School Bus Driver- A Day In The Life- Special Needs Included
School Bus Driver- A Day In The Life- Special Needs Included
School bus drivers!
There is a lot more to driving a school bus than you might think. Of course, school bus drivers deliver our children to and from school, but their duties go much further than that. School bus drivers perform extensive safety checks daily, clean the bus, manage rowdy kids, and fight crazy traffic.
Navigating traffic demands your utmost attention. You must pay close attention to your surroundings, and A LOT is going on out there. Slow drivers, speeding drivers, aggressive drivers, winding neighborhood streets cluttered with cars and work vehicles.
You’ll go through extensive training before you are unleashed on the kiddos to be sure you are comfortable behind the wheel. Although, no amount of training can prepare you for a large group of students bouncing around in the back. Remember how your school bus driver would yell at you and stare you down in that huge rearview mirror?
School bus drivers are multitaskers for sure, but this unconventional job offers fresh air, independence, and plenty of extra free time. Many people are perfectly suited for it, and if you’re wondering if you’re one of them, this article will provide the answer. Maleeya, a school bus driver for over six years, shared her experience with me.
How it Started
Maleeya was first introduced to the job while chaperoning at her youngest son’s school dance. As she and the other parents made small talk, she learned that one was a bus driver. Immediately, she was intrigued. She could see herself being a bus driver!
But she had a job, and even though she wasn’t in love with it, it was stable. So she pushed the idea to the back of her mind and moved on. But then things changed, as they do.
A year later, when she found herself laid-off, her first thought was, “Here’s my chance to take that leap.”
Credentials and Licensing
She pulled together her resume and submitted it to the nearest school district. Luckily, they were hiring new bus drivers, and she got the job. But, there was a catch. She had to go through training to get a special CDL Class B license with an S&P endorsement.
The school offered free training and licensing, but under the condition that she sign a contract to work for them a minimum of one year. She accepted.
The free training had its upsides and downsides. On the plus side, Maleeya avoided paying upfront for CDL training classes which can be costly. On the negative side, she did not get paid for her time training.
Overall, she says the process took approximately three months. At that point, she was ready to take the driving portion of the CDL test. She passed the first go-round and was officially working as soon as her license was issued.
School Bus 101
A school bus is an oversized single deck vehicle with an internal step to get in. They come in different colors and sizes, but you are likely most familiar with the traditional yellow bus. Did you know they are up to forty feet long??
There are two long rows of bench seats inside the bus with an aisle down the middle for loading and unloading. In Maleeya’s case, she transports children with special needs, many of whom are in wheelchairs.
Her bus has most seats removed (the bus mechanics can remove or install the seats as needed), and the wheelchairs are secured to anchors on the steel floor of the bus.
Modern busses are temperature-controlled and come equipped with both heat and AC. No hanging your head out the windows to breathe on a hot day! And, every seat has a lap belt.
Hours
School bus drivers work two short shifts in one day, which makes for a non-traditional schedule. School districts vary slightly, but the concept is the same. Most drivers collect students from elementary, middle, and high schools, all of which have staggering arrivals and dismissal times, allowing the busses to get to all the schools.
Example daily schedule – 6:40 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
2:40 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Tasks and Duties
There is a lot more than just driving to Maleeya’s job as a bus driver, but this job does offer more consistency than other jobs we have featured here on Talk Jobs to Me. The days are pretty routine. Here is a list of tasks and duties you can expect to perform.
- Keep the bus’ fuel tank full.
- Perform extensive safety checks before each shift to include blinkers, brakes, lights, fluids, and more.
- Keep the bus clean. Clear all trash left by students and wipe seats and railings.
- Run the bus through regular car washes.
- Memorize the assigned bus route.
- Follow strict safety protocols at all times.
- Navigate traffic and stay on high alert for hazards.
- Manage student’s behavior while on the bus.
- Assist special needs students in boarding and departing safely.
- Must be CPR certified.
- Must be CPI certified. (self-defense)
Opportunity for Growth
There are several ways to advance as a school bus driver after gaining ample experience.
Experienced school bus drivers are eligible to apply to a training position in addition to their bus routes. Trainers prepare new hires for the road, including supervising route and safety protocols. They work more hours, resulting in bigger paychecks, and most get a raise with the promotion.
Dispatch Coordinator, supervisor, route supervisor, or even director of the school’s transportation department are also ways to get promoted.
Drivers with seniority are offered overtime hours before the rookie drivers and, of course, more hours equals bigger paychecks.
And looking at the bigger picture, the retirement benefits are generous and provide a solid incentive to be loyal to your job and the company.
Benefits and Perks
Maleeya works in Michigan, and her school district is in a labor union. Her union perks include excellent health benefits, nine paid personal days, additional sick days, and holidays off.
Workers’ jobs are protected in a union, and employees go through a series of documented disciplinary steps before being fired, which offers significant job security.
When it comes to the work environment, Maleeya enjoys the freedom of being on the road instead of sitting in an office. It is nice to have control of your workspace without having a supervisor breathing down your neck. It makes for a much more relaxed workday.
And, since the busses run according to the school schedule, there is plenty of time off to spend with friends and family, including summers, spring breaks, and winter breaks.
She also mentioned that if you have a child in school during the school year, they can ride the bus with you, which was cool for her as a mom.
Challenges
I’m sure you can guess traffic is high on the list of challenges. Busses are traveling among hundreds of cars and trucks in a hurry, hangry, or just downright rude. Some people aren’t paying attention, looking at the phone, and putting on makeup while driving.
It is a huge responsibility to transport anyone, much less small children. The pressure can be a lot for some people.
Road conditions can vary greatly depending on your route and climate. Fog, rain, sleet, snow, ice, low visibility. It takes practice and patience to navigate dangerous roads safely.
Dispatch will make the overall decisions about whether to park until conditions improve, but you must be able to carefully assess your surroundings on a day-to-day basis.
In the event of an accident or breakdown on the road, which happens more than you might think, dispatch sends a replacement bus. The students transfer to the new bus, get on their way and the damaged bus becomes maintenance’s problem.
In addition to driving the bus and avoiding road hazards, you may be acting as a disciplinarian as well. You never know how your students will behave, and it can be overwhelming if they are rowdy and disobedient. Bus drivers give warnings and write referrals to the principal’s office when students cross the line.
A Day in the Life
Check-in time is at 6:40 a.m., so when Maleeya rises each day to get ready for work, it is still dark outside. There is no uniform, so she considers the weather and dresses accordingly. Today it is jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and the school-issued jacket since it’s a bit chilly outside.
She drives to the bus yard, picks up her keys, gathers her route book, and trades her car for her bus. Before get’s on the road, she must thoroughly inspect the bus, both interior and exterior. She checks the lights, blinkers, emergency exits, air brakes, wheels, and tires.
She pops the hood and checks the fluids and condition of the belts. If any maintenance is needed, she pulls up to the garage for the mechanics to work on. Today, everything measures up, so she boards the bus and heads out on her route.
Morning Route
On this route, it takes her thirty minutes to get to the first pick-up spot, so she turns on the radio and enjoys some alone time. When she arrives to pick up her first student, she always parks on the right side of the road so that they can enter the bus without walking around it.
Since her route is for special needs students, she parks directly in front of their house. And no, it’s not a short bus; she is driving a full-size bus. This student is in a wheelchair, so she opens the back hatch and lowers the lift.
With the parent’s assistance, she loads the child up and secures him into the bus with wheelchair anchor hooks and seatbelt straps.
Maleeya continues on and picks up students from every school in the district. On her route, she has seven total riders. Four in a wheelchair, two with walkers and one with a safety vest. When she arrives at their school each morning, a teacher or aide escorts the student from the bus to their classroom, and Maleeya does not leave the bus.
Break Time
Once the kids are delivered to their schools and the bus is empty, Maleeya heads back to the bus barn. She parks her bus, returns her keys, and heads to her car.
She has a long break in the middle of each day, so she runs errands, eats lunch, and even picks up some people for Lyft and Uber until it’s time to pick the students up from school and drive them back to their homes.
Afternoon Route
At 2:40 p.m., she reports back to the bus yard, picks up the keys, performs the inspection again, and repeats the same process she did that morning, backtracking her morning route to pick up the same group of kids.
The children on her bus are generally well-behaved, although some have foul mouths and are prone to grumpy attitudes. She pays close attention to them because some have health conditions like seizures.
Students considered medically fragile are usually assigned a T.A. (teacher’s assistant) that rides the bus with them. The aide is especially helpful to the driver, and Maleeya is always thankful when an aide is on her bus.
When all of the children are safely delivered home, Maleeya drives her bus back to the bus barn, returns her keys, and drives her car home for the day. She is back home by 5:30 p.m. to snuggle with her dogs and have dinner with her family.
Got Questions?
Everyone’s reality is unique, so please keep in mind that this is only one account, one perspective, and one life. But now you know the basics and possibilities! So tell me, do you think a career as an Outside Sales Representative is for you?
Let me know! Your feedback is welcome, and I would love to know what else I could add to make this as thorough and interesting as possible.
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