# I am a School Bus Driver **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517 "2021-09-28T13:44:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/21 "2021-09-28T16:10:49Z")
How do the wheels on the bus go? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/22 "2021-09-28T16:11:19Z")
Some buses have restraints for special needs students. They have child-safety seats to support their bodies. I drove a special-needs van for a few weeks. Those students needed to be strapped in. The drivers have seat belts in all vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/23 "2021-09-28T16:15:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > How do the wheels on the bus go? He’s not allowed to give away answers to the written exams. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/24 "2021-09-28T16:23:16Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > > How do the wheels on the bus go? > > He’s not allowed to give away answers to the written exams. - I thought that was from the singing portion. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/25 "2021-09-28T16:28:50Z")
OK people. I have to get organized for my afternoon run. I will check in again later. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/26 "2021-09-28T16:51:40Z")
Off on a tangent: Last week I saw a few school buses with a wing on the rear edge of the roof. Not unlike what you’d find on a race car, except it was inverted, scooping air from the roofline and driving it down the rear face of the bus. Had me scratching my head for a bit, but this thread prompted me to google it, and sure enough, it was what I thought: [https://seeiiairfoils.com/](https://seeiiairfoils.com/) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/27 "2021-09-28T18:55:47Z")
What are your discipline options for the kids? What is the procedure for disruptive students? ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/28 "2021-09-28T19:07:44Z")
I don’t have any questions. My mom was a school bus driver while I was growing up. I just want to thank you for doing this very necessary work. Our district is really tight on drivers right now and they have started having to cancel routes day to day when even the smallest thing goes wrong (someone calls in sick or a bus breaks down). The company is getting a lot of heat from parents for this but I also realize that they can’t force people to drive busses for us. We all have to be flexible. And we all go to come together to get these kids to school. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/29 "2021-09-28T19:17:28Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > What is the procedure for disruptive students? A friend of mine retired at 52 three years ago. He had a commercial driver’s license so he decided to take a part time job driving a school bus a couple hours a day. He lasted two weeks, then quit. He hated the kids. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/30 "2021-09-28T20:09:34Z")
Directly over Trump associates. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/31 "2021-09-28T20:52:04Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Directly over Trump associates. . Moderating: Let’s not make this political. No warning, but close. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/32 "2021-09-28T20:55:09Z")
I am back. A nice run this afternoon before the rain comes back. The temperature is just about ideal. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/33 "2021-09-28T20:55:49Z")
Oops - sorry. I didn’t see that rule (I know you aren’t supposed to do political “jabs” in breaking news threads). Will keep my jokes that veer into politics out of here. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/34 "2021-09-28T21:05:18Z")
Thanks. This isn’t a “breaking news” thread, but that rule is because those are much more likely to tempt political jabs than most threads. This is just a generic personal MPSIMS thread, and political jabs are off-topic and disruptive to most such threads. (including this one.) ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/35 "2021-09-28T21:55:32Z")
Another thank you. It’s not easy driving a bus _and_ keeping a busload of kids under control. When my daughter was in grade school, she had a bus driver who was warm, sunny, and somehow got kids doing their homework on the ride home\*, and my daughter loved her. Just before Mother’s Day, she gave the driver a “Mom away from Mom” card she made. \*It was a 45-minute ride to our house. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/36 "2021-09-28T22:14:45Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Yes, that seems to be the problem. The training programs shut down due to the plague and more than a few semi-retired people took the time to decide to become really-retired. It’s not just the pandemic. For the past seven years, every school district in the state of Ohio has had vacancies for school bus drivers. Though I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the pandemic is making things even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/37 "2021-09-28T22:19:29Z")
I suspect the same dynamic is at work with police departments. They are screaming nobody wants to be a “cop” but in truth police training shut down and more than a few Old Guys decided to get out with a high-overtime year. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/38 "2021-09-28T22:29:55Z")
If you will not answer about how the wheels go, can you at least address the wipers? More seriously, are you / must you be Basic Life Support certified? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/39 "2021-09-29T05:16:45Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Then I rendezvous with three other buses who transfer their Catholic school students to me. This is honestly the first time I’ve heard that students have to ride more than one school bus to get to or from school. ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517/40 "2021-09-29T07:13:27Z")
Ex-schoolbus driver here. I lasted about 6 months before a series of accidents (nobody hurt fortunately) got me fired. As a private car driver, I’ve never had any accidents and thought I would be pretty good as a commercial driver…as it turns out it was a little more complicated… The kids were generally pretty good (i.e. no serious fights). The worst incident while I was there was a student with behavioral problems getting into a (verbal) fight with one of the drivers. If it wasn’t for the accidents I think the big problem for me would have been managing some of the students. Generally a nice working environment if you like working with kids. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-school-bus-driver/951517.md?page=3)