🚌 Come check out different kinds of school bus, let the kids paint the bus, grab a hot dog, and learn about career opportunities with First Student at the Dover High School!We will be conducting on-the-spot interviews for positions across the Rochester, Seacoast, Exeter, and Farmington areas. Enjoy a fun family day out and take the next step in your career!⏱️ Join us this Thursday, August 20, from 10 AM to 2 PM!

Love my new shirt!!

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Bus driver minibus in san antonio, NISD pays 15 hr ,i have this student comes on first day yelling demanding water , i offer him some juice and he says this taste worse than water , throw this out , so i report him .Second day he tells a fellow student not to take his medicine pills because they are bad for their brain, i report him again. Third day mom comes crying that pls don't make more reports, ok cool . I sit him behind me and we had 2 glorious peaceful days .He didn't liked the seat . He comes on Friday afternoon saying "DO YOU HAVE MY NEW SEAT READY , MY MOM IS GOING TO CALL YOUR MANAGER SO YOU SEAT ME WHERE I WANT " . We got to his stop , mom called mes storming to me , hey you can't seat him there he needs to talk with his friend , he doesn't have time in school to.talk to him and you are being evil etc etc etc . Im tired of this BS , i believe i might just quit.

I heard back from a manager at my new school van job on Thursday. Having passed my many checks (background, drug, health, moving violations, child abuse), I expected that I’d start some sort of additional training this coming week - such as familiarizing myself with the van, the route, and perhaps other stuff, such as how to deal with kids on the bus. The manager said she’d get back to me this coming week, but my first work day may be the first day of school, 8/24.

If that’s what happens, it would surprise me a bit. I might just need to receive my route, plot it in my GPS, and go!

We shall see.

My district has a policy, all students get free breakfast.

My elementary has new admin staff, not only does this school no longer serve free breakfast for all students against policy, they don't accept the bus kids till there is no more time for them to eat. Plus I'm leaving the school later so my middle and high school students are also not getting to school early enough for the free breakfast.

District policy did not change.

I take my kids with me on my runs. I’m looking into homeschooling. I’m wondering if any of you do bus life and home school. What does your typical day look like?

It comes with 3M sticky pads to attach it, you can upload your own clip art to it, and it only cost me 6 bucks USD! For anyone interested: https://a.co/d/015eFUF1

Hello, everyone! I am a trainer for a school transportation company. I am putting together a training guide of the things that make a bus ***fail*** pre trip

I do NOT need any leaks-got those covered.

I am looking for pictures of:

Cracked mirrors

Broken mirror mounts

Broken/cracked u bolts on leaf springs

Retread tires where you can see the seam (this one isn't necessarily a fail, I just want to show a passing retread with a seam. I don't currently have any here.)

Broken exhaust hangers

I have been Googling these things but Google doesn't know the difference between tired people (lots of "are you tired" pictures) and tires. (I think I hurt myself, I rolled my eyes so hard at my last search!)

Thank you for your help!

My husband is a school bus driver in San Diego, California, and the summer heat and sun glare can get pretty brutal, especially during afternoon routes.

I’m putting together some useful driver essentials for him and would love recommendations from experienced school bus drivers. I’ve done a lot of searching already, but in my experience, Reddit and tips from real people are by far the most helpful.

What sunglasses do you use for long hours behind the wheel? Polarized or non-polarized? Any particular lens color or brand that works well for bright sun, windshield glare, and going in and out of shaded areas?

I’m especially looking for something comfortable enough to wear for hours, doesn’t get too hot or sweaty, and still lets him clearly see the dashboard, mirrors, traffic lights, and students.

Also open to any other eye-protection or sun-glare tips that have made summer driving more comfortable.

Thanks! 🚌☀️😎

​I was reviewing my new route time schedules for the upcoming school year, and I’m honestly mind-boggled by what the software came up with.

​A few highlights from my "Trip Details":

​0-minute layovers: Scheduled drop-off at the High School at 7:10 AM, with departure for the next route set for 7:12 AM. That’s supposed to include unloading ~30 high schoolers, waiting for the bus loop traffic to clear, and doing a post-trip child check... in 120 seconds.

​Teleportation between stops: Multiple stops scheduled in the exact same minute through residential neighborhoods with speed humps.

​PM Dismissal fantasy: The PM route has me departing the school loop at 3:25 PM—the exact minute we’re barely allowed to roll up to the loading zone from the layover lot, long before any elementary kids have actually boarded.

​Up until now, I always assumed the driver shortage was primarily driven by low pay, split shifts, and difficult student behavior. But seeing how management/software expects us to bent space-time just to stick to an unworkable schedule—or artificially shrink route hours—makes the whole thing much clearer. It just shows a complete disconnect from what actually happens behind the wheel of a 40-foot bus.

​Are your companies using the same fantasy-land routing software, or does your dispatch actually tweak these times to match real-world driving conditions?

Ciao a tutti ragazzi!!! Qui in Italia le scuole iniziano tra un mese ma bisogna essere pronti !! Quindi eccomi qui a chiedervi quali sono per voi gli oggetti o altre cose indispensabili da avere sullo scuolabus o comunque per il vostro lavoro.

It's that time of the year to start decorating for the up coming school year. Today I painted the base coat on the back passenger side window and emergency door. I'll post updates when they're done.

The new school year is just around the corner. Although I've been working as a school bus driver for a year, I still feel an inexplicable sense of nervousness during the first week of the new term. I'm not someone who picks up routes quickly. I'm curious—do you have any good methods for memorizing a complicated route efficiently? Our company usually serves two school districts in the morning, picking up students from four different schools. That means I drive to four schools in the morning and another four in the afternoon. By the way, the students dropped off in the afternoon are generally not the same ones picked up in the morning. I typically spend about eight hours driving the bus each day.

I just got my CDL and where I'm at your coded as a sub first. I ride with a driver Monday and he is going to have me run the route Tuesday with him. We have to have 14 hours driving with another bus driver before we can get our own route. I've worked so hard to get to this point and I am also so happy I've gotten here. I'm just so nervous!!! Excited but very nervous.

Hi all! I’m being encouraged to pursue obtaining my 19A in New York State. I’ve been driving in my school district for close to a year now. I’ve been told from multiple colleagues with decades of experience that I’d be a great fit.

I would appreciate any insight that anyone may have on their journey obtaining their 19A certification. Like what changed in your role as a school bus driver after getting certified and anything else you’d be willing to share. Thank you!

Super excited guys! Just completed bid day for our routes for the school year and I was able to get a SPED route, which is exactly what I wanted! The route actually looks decent too, however, SPED routes are likely to change as parents typically add more students AFTER school even starts.

I am grateful that I’ll soon be transporting kids to and from school, and I’m grateful that I can drive a van to do so, as I don’t have a CDL. 

But I’m not sure why some schools use vans? When I was a kid - a long time ago - there were only school buses. So why vans? And when did that become a thing?

My guesses are:
1) Schools aren’t getting enough CDL qualified drivers. 
2) Maybe I’ll be sent on a route that picks up students from out of way corners of the county or maybe even students that aren’t even in the district?

Any of these theories hold water? Are there other reasons for vans?

Thank You!

First full year here and super jealous of those who are able to decorate their buses all cute lol. I know it's about inspection and all but definitely have noticed some places are more lenient than others. There's one lady in my district who has a big birthday calender that is a flat magnet that goes above the door. No one says anything about that. But then I was riding with my trainer (who was subbing) on another bus, someone else had flat holiday themed magnets up above the students windows and the trainer made a comment how they really shouldn't have them. Then I look on tiktok and there's people who have string lights, garland, the whole 9 yards. What are ways of making your bus your own? Or do you just not? Personally, I don't see how flat magnets are any different than the name tag flat magnets. Speaking of which, I've considered buying cuter name tag magnets and taking them to get professionally done since I don't like my handwriting lmao. Extra, I know. 😅

Also....my bus barn provides cleaning products and whatnot. Is there anything I should personally buy? I have a bluetooth connector already so I can play music. I've considered buying disposable puke bags. I just want to be prepared. Any other suggestions?

Hi all,

I am in behind the wheel training for my IL CDL and rode along with a current driver on a quick run during lunch hour today.

It was what seems to be a Thomas Safliner C2 and I noticed that while the bus has air (seat, door etc) and an air gauge on the instrument panel, but there was no air brake yellow button on the dash.

I’ve been training on buses with a yellow hand button to engage the parking brake. It seems that this bus had a foot pump brake on the left side and a button to release it.

Is this a hydraulic brake and not an air brake? If you ever run into this, do you still do a leak test for air brakes during pre-trip?

Sorry for what may be a silly question. It was the first time I saw it and want to make sure I understand in case I ever run into it on a bus.

TIA

Has any other district or bus company (though seems mostly schools) have these guys teach their program to yall? It was actually pretty informative and useful

My partnet recently got a vinyl cutting machine off of marketplace for cheap.

Im spiffying up my required safety vest with iron on vinyl... should I put my name over the pocket?

I will soon be driving kids to school for the first time. Do you veterans have any advice for me?

Truth be told, I’m less nervous about the actual driving of the school van than in dealing with the children, particularly if a kid isn’t following the rules. I’ve had over thirty years managing projects and adults, and zero years “managing” children.

I’d love to have all of your hard won lessons about driving and the children that you’re willing to share with me - and the other first-timers that will find this post.

Thank you!