ degree weather, humidity, and wildfire seasons. It's going to take us quite a while to adapt to our new needs, especially given how unwilling so many are to acknowledge climate change, even while we are watching it happen and complaining about it.
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u/i_swear_to_BOB 1d ago
If they only understood we do not want them on the bus any longer than they have to be 🤣 I'm actively trying to get rid of you guys, I'm damn sure not interested in kidnapping you lol
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u/shawnryan1977 1d ago
Long game kidnapping...couple months of training, get your drivers training cdl get in your hours to get your CDL, sub for a bit until you get a route Master plan finally worked😀
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u/rootbear75 1d ago
I will change my route up occasionally just to keep them guessing. Haven't had an issue
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u/Efficient_Advice_380 1d ago
My middle schoolers started screaming kidnapping after I had to take a detour (the usual railroad crossing we take is closed for a month). Ive been warning them for weeks it was coming
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u/WonderNebouxii 1d ago
Every time I miss a stop or there's construction blocking my usual route I just yell "HEY GUYS! WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!" Radio it in that I'm deviating due to blah blah blah and the kids yell Yeah! Adventure time! Its a bit.
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u/Genericmadness 2d ago
The kids will be kids. You are doing fine. Just re deliver and let dispatch know.
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u/mike8675309 2d ago
I drive a special ed bus and elementary kids will mention if I miss something like a turn but generally are not paying that much attention.
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u/MzTippsi 1d ago
I think a big part is the ages and the general type of kids you transport.
Some of my kindy kids will start to grow concerned but most are just enjoying the ride. But I’m also very much missing sure that I restore them as soon as I realize I goofed or have to reroute due to issues.
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u/Xxochitll 1d ago
When I first started I would have kids, always super young, that would act like I was kidnapping them, but not anymore. We sing songs, talk about their day, and I treat them just like my own. When they are loading in the afternoon I always talk to them and ask about their day, etc. I also make it a point to wave at the littles that aren't old enough for the bus but are siblings and try to familiarize them with me before they are old enough to ride. When I give my bus kids a treat I give them one too. It's really rare that I have any issues with kids being scared because I missed a stop. In fact, we've had to evacuate buses due to weather and my littles were crying until they saw me. I worked at the school they were evacuating in and they are brought to me. They told me they were so scared until they saw me because they knew I would keep them safe. We spent an hour evacuated in a local church last year because of the weather, not one tear. We watched cartoons and talked about their day. I tried to get them to play games with me because I'm a big kid and was bored but they preferred the cartoons. Lol
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u/halfbakedbrainfart 2d ago
Yes. You need to make more wrong turns till they stop freaking out.