Have you ever wondered why there are good school bus drivers and the best PA school bus drivers? Like other professionals, school bus drivers also have good and bad secrets. Only the best ones know how to find a way to avoid or overcome difficult situations and are richly rewarded for a job well done.
If you’re curious why such things happen – such as an assigned bus seat for your child – here are the following random school bus driver secrets that you wish you knew:
School bus drivers assign seats for a reason.
As students get older, their on-bus behavior can become more of a distraction. To avoid trouble, drivers designate kids to specific seats. Drivers can plan out seat assignments to help curb problems and maintain order. It also offers better chances for cooperation among children.
Other drivers are the worst.
Buses aren’t designed to make quick stops, and the driver has to be extra cautious to protect his precious young passengers. Probably the biggest pet peeve of every bus driver is when other drivers are reckless while the students are loading or unloading the bus. There’s a reason why school buses have flashing lights and the swinging “stop” sign – all drivers in every direction should stop and wait until all students are safely out of the way.
They do a routine check after every route.
After all the students have gotten off the bus, it is required that drivers walk the entire length of the bus to make sure no one has been left behind. You’d be surprised to find children dozing off at the back of the bus or still sitting and focused on their smartphones. After confirming the bus is empty, the driver puts a sign in the back window to indicate that the bus has emptied.
They can find out who left the clutter.
One of the many duties school bus drivers have is to clean up the vehicle at the end of the day. They find many sorts of mess scattered around the bus – from chewed-up gums stuck on seats to pencils to textbooks. Since bus drivers assign seats, they can easily find out which child was sitting there and who is the culprit that made the mess.
They have ample free time during the day.
School bus drivers have a lot of free time between the morning pick-up and late afternoon or evening drop-off. They can drop the vehicle at the garage and use their free time to nap, run some errands, see a movie, hit the gym, visit a coffee shop, catch up on their studies, or do anything they want.
They enjoy free field trips.
One of the perks of being a school bus driver is the free admission to venues that make up the school field trip itinerary. Drivers do not have to stay with the bus while the group is having fun at a destination. If the trip takes place during lunchtime, drivers also enjoy free food and drinks.
Driver seniority has its benefits.
School bus drivers who have been on the job long enough to gain seniority can enjoy certain benefits. That includes, of course, earning more money. In some districts, drivers with higher seniority graduate to smaller, van-type buses, which means fewer students on board. They sometimes also benefit from having a bus monitor riding with them to keep everything under control while the bus is on the road.
Bus drivers appreciate the appreciation.
Driving a school bus is not easy – the safety of the children is essentially in their hands. It’s also a serious and, often, thankless job. Drivers get yelled at or sometimes ignored. They also have to get tough when dealing with difficult and disruptive kids. So, please don’t wait until the end of the school year to show your bus driver that you appreciate and care for them. A nice gift, a box of homemade treats, or a ticket to their favorite ballgame can show them they’re appreciated and valued. These gestures will indeed touch drivers! These acts of kindness and gratitude can also help open the lines of communication.
Here are some of the secrets that can help you better understand a school bus driver’s duty.
Being a school bus driver is neither a cushy nor glamorous job. Like other professions, driving a school bus has its unique challenges. But it has excellent benefits, such as a stable salary, flexible schedule, summers off, and the chance to interact with children. Many bus drivers love being a part of their young passengers’ lives as they grow up and develop into young adults.
Of course, the best PA school bus drivers know all these secrets. Despite the difficulties and challenges and because of the benefits, they have grown to love their job more each day. What most people don’t understand is that retirement-aged people also fill these jobs and love them as much as a younger driver.
For more information about the requirements to become a school bus driver in Pennsylvania, learn more about the current positions available at https://schoolbushero.com/jobs.