I am a school bus driver and have been for the past 12 years. There are many reasons that I drive a bus, but the main reason is that I truly care about the kids. They are the reason that I and a lot of my co-workers drive school buses. In my case, not having children of my own, this fills a void in my life, permitting me to spend time with a lot of great kids. I have to admit there are a few days when I am happy to send them back to their parents. As in life or with any job, there are times when a group of people are characterized by the actions of a few. There have been a few reports lately of drivers failing to do their job in a professional manner. One example was the driver who left a child on a bus after failing to check the bus at the conclusion of its run. Another driver left a child off the bus far from that child's regular stop. Still another report was of a driver driving recklessly and running a red light. Such incidents are unacceptable, and I am sure the bus companies involved took corrective action. As usual, the bad things that occur make the news, but very seldom does anyone hear about the good things that the drivers do. The drivers with whom I drive are very dedicated and do an excellent job. A driver has the responsibility of 72 to 84 children on the bus at any one time. The driver has the responsibility of transporting them safely and also maintaining order on the bus. When the problems with weather and traffic are factored in, this can add to a very stressful day. As we all know, dealing with a group of people, whether they are adults or children, can lead to disagreements, and sometimes this can lead to parents meeting or contacting the school administration. In closing, I would like to make a comment to the parents of the children who ride a school bus on a daily basis. If one's child has a problem with another child on the bus, or if a child has any problem, the child should talk with the driver. Most of the time the issue can be resolved. There are rules and guidelines that the drivers and children must follow. If the rules are followed by all parties involved, there should not be any problems.
