I'm on a rant...school busses

[DavisBeefmasters]

You think parents would respect the fact you care enough not to put their children in horrendous/deadly driving conditions RR . :roll:

I have the utmost respect for you being a school bus driver, it can be a hellacious job. :clap:

It's likely the parents of the little stinker that are griping - they don't want to stay home with the little stinkers today either -- or better yet... leave them at home unsupervised so they can terrorize at will!

 

[msscamp]

Some on the board are school bus drivers, some send the kids to school on busses. I am a school bus driver in a rural area.

My rant today is:

People, parents, School buses not the Postal Service. Bus drivers do not operate under the clause "neither sleet or rain or snow will stop the post office" We don't haul cattle or equipment. We transport other peoples kids. It's an awesome responsibility!

End of rant

Just had to unload

RR

I'm not sure what the point is.

I'm with you, Ryder.

 

[rockridgecattle]

It was just a rant.
A bad day driving school bus during a nasty snow storm and a parent who thought that because their 4 wheel drive truck could make it down their blown in road with a ditch on both sides, a 54 passenger school bus could. Did i mention that on a good day, this is a one lane road with a bit of a shoulder?
What the parents failed to realize even though they see the bus every day, a bus is the widest vehicle on the road...a side from wide loaded trucks. And just because a 1/2 ton truck could make it does not make it safe for a school bus. A school bus has a harder time recovering from being thrown from a snow drift just because of sheer weight and size. And if I got thrown and ended up in the ditch, the bus would have had to been pulled out. Now, pulling out a bus is not as easy as it sounds. All students must be off the bus and at least 100 feet away and without adult supervision. The time outside can be any wheres from 15 minutes to almost an hour depending on the tractor which comes to pull it out. Now add in 0 visibility, kids on the road since the choice is the road, the ditch or the bush, and the risk of frost bite because it was rather cold, and since older kids do not dress the part of a Manitoba winter....we have the makings of a nasty problem.
My rant was that as bus drivers we are charged with not just one family or our family on a school bus, but many families. For me it is 19 families. I have to be concerned for all their safety, not just one. My actions have consequences....so if choosing safety is our priority as a school bus driver...please accept that...and realize there is more on the school bus than just your kids...that was my rant.
But i feel better now. Storm was on friday, all roads cleared for the Monday run, and -44 C with the wind chill....

 

[VanC]

It was just a rant.
A bad day driving school bus during a nasty snow storm and a parent who thought that because their 4 wheel drive truck could make it down their blown in road with a ditch on both sides, a 54 passenger school bus could. Did i mention that on a good day, this is a one lane road with a bit of a shoulder?
What the parents failed to realize even though they see the bus every day, a bus is the widest vehicle on the road...a side from wide loaded trucks. And just because a 1/2 ton truck could make it does not make it safe for a school bus. A school bus has a harder time recovering from being thrown from a snow drift just because of sheer weight and size. And if I got thrown and ended up in the ditch, the bus would have had to been pulled out. Now, pulling out a bus is not as easy as it sounds. All students must be off the bus and at least 100 feet away and without adult supervision. The time outside can be any wheres from 15 minutes to almost an hour depending on the tractor which comes to pull it out. Now add in 0 visibility, kids on the road since the choice is the road, the ditch or the bush, and the risk of frost bite because it was rather cold, and since older kids do not dress the part of a Manitoba winter....we have the makings of a nasty problem.
My rant was that as bus drivers we are charged with not just one family or our family on a school bus, but many families. For me it is 19 families. I have to be concerned for all their safety, not just one. My actions have consequences....so if choosing safety is our priority as a school bus driver...please accept that...and realize there is more on the school bus than just your kids...that was my rant.
But i feel better now. Storm was on friday, all roads cleared for the Monday run, and -44 C with the wind chill....

Never driven a school bus but I'm with you 100%. You're responsible for everyone's safety, and if that means an inconvenience for one or two, then that's tough. My view is that the people with the 4x4 should have got off their whiney, lazy butts and taken their kids to school if it was that important to them.

 

[msscamp]

It was just a rant.
A bad day driving school bus during a nasty snow storm and a parent who thought that because their 4 wheel drive truck could make it down their blown in road with a ditch on both sides, a 54 passenger school bus could. Did i mention that on a good day, this is a one lane road with a bit of a shoulder?
What the parents failed to realize even though they see the bus every day, a bus is the widest vehicle on the road...a side from wide loaded trucks. And just because a 1/2 ton truck could make it does not make it safe for a school bus. A school bus has a harder time recovering from being thrown from a snow drift just because of sheer weight and size. And if I got thrown and ended up in the ditch, the bus would have had to been pulled out. Now, pulling out a bus is not as easy as it sounds. All students must be off the bus and at least 100 feet away and without adult supervision. The time outside can be any wheres from 15 minutes to almost an hour depending on the tractor which comes to pull it out. Now add in 0 visibility, kids on the road since the choice is the road, the ditch or the bush, and the risk of frost bite because it was rather cold, and since older kids do not dress the part of a Manitoba winter....we have the makings of a nasty problem.
My rant was that as bus drivers we are charged with not just one family or our family on a school bus, but many families. For me it is 19 families. I have to be concerned for all their safety, not just one. My actions have consequences....so if choosing safety is our priority as a school bus driver...please accept that...and realize there is more on the school bus than just your kids...that was my rant.
But i feel better now. Storm was on friday, all roads cleared for the Monday run, and -44 C with the wind chill....

Ahhhh, I understand now. Thank you for the clarification, and my respect for being willing to accept this responsibility. It is not something to be taken lightly, as you obviously know. Good job, Rockridge! :clap: :clap:

 

[Ryder]

I'm with Msscamp. :nod:

 

[GMN]

My hats off to you, very hard to find good bus drivers, who really care about the kids.My kids had one for years, until the school system changed all the routes, and he got fed up, and retired. He was the best!

GMN