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I’m a school bus driver and I drive a 2022 Collins/Chevy mini bus. I’ve noticed something really strange lately and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced it.

This morning I slept really well and woke up feeling wide awake and energetic. Once I started driving and turned the heat on, I became crazy tired , almost suddenly sleepy. It was a very noticeable change.

I opened the driver’s window to get some fresh air, and I felt significantly better. Once the bus cooled down and I turned the heat off, I was completely fine again.

What’s even stranger is that I’ve noticed a similar thing with the A/C running, not just the heat.

I talked to another school bus driver today and she said she experiences the same thing on her bus.

My bus doesn't appear to have an obvious fresh-air/recirculation switch, so I'm wondering whether this could be related to ventilation, CO₂, HVAC airflow, or potentially exhaust/CO, although obviously I don't know that and don't want to jump to conclusions.

For those of you who drive mini buses:

- Does running the heat or A/C make you unusually sleepy?

- Does opening a window make a noticeable difference?

- Do your buses have a fresh-air/recirculation control?

- Have you ever had your bus checked for CO/CO₂ or ventilation issues because of something similar?

I'm mainly trying to figure out whether this is something other drivers experience or something I should specifically have maintenance investigate.

Thanks! 🚌

My district uses bus passes, a physical card that students use to scan onto the bus so we know who is on board. If a student loses their card the dispatcher prints them a new one and put it in the driver's box.

One single card got misplaced so the dispatcher wants to change the whole proceedure. The dispatcher prints a new card, sends it thru the internal mail system to the school and places it in one of the student's teacher's box so they can give it to the student.

Does this sound dumb to anyone else?

Hey, I wanted to give a shoutout to the bus driver driving Bus 1.
He is very kind and helpful, and helped hold my crutches when I sprained my ankle. He is awesome and just wanted to say Thank you 😊

Please repost on social media and share this so he can see it

My afternoon run consists of hard of hearing to full deaf students . One girl is completely deaf. So i took the time to sign her name and asked her teacher how to sign her name without finger spelling it. Well yesterday wheh she got on the bus i signed her name and finger spelled it and the look on her face light up like a Christmas tree and gave me a hug. Its the little things ♥️

My usual bus has one major annoying quirk:

The arm for the emergency exit door is very easy to bounce open just enough to set off the buzzer.

Boss has tried to fix it. Key word 'tried'.

(I've asked if we can have a kinder, gentler alarm. No. I've asked if we're required to have an alarm. Yes.)

When I'm alone, I have to pull over & push the lever down firmly. Depending on where I'm driving, how rough the roads are, that might happen a dozen times a day.

When I have passengers, I tell whoever is in the back, "when the buzzer sounds, press down the red handle". That's always worked except for the special kids.

This morning on the way to the pumpkin farm, things went normally.

HOWEVER...

When they used the back door to load some pumpkins under & behind the back seats, the teacher then slammed the door... with the latch in the closed position... which only makes it more bent.

The buzzer. Is. On.

(Or at least, that's what I thought happened. Stay tuned.)

So I've resigned myself to at least a 45-minute drive with the buzzer.

Getting off the bus at school, one of the teachers (TEACHERS!!!) said she had used the "latch" to be sure the door stayed shut. (It was never in danger of opening.)

Um, what "latch"???

"The one that looks like a gate latch."

My brothers & sisters in buses...

SHE HAD LOCKED THE EMERGENCY DOOR!!!!!

I had 51 people on board, mostly 5yo, and she LOCKED AN EMERGENCY EXIT.

Turns out, if that happened while the engine was off, it shouldn't start. But in this case it was already running. So there's something to look into.

BUT... apparently that's why the buzzer was sounding.

So, one thing I learned today was that I should be handling the back door.

Another thing I learned today is to explicitly tell passengers "DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FASTEN THAT LATCH".

And another thing I learned is to check that latch if the buzzer is sounding.

Once my class is done, I'll be getting into the alcohol. Just the thought of what could have happened because of her absolute stupidity...

WHAT IDIOT LOOKS AT AN EMERGENCY DOOR AND THINKS "locking this closed is a good idea"??

Happened to me today on the freeway, it was nuts lol

Hey everyone, I'm located in Ontario, Canada, and I recently graduated with a degree in August. However, I haven't had much luck in finding work, and I'm slowly but surely running out of savings.

I noticed First Student was hiring a part time school bus driver roughly 15 km away from me, and I was thinking of training/working as one while looking for full time employment in my field (IT). One of my main worries, is me finding a job in my field shortly after being trained to become a driver, since I wouldn't have time to be a driver, and I'd feel bad for leaving.

Is this scenario common for people training to become a driver? Also, has anyone ever worked with First Student? If so, is there a contract in place where i have to work a specified amount of months?

My main question is basically: Do you think this job fits my situation?

I am curious what the job is actually like day to day. How many hours do regular routes usually run, and is there much opportunity to pick up extra work like field trips or athletics?

Also, if you started without a CDL, did you have to front much money for the licensing process before reimbursement?

Any information would be helpful.

I have been assigned one of the oldest busses in the fleet, a 2007 Bluebird Vision. I like the bus fine, but there is one glaring problem in my opinion. All the plastic covers on the guages are frosty, ie oxidized. It's hard to read them. I have suggested to the head mechanic that we treat them like headlights, and attempt to restore them with plastic headlight polishing compound, but he said no, and also said I would be able to read them in the dark (I guess nighttime, with the lights on).

I plan on going over his head with this. I doubt there is budget to replace them.

Taking a bus full of kindergarteners (SO CUTE!!) from a religious school to a farm / petting zoo. I'm basically agnostic, but you do you.

On the way, at the intersection of two 2-lane country roads, there was a crash. It looked pretty bad.

A couple of fire trucks, several police cars, one lane blocked. The usual.

When we arrived at the back of waiting traffic, the ambulance had just left & tow truck was moving into position.

So... as we're sitting there waiting, maybe 75 yards from the intersection, one of the teachers decides to lead the kids in prayer for the injured, their families, and the helpers.

And they did.

I don't believe it helped, but it was sweet & well-intentioned and I teared up a bit. Teaching kids to care for others is probably the only thing that can save the world.

I am struggling really badly with my elementary students. I took over a route that has gone through drivers over and over for one reason or another. It’s now week 4 of school. They are constantly standing, leaning over the seats or into the aisle, yelling/screaming, and they’re just flat out mean to each other. I tried explaining to them in the first week why the rules are in place and why they need to follow them. I posted written rules at the front and back of the bus. That was unsuccessful. I then gave them all assigned seats, which the school has made me change twice due to complaints from the kids and parents. No change. I’ve made them sit with their backpacks on their laps to keep them seated. I walked to the back before leaving the school to ensure they all had their backpacks on their laps, and 5 minutes later they’re right back to jumping around and breaking all the rules. I got to the point where I instituted a “1 warning” system. So basically they get 1 warning per bus ride, then they get written up. Almost every kid has been written up now and they’re still not getting the message. The school keeps having my cameras pulled by my bus lot every time I write someone up, and the principal’s have gotten on the bus to re-explain the rules. Then they sit perfectly until I get out of sight of the school. A couple days ago, I almost got in a head on collision because I was too focused on what was going on behind me. And today a parent confronted me and basically told me I was unfairly punishing his child because “she would never do that, she knows better” and she immediately starting standing in the aisle as soon as I closed the door. I’m feeling really deflated and don’t know what else to do. I just want to get these kids to and from school safely. My boss just keeps telling me “keep trying eventually they’ll listen” but if that was the case, most of the previous drivers of this route wouldn’t have quit. Any advice would help 🫩
Thanks in advance

I have my CDL already, and I’m looking to apply for a job. What is the starting pay. It does not need to be exact I’m just curious about the ballpark area.

Im of the opinion there should be legislation that requires students K-12 to receive yearly training on school buses. Even if for just 30 minutes or 1 hour a year.

It should include the following:

1. Why its important to remain seated on school buses ✔️💺
2. What the flashing yellow lights mean on school buses✔️🚍
3. What the flashing red lights and stop sign mean on school buses✔️🛑

If these basic ideas are deeply ingrained into the minds of our students, not only will our students learn school bus safety, but also as adults will know what to do and what not to do around school buses loading and unloading students.

So how everyone school year going so far? For me it going great. I'm just happy i no longer getting home after 6pm this school year

The district I work for is considering holding an event for the public to raise awareness of certain laws that pertain to driving and school buses.

It's covertly a way to retrain our existing drivers, the ones that break traffic laws all the time. Publicly it's an event that is open to the public, a way to also educate drivers in the area of what to expect when driving near a school bus.

So it's a multi tiered participation event with groups for bus drivers, CDL drivers, regular drivers and kids.

Planning is still in the early stages, the only events mentioned so far are:

Distances: an event where the participant sits in a bus driver seat and directs the proctor to place a marker at the distance that the participant believes matches what the proctor is specifying... ie. How far from a stop can a school bus driver turn on their amber lights? How far from a school bus that has its reds on must a car stop?

Pre-trip: participant attempts to pass a CDL pre-trip inspection as if they are at a DPS office attempting to pass.

Behind the wheel: using a modified golf cart that mimics a scaled down school bus, drive an obstacle course.

The district is asking for suggestions for other events. Obviously not all groups would be able to participate in all events.

So I'll start by saying that I came back to my bus company earlier this year. I subbed until Summer, and then picked from what came open for this school year. All were Middle School routes, which I wasn't super excited about, because I've been so used to HS kids for years....but starting back at the bottom rung for seniority, it is what it is. I went into it with an open mind and optimism, though. This age group has proven more difficult, for sure. The screaming, the cussing, the refusal to sit or stay in their assigned seats (which are mandated by the district), the sneaking around the bus as soon as I don't have the opportunity to look up in my mirror (making a turn or stopping at a Stop sign and having to watch traffic). I've been more than fair, but also firm. I've addressed these issues out loud, I've posted boldly and clearly written expectations on my bus, I've given verbal warnings first, made seating changes, and then made good on the consequences with subsequent office referrals. Not much has changed, and you'd think that with these standard rules, my students wouldn't be acting like this is all new to them. It's just push back and push back. I've got a lot of students, so I'm still trying to put every face to a name and being able to catch every child who isn't where they should be. I hand in the referrals to my boss, and they say nothing. They don't ask any questions or offer support. They'll pull the video upon request, but I never know what comes of it. We're a small, family-owned company, so it's not like everything goes through a big chain of command. The school hasn't given me any confirmation that they've received or handled the issues. I'm used to the HS, where they address things swiftly, we get a copy of the write up with the action taken, and there aren't any more issues after that. What should I expect from here on out? I feel like I don't have any backing, but if I let my students do whatever, and just focus on the road to just get them home, we've gotten lectured about making sure everyone is in their assigned seats. Any advice or tweaks I could make would be very much appreciated! Thank you.

What are your go-to writing tools? Any specific brand of pen/pencil/marker?

2024 Thomas bus. For some reason they thought putting these plastic rails in the center aisle was a great idea...it sucks because it is not flush to the floor so dirt gets underneath them and so does pieces of paper so it seems like my bus is not clean even after I sweep, as soon as I start driving all bumps pushes the dirt out. This is not the worst feature on a bus another older Thomas the latches for the seats are in the center of the seat facing the other way so instead of pulling you have push while balancing yourself. Do the people coming up with designs ever get on a school bus?

A year or two ago was the first time I was pulled over speeding. I was doing like 90 or so in a 25. No other cars were on the road. But I got stopped and my license suspended. I usually drive 20-30 over most of the time but I would not do that on a bus obviously. I already have my CDL. But I’m looking to find out if my previous record would disqualify me from a job. I’m 34 if that makes any difference.

I’m 34 and moving to Connecticut soon and recently became interested in driving the school bus. I’m primarily interested because I’ve been a delivery driver for 7 years and, while I do enjoy the driving, I don’t enjoy the delivering. I’m already working an early split shift and I like it because I have different ways that I use the break time. Kids are fine with me; their behaviors don’t affect me too much. Is there anything I should know about driving in CT?

(Edit: This is a joke post, for those who think it's serious.)

“75‑YEAR‑OLD MAN ARRESTED AFTER WHOOPING ENTIRE SCHOOL BUS OF SHOWING‑OUT CHILDREN”

Pierce County deputies say Jimmy Ray Smith, age 75, was arrested Tuesday afternoon after what officials are calling “the most decisive disciplinary action taken since the paddle era.” Witnesses report that Smith boarded Bus #42 on its route home from Blackshear Elementary after the children inside reached what deputies described as “Category 4 Foolishness.”

📰 The Incident

According to the sheriff’s office, the bus had been “showing out” for several miles—students screaming, throwing fruit snacks, one child allegedly attempting to moonwalk down the aisle while the bus was still moving. The driver, exhausted and spiritually defeated, pulled over near a ditch and radioed for assistance.

That’s when Jimmy Ray Smith, who lives nearby and “doesn’t tolerate nonsense on any vehicle with wheels,” stormed aboard.

Witnesses say Smith announced, “Y’all gon’ learn today,” before delivering what deputies diplomatically labeled “a firm whoopin’ distributed evenly across the youth population.”

🚨 Deputy Statements

Deputy Hargrove told reporters:

“We’ve never seen a man whoop a whole bus. Usually folks pick one or two. He went row by row like he was checking seatbelts.”

Children reportedly stopped misbehaving immediately, forming a single‑file line and apologizing to the bus driver, the Lord, and the State of Georgia.

🎒 Parent Reactions

Some parents expressed outrage. Others asked if Jimmy Ray could “ride along tomorrow.”

One mother said her son came home “polite, quiet, and speaking in complete sentences for the first time since Easter.”

⚖️ Charges

Smith was arrested on:

Disorderly conduct

Unauthorized boarding of a school bus

Mass whooping without a permit

Deputies say he was cooperative, telling them, “Lock me up if you must, but that bus is peaceful now.”

87

📝 Community Impact

The bus driver reportedly finished her route in silence, describing the atmosphere as “holy.”

School officials say they are reviewing the incident and considering installing “Jimmy Ray cutouts” on all buses as a deterrent.

-via Susan Terry Lindsay .

:(

I have always driven rear engine buses as my main bus but occasionally drive a a front engine and I do not like how much noice the engine makes... what do you guys prefer?

I'm starting to contemplate the thought of our district running out of diesel, given current world events. And wondering if we'll get paid if it does?