I am a schoolbus driver

Hi, I drive school bus for a living. I have some amazing, funny, shocking and memorable stories to share with you. While you sip your coffee and count your blessing that you ARE a school bus driver or that you are NOT a school bus driver, you will be entertained. The journey that you are about to embark on, to say the least, will be both enjoyable and educational. So, jump aboard. The wheels on this bus are truly going to be turning around and around and around.

I drive school bus for a living. It's not a great job and the pay is...well might I just say, nothing to brag about. As a matter of fact, I shouldn’t have even mentioned the pay. Please forget that part. Most of us bus-drivers surely would do it for free. However, I do find it very rewarding and somewhat stimulating. The winter driving alone is very, very exciting. I miss not driving when I am off for the whole summer (without that little bit of pay that I do get when I am working.) And when September rolls around each year, it's almost as if, life starts all over again. In June when the kids are released for the summer, life is over for us bus drivers. We are left to go on unemployment and wait until September for our checks to finally arrive. In the mean time we all have thoughts of...Whatever will we do? How will we cope. Besides not having an income until we return to work in September, we have problems all summer long. Such as....trying to eliminate the habitual stops at every railway crossing that we encounter. Most motorists are bothered when we stop at railway crossings in our buses, let alone in our own personal vehicles. Thus, getting flipped the “bird” has become a common gesture amongst fellow road travelers for some of us. We, however, being the professionals that we are, have learned to just give them a warm smile and a friendly wave in return for their understanding and patience. This seems to make them even angrier! Oh well. Better to be safe than sorry, as the old saying goes.Some of us find ourselves in a pickle just trying to find alternate ways to get to our second jobs because our buses are parked for the summer. (We need second jobs because of that pay thing I was talking about earlier) And then there is a time issue. Most of us spend two months coaxing ourselves that it is okay to stay up until 11pm or later and that getting up after 6:00 am is okay. We worry daily about whom will sing (The wheels on the bus go round and round for 2 hours straight while we maneuver our way to and from the schools each day? How we will deal without the screaming, whining, vomiting, coughing, swearing, misbehaving, disrespectfulness and occasionally the sweet and innocence of the children that we have acquired a taste for on a daily basis? Quietness and calmness just isn’t what we are used to. Good Lord what will we do? How will we cope? Circle checking our own vehicles, just isn't the same as the bus and therefore, will probably be never performed by some of us. However with that, comes the guilt of not doing a circle check. If we do the circle check on our own vehicles… we know we are safe, but if we don’t do the circle checks on our own vehicles….we’ll…well let me just say, the worrying about safety issues, almost becomes unbearable, Nobody else checks their vehicles before driving away in them, but we the professionals of the world do. We check our buses in the dark, the rain, the scorching sun, the blizzards and whatever other kind of weather that mother nature wants to send our way. What will we do if we can't tell little Johnny to sit down properly 4 times a trip.? Scraping the windshield by climbing on top of the hood just won't be the same in the car. And, if we can't pick up the garbage on the floor of the bus twice a day, how will we fill our time? Oh and, when the middle of the day arrives, how are we going to know it’s here if we don't have kids to go and pick up? Our once a month mandatory “Safety meetings”. They suddenly just stop. How will we know if we are safe if there are no meetings in July and August. Should we be missing these? Safety is always first. How will we survive?

Needless to say we do survive. The years come and go. The miles upon miles that we put on, is totally mind boggling,. The abuse, the treacherous weather, the disturbing information, the interesting information, the wonderful stories, the stressful situations, the minimal pay, the enormous responsibilities and pressures that we carry, the colds and flues that we come in contact with, the bloody noses, the fights, the littering, and all the other things that we endure throughout the year, seems to just be a faded memory come September. With each new year, we find ourselves back at square one ready to start up again. We have absolutely no regrets, no second thoughts and no sights on retirement. It’s not really a job to most of us. It’s a mission. Someone has to do it and WE the chosen few have our names all over it. Not everyone can do what we do. we are special. We are angels.
I hope you enjoy this book. It has been brought to you by a whole bunch of wonderful, loving, caring people. THE BUS-DRIVERS of the world. People that transport the precious cargo of the future to and from school. Safely and seriously.
Please feel free to add.your own personal comments and/or stories.


Chapter 1
I am a school bus driver because……
Ida Busdriver- Ontario.Canada
I am a school bus driver because every day is different. Not very often is there a dull moment. I find it challenging and rewarding. The kids need me as much as I need them. I love being one of the first persons to pull a "good morning" out of their sometimes, very cranky dispositions. I enjoy watching them grow from Kindergarten to graduating out of grade 12. I look at them as individuals and as our future and am very satisfied that I can be a part of their lives. Even if it is in a very small way. I hate summer holidays, snow days, PD Days and the tinsy wage that I get, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I call them my "kids" and I'd give the shirt off my back for anyone of them if the need be and knowing that it's probably visa versa, keeps me getting into that bus every morning. Why are you a school bus-driver?