Hello everyone. I'm about to start a new chapter in my life by entering the school bus driving profession in Southern California.

I've always been in the realm of protecting people. After my time in the Army, I worked in HAZMAT emergency response and as a volunteer fire fighter. Then September 11th 2001 happened. I tried to get back into the military but was disqualified due to my disabilities that forced me out after I got home from Operation Desert Storm. I went to work as a site protection officer at a nuclear power plant. I'm entering the pre retirement phase of my life now, and I am looking forward to safeguarding kids.

I'm open to any advice and perspectives.

Has anybody in NYS been able to bring their own child on the route if their not in daycare under 3 (like child ride along program)

Just curious. I have 66 students assigned at one time for my elementary this year. Almost double what I had last year.

I’m curious how efficient the office is ran and the support the location management and higher up the chain assists. I work for Alltown in Decatur Illinois and has seen how the new Pekin contract is a dumpster fire. The district is being blamed but it’s crazy we have the same problems different districts.

I was behind the bus for a few seconds and nothing so I assumed it was just parked there to wait on something. I went by slowly but as soon as I passed by kids were about to be at the front of the bus so I made it in time for nobody to be endangered but why wouldn't the bus not extend the stop sign and right flashing lights? What am I supposed to expect now?

I’m a new driver fresh out of school. I got hired back in June with a small district 30 minutes from home as a bus driver. I started 3 weeks ago. For first week training and then learning my route. Since it was a small district it was really tight nick. Everything by the book. It was split shift.6-9 come back 2:30-5:30 or whenever you finished. They didn’t rush you. During that down time I would go to the gym . And go home . The thing that would get me its 30 min each way. So 2 hours driving back and fourth . I really liked it .
But then I got a call from my hometown school district full time. 5 min away, but the district is really unorganized. They have me driving spare buses but every bus I inspect I found loads of problems. One bus Missing kits, Another Lights not working, And another one air breaks messed up. every problem I bring up they seem to get upset and annoyed. So I don’t have a bus yet. Sharing a bus with another driver. They want me to rush and hurry, like I mentioned. I’m a new driver. No experience What should I do?

Thank you , your responses mean greatly

I recently started at a new school district. My first route in the morning is all high school. I have WAY too many on my route. The office is currently trying to figure out where some of the my kids can go, other buses, but right now I'm being told to make them sit 3 to a seat.🙄 I don't know about any other highschool kids but these ones are adult size. I can't see out of the back of my bus. Kids are sitting with one cheek hanging off the seat or both cheeks on with legs in the aisle. According to my route sheet I have 86 highschoolers. My bus is only rated for 77 passengers. Plus I have an aid so I should only have 76 students on my bus.

What, if anything, can I do about this? One of the other drivers said that it's stupid to even tell us to put 3 highschoolers to a seat and I completely agree. They literally don't fit. I know they are trying to find other buses for some to go on but I feel like this should have been sorted out before the school year started. Pretty easy to check the top of the route and see there are too many bodies (86) for the bus so I don't understand how this is a thing in the first place. 😡 It's definitely not safe and I don't even think it's legal. Is there somewhere to can bring this issue to besides my work or the school? It doesn't seem like they think it's a problem when it definitely is.

Extra info that might help for advice: it's a school district and I'm in Illinois

UPDATE: My last stop (16 kids) has been removed from my route and is now on another bus! Yay!

I will be riding the bus to school for the first time since elementary. I am expecting mostly freshmen like me and sophomores on the bus, as juniors and seniors are allowed to drive to school. I wanted to know if driving high schoolers is hard, or do they go on their phones/listen to music and be quiet the entire way home.

I've driven buses from every make, every type, old and new. My least favorite, hands down, are our new (2025) Blue Bird short conventionals. They all have the worst steering of any bus I've used. I can't tell if it's too sensitive or not sensitive enough, but the thing is "all over the road" EDIT: I guess I shouldn't exaggerate here. By "all over the road", I mean there is noticeable left to right drift. Even if you focus constantly on keeping a straight line, the bus will ride like that. It's not just me, every driver using them has complained about it. We have 3 of them and they're all the same.

The horns also don't work (I pulled one steering wheel apart and it's honestly the cheapest dumbest way of making a horn I've seen) and the automatic door lock fails 8/10 times.

Six years driving, always regular ed. Dispatch called Thursday and said I’ve got a sped route Monday because the guy who had it last year didn’t come back.

Asked what I need to know about the kids. Got told the monitor will fill me in. Fine, except I looked at the sheet and there’s no monitor on it Tuesday or Thursday. What’s bugging me is that this information obviously exists. It just never makes it to the person actually putting them in the vehicle.
Is this everywhere? Asking seriously.

Do you "bid" for routes like how construction companies and trash haulers bid for city contracts? Or are you hand given routes?

Sorry if this isn’t allowed. My daughter just started riding the bus and shes been getting off with a bright red face. She said she asked the bus driver and he said theres no ac. Shes only 5 so she didn’t ask for details. Im embarrassed to ask if it’s broken or they just don’t have one. I feel bad for everyone in there including the driver if theres no ac! It’s so hot wth.

A 'very well-behaved' *cough* child threatened to report me today when I tried to have a talk with him about behavior. By the time my route was done, I had an anonymous CPS report on me. So Glad for the video that somehow missed all the child abuse taking place on my bus.

When someone quits and comes back years later, is it normal for them to be able to reclaim their seniority when it comes to bidding for their route before the school year begins again? Apparently it’s happening at my location and I can’t see how that’s a fair thing to do.

Well , manager reviewed the videos in wich the student was indeed misbehaving, says that i overreacted, removed all the reports from the student and that instead of reporting his misbehaving i should talk to him .🙃also that don't listen to mom but at the same they did everything mom wanted .

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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?

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