I been driving a school bus for ten years and I love my job. I think the reason is I have the best of both worlds, if I have a problem with the boss then all I have to do is get on the bus and see all the wonderfull smiling faces of my passengers, plus I work outside all day. But the best part is all the other drivers are like family they will laugh at you when you make a mistake and cry when you need it. I have been around many bus barns and everyone is like family and that makes the job the best in the whole world!

I only have about 1 1/2 years of bus driving under my seat after swearing at the ripe old age of 25 that I would never get another CDL! Back then diapers and gear shifts just could mesh.

My first bus drving was in NW Montana. Loved relearning everything and learning new things about drving big vehicles on snow and ice. There I enjoyed my job cause I knew all of the kids and until accepting the job had been on the School Board. It was great to know that some one had confidence in me to get the job done. The boss was over 70 miles away so only saw him when necessary or they were making a trip into Kalispell and stopped by. I loved the fact that someone from the office would call about once a week just to check on me.

Then we moved to Hawaii and my severe lack of a suntan kinda stands out here but most of the drivers don't see that and have been great to help me and give me some direction or suggestions. They know I'm a rookie but I don't feel like I'm at the bottom of the pile!

I see a trend of driverscomming and going and I think the reason is that to them it is about money not proffessionalism. Time and time again I here from drivers "I'm not making enough money or I'm not getting enough work". economy moves people from one place to another as we have seen gas and oil sore and wages seem to shrink. If we want to get and keep good bus drivers there needs to be a change in the way school systems view bus drivers and be willing to dig deeper to pay them.

Steve I enjoy reading your mail and your thoughts. I have been with our school district for now over 33years. I started as a sub bus driver and moved through the ranks. Can you amagin how hard it was 33 years ago trying to support a family driving a bus? My # 1 priority was then and still are the student that we transport. I went from sub driver to full time driver, to driver trainer, to Safety Officer and presently the Shop Foreman and being second in command for our transportation department, I take each day as a new challenge in making sure to the very best of my ability to make sure the equipment we transport our most precious cargo is safe.

First, the entire composition of a department has much to do with why some districts retain drivers and others lose so many. This composition begins with supervision. How does the supervisor relate to the staff? Are the staff persons involved in more than just driving the bus?

I find it then trickles into the other aspects of the job. How much chatter and idle gossip occur in the drivers' lounge? How well do the drivers and the other members of the team relate? Are the drivers supported with student management issues?

From my experience, the departments where all members of the team can truly work cohesively are the departments where the greatest successes occur -- successes in driver retentions, in rider safety and in efficiency.

Secondly, I believe driver retention has much to do with the overall work ethic and pride in one's job.

Far too few persons are willing to take a job where they are liable for seemingly everything while maneuvering a 30-ton commercial vehicle through streets filled with countless hazards, all with backs turned to 60, 70, or 80 students. On top of all this, the salary is lower than what many would expect to be paid. That type of a situation truly creates two extremes: the folks who are doing the job to make a difference and the folks who are doing the job because "it's a job."

The societal shift where a strong and driven work ethic was once commonplace has created a unique set of challenges when employers attempt to find the right bus driver.

Everyone needs the “difference makers,” the persons who come in early to clean their bus, the persons who know their riders so well they sense when something is wrong. We are fortunate that the majority of persons in our industry are the types who do the job to make a difference.

I just recently left a position I had been at for 5 years at Head Start. I loved the people I worked with and it was a very hard decision to leave. The reason I left was for better opportunity and more money. I work for a bigger school district and I have to say the closeness is not the same at a much smaller school. I have met a lot of nice people and yet have met some people who seemed to have nothing good to say. It is very easy to get pulled into the negative talk. My approach to it is go do my job and enjoy the kids they are why I do this job.

I've been a Transportation Supervisor in up-state New York for going on 10 years now. I started with school bus driving and went up threw the ranks as driver, mechanic, dispatcher/19A/SBDI to TS. During those years I have worked for all types of bosses and have delt with a wide range of John Q public. One thing that I have learned is that you have to be consistent & fair in everything that you do. Don't play favors-it will get you into trouble everytime! As long as you treat people fair and are consistent with the good times as well as the tough ones, your employees & the public will respond in a positive way. After all, you are only as good as your staff that work for you! I love my job & really enjoy working with the students & staff of my school district. I can see myself being a lifer at this position, that is if God's willing and the creeks don't rise (as my grandmother used to say). Good luck on your article and I hope to see more of the same in the future months!! If you have any questions or comments, PLEASE feel free to send me an E-mail! I love to talk about my experiences with school children & school transportation! Take Care! Paul Harrington-Avoca CSD

Things have changed!!!

The school bus profession has gone through a great metamorphose since the on set of the federal CDL License process. (Most of the changes were for the better, some not so good!) It is my opinion that we have raised the bar of professionalism with our drivers; however we must not forget that we are an ancillary service to assist in the education process. While a very important part of that process! We must all continue to do our part to help educate the Educators. We in the business know our jobs, our safety numbers are proof to show that the people in our business our very caring group of individuals. Who else would drive down the road with their back towards up to 80 plus students!

We have taken a once referred to as a part time job and now made it a full time profession. Once again, this metamorphose has happened in an overall very short period of time in the scheme of life. We are working with all different driver seniorities from us old timers with 25 + years of experience who know the past, good, bad or indifferent to our new people who are coming in to the field as bus professionals. The key to success is to blend this group for the common cause, the safety of our kids!

We here in Ohio strive to employ Bus Professionals not just Bus Drivers!

I have been in the school bus industry for about 18 years and have found it to be the most rewarding job I have ever had.It is certainly not for the pay. I have never had a more caring group of people to work with in all my experiences. Weather it is a machanic, bus attendant, driver, fellow supervisor, parent, or teacher we all seem to come together for the best interest of the children. Although the best rewards come from the children I have found that simple recognition from a supervisor at the right time can mean all the difference in the world. The key to that is it has to be sincere and meaningful.To often when we become supervisors we seem to forget what it is like to be behind the wheel on a stormy winter day or when the students are less than cooperative. Let us never forget that feeling because it was usually that feeling that got us where we are today.We all bleed YELLOW when it comes to the children and a good pat on the back doesn't cost a dime.Just like a great umpire or referee the best jobs go unnoticed. Thank you to all of you for the work you do for our kids.
For the Children

Tom Cirrincione
Head Bus Driver
Monroe #1 Boces
Fairport, NY, 14450

I drove a school bus for 13 years. It was definately the hardest job I ever had but I enjoyed it more than any job I have ever had. I worked with several people who had over 25 yrs experience. We had a new Superintendent come in and they have lost 75% of their drivers. The problem with the Transportation Dept. at our school is the "politics" of the school system. I know the people who drive buses for a lot of years don't do it for the money but because they enjoy the job. It is the most unappreciated job in the Education system. There is not another job with more responsibility and thet requires as much training. You are the least respected from the students all the way up to the Superintendent and Board of Education. There needs to be a National Bus Drivers Association that will implement National Rules & Regs and stand up for the driver. The safety of the children should be the most important thing not the nepotism of a small town school board. When the CDL requirments were implemented every state should be required to adhere by the physical rules of that CDL. Can you explain to me why that is not the case? I would really like some input on this.
I miss my bus and the kids.

Dr. Ed Deming is quoted as saying the "Quality begins in the board room". Essentially what he is referring to is that if leadership is not effective in their role then the rest of the organization tends to be disfunctional as well. This produces employee turnover. Leadership has to study and become proficient at their servant role to the worker - it is our job to make sure that the folks on the front line understand their mission, are well trained, have the resources they need, are well treated by the organization and that problems/barriers are solved and removed from the operation. Often leadership takes the other route and views their role not as servant but as master. They see their work as the most important and all other work is minimized in comparison. They don't have time to praise and support but lots of time to criticize and second guess. It's the difference between trying to push a string across a flat surface and pulling that string across the surface. Good leadership knows the importance of pronouns - we vs I - look what we did. All of these things add up to either low loyalty/high turnover or high loyalty and retention among the people actually doing the customer contact work. My experience says that servant leadership equals effective leadership and spawns productive, low turnover operations.

I love to read all these comments. They are all very true and strong in thier own right. My own experience has been 15 yrs of holding the CA. School bus cert. I am seriousely concidering letting it go. I have driven for all ages through 12th grd. and only some special ed. It has not mattered about the district size- you either click with everyone or you do not. I have left my last job for several reasons- It is very hard to take attitude from a super that has never bothered to really learn your job, that will not take the time to learn the things that a driver deals with daily. The person in charge and I appearently were not seeing eye to eye on several things (after 4 & 1/2 yrs) but I was also in a position to perform home care for an aging parent. The district I left behind had some great people- the drivers. The people in charge were making it more and more difficult to keep a mouth shut and keep your eyes blind to how they treat thier employees- especially the most recent, or ones that want to be allowed to work more hours like with other departments.( appearently "the budget" needed to look better for somebody's retirement to go smoother ?) I miss the kids and the parents that truely appreciated the work that comes with being a school bus driver- THE SAFETY for thier children. There comes a time when you have to say -I'm done- I had always seen myself as retiring from a driver's position but things do change in our lives. I am thankful for the kids that have shown the respect to me and my position and the gifts and treats they have shared over the years, the parents true thankfulness for the extra efferts I gave them, my co-workers support and lunch room chatter to forget the events that needed to be forgotten. School bus drivers will allways have the respect of myself and anyone that has been close to me.

Steve,

I don't know the secret, just bits and pieces here and there that might eventually lead to the one secret that reveals all.

I do believe that the bus drivers that remain have connected in sorts of ways with their workplace environment, a sense of joining and acceptance in a work that they truly love.

I don't know how my mind would remain energized without the brilliance that middle school age children provide me day in and day out. For me, they are not the worst kids I've driven, but are the most brilliant teachers an adult could hope to come across.

And that they teach me opens the door to an opportunity to return the favor, to give back something that perhaps may change the life of a child for the better.

And so it may be that watching a defiant child embrace calmness and to succeed in some small way may be the juice that keeps some drivers behind the wheel and regardless of any disruptive and unkind anomalies in other areas of their profession.

I've been in many much better paying positions that my skills provided for me, yet, none have I felt as rich than driving school bus all these years.

I'm wealthy because of my life-experiences behind the wheel of a school bus and appreciate the energy that entered my life shortly after letting go of my prestige acquired in other professions in life and embracing this work with all my heart, skills and persistent efforts mustered to the front lines and in the effort to help save one life.

I love my work. (jk)

I have been with our distict for 19yrs. I came from a Bus driving position in a different state where I worked for 3 yrs.
The reason that I started the great job was because I wanted weekends off and holidays the same as my young daughter. The reason I have stayed at my job is first of all my friends here,we are like family. I work 5 mins from my house, I think the pay is good and the benifits are great.
I moved up from Bus Driver to Dispatcher and have been in that position for two yrs.
My Supervisor is great to work for,and thats what keeps me here.

I think that you have brought up a very important subject when it comes to the school bus industry. I know first hand what a bad supervisor and toxic employees can do to a transportation department.

Six years ago we aquired a new supervisor who was very open to suggestions from all of the staff on how we could make our department a better place to work. That opened the door to change for us. With strong and credible leadership we were able to turn our department around to be a more positive place to work. Most of the toxic employees left because they did not agree with the vision that the rest of us had for the future of our department.

Some of the other things that we changed was how we supported the drivers with their jobs.
We made big changes to our training program. Our driver trainers are constantly working with our drivers to help them not only develop their driving skills but also their student management skills which we feel is the tougest part of their jobs . I have recently learned that a lot of school bus facilities do not have extensive student management training for their drivers like we do. I found this to be very unfortunate because if a driver is not sucessful in student management, they will not stay with the job. It becomes to frustrating for them with out the proper training and support.

Building positive and trusting relationships with the drivers is also very important.It is also important to empower the drivers by showing them that they are capable and worthy of being sucessful at their jobs.

Bus garages seem to have this terrible stereo type of being breeding grounds for negativity and employeeing people who cannot get any other kind of job. I have seen and heard this many times in my 12 years of working in the industry. In the past, even school district administrators have looked down their noses at us. Not any more.Where I work, we have worked had to break that stereo type by getting more involved with our drivers and the school districts administrators. We have finally built a bridge between us and them which has been very beneficial to the whole school district.

It has taken us five years to re-build our department into a positive and enthusiastic place to work but the time and effort that we have put into it has been well worth it. Our drivers tend to stay longer and they are also constantly referring others to us for employment. We have a reputation now as being the place to want to work for school bus drivers.That is a great feeling.

Another thing that is really important is the hiring process. We are very selective in who we hire. Our applicants have to go through many hoops before we will hire them. We also have an interview panel and everyone must agree on the applicant or we do not hire them. This process has been very favorable for us.

With great leadership, team work, and forward thinking people we have over come a great deal of issues. All for the better.

Last fall one of my former students came up to me and apologized for his behavior on the bus. He wasn't the worst I had nor was he the best but he finally matured enough to know what he did could have dangerous consequences. I also had a girl tell me that they stopped riding the bus after I left because the bus drivers after could not control the bus. She also retold this story to another school employee that was not a us driver. So what you do and how you do it does make a difference it just takes awhile sometimes. This is a job you have to love or you will not stay with it. You either put your heart and soul into it or you just earn a paycheck. It is too bad that good bus drivers have given up their jobs because of bad leadership. It is really sad that the Education Industry does not give the support, credit, and pay that bus drivers deserve.

This may be a little difficult for me to comment as I'm a new employee in the school bus industry. I've been at it almost a year and half now, having come off a 25-plus year stint in my previous job. I left the rat race of the corporate world to pursue a life long interest in school bus driving and it has been a positive experience so far. I get along great with the kids, fellow workers, administration and transportation officials. One never knows for sure how a new venture will turn out, but if the first 18 months are any indication, I expect this to be a long lasting and positive experience for me.

Geoff Bridgman, Driver
Pocono Mountain School District
Swiftwater, PA

As a school bus driver who has worked both full-time and as a substitute I have found the job very fulfilling over the years (20 or so, off and on!). Who knows more about the "pulse" of the community than the school bus drivers. I have always worked both a "professional" job at the same time I drove a school bus and have usually found the camaraderie among transportation people much more genuine and enjoyable! I am now in a position that doesn't allow me the time to drive a bus anymore and I find that I miss it a great deal! I miss the interaction with my colleagues and the student passengers that used to brighten part of my day. I hope that, before I get too old, I might once again get behind the wheel of the big yellow bus!