I Played K-Pop On The Bus… And 30 Kids Lost Their Minds

We trade a quiet bus for a safe one and prove that loud joy can coexist with clear rules. From K‑pop sing‑alongs to white‑knuckle winter roads, we unpack safety tradeoffs, parent questions, and the small fixes that make routes better.

• veteran advice on monitoring safety over volume
• K‑pop energy with first graders and why it worked
• snow day stress, waiver talk, and neighborhood roads
• seat belt questions and compartmentalization explained
• moving a three‑way stop for safer crossings
• inspection tags, incentives, and mechanic pride
• kids are watching: professionalism with humor
• using parents as partners without threats
• ticket rewards that actually shift behavior
• winter pre‑trips and frozen rear door checks
• radio etiquette, waves, and everyday courtesy

If you have stories from the road, please email them. If you’re comfortable, we’ll put you on the show for a quick interview about the story

“These are our stories from the driver’s seat—our opinions only, not our  employer’s or school district’s. Student safety and privacy always come first, so no names, faces, routes, or ‘you know that kid’ details ever make it on the podcast.

Email us at schoolbusbanter@gmail.com

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Transcript

Loud Rides And Safe Chaos

SPEAKER_02 0:23

You're listening to School Bus Banter. Oh, hell, what episode are we on? Are we on number four? Yeah, that's how's that for an intro? Number four. Oh, I'm gonna go right into it, Jair. I'm Joe, by the way. I'm gonna go right into it. Today was one of the loudest ride homes that I've had. Like my whole day was loud. And I was given some really good advice from one of our veteran drivers where look in your mirror. Are they being safe? Are they are they sitting down? Are they being safe? Are they loud? That's you know, that's fine. And unless they're screaming, but they weren't. It started. I had a field trip this afternoon, first graders, and we went to another district, tight ass roads with snow everywhere, and maneuvered through, got the kids dropped off. By the time we got parked, we only had like a half an hour before we had to maneuver through and pick them up again. And they got on and they I could just tell they had tons and tons of energy. And these are your kids at your midday, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Oh, um which grade? First grade?

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Well, it's first, it's first grade.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

So I don't think you have first no, I don't deal with first.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Yeah, it's another one of our co-workers that has them. She was at the door.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Oh, okay.

K‑Pop Concert On Wheels

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Um, and I could just tell, like, you know, they had a lot of energy, and they were telling me about like what they saw inside at the performing arts center and stuff. And and I look at the teacher because there's one teacher with all the kids, and I said, Is it okay if I play some music? And she goes, Yeah, that's fine. So I put on K pop Demon Hunters, right? You did. Oh no, I did, I did. I am so serious when the entire bus screamed and then proceeded to sing every word to every song. Yeah, they knew every word, and one kid behind me was bouncing, you know, he was in the cushions of the seat, so it's fine. And he goes, I've seen this movie 40 times. And I'm like, Well, I know who's babysitting you. Um, it was uh the the coolest thing, it was just the whole bus, all of them, and we did that all the way back to the school, and then I don't know if maybe I carried that energy into the afternoon run, but when I picked up my K through four, it was that same excitement. And I look in my rear view mirror and I'm like, I heard like 42 conversations going on, and I look in my rear view mirror, they're all sitting down. There, there's I don't even think there's a knee in the aisle, and they're all just having these conversations with each other, and I'm trying to, you know, like listen in and stuff. They've got birthday parties going on. It was just, I don't know, it was what it was a great day. It was noisy, but it was a great day. And I my ears are ringing right now, and I'm probably talking really loud because I'm still coming off of that. It was just it was a fun, noisy day, and I'm kind of wondering like if other bus drivers allow that. Like, do you do you keep it at a no uh uh classroom level? You're supposed to be like at a level one or something, because it doesn't bother me because they're having conversations and they're singing and talking, they're planning. They're I love the okay. When I get off the bus at 4 30, I'm going to knock on your door. No, I have to go back and ask my mom first, and then I gotta I can knock on your door and see if you can play. Like they're making plans. It's that's adorable. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

You do you do have some energy tonight?

SPEAKER_02 4:01

You are just I had some caffeine.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Uh yeah, wow. Yeah, so the K-pop thing. So what's interesting is like I play K pop for my kids every Friday. Yes, K-popy Friday, yeah, only on Friday, and they love it and they have fun, and there's like a lot of energy. But what happened with you is chances are their bus driver doesn't do that, and so they just had this like this is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my life on the bus. And that's why the energy was so high, yeah. But so I'm happy for you that that happened. That is such a cool thing because they I guarantee, not all of them, I guarantee, because the boys hate it, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Because on my bus, not my boys. Oh, they they were singing it.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Nope. And I and they get mad at me and they're like, Well, what what we want to listen to music. Oh, I'm like, okay, what do you want to listen to? They go, Mm. I'm like, no, it's not safe for work. Yeah, you're gonna have to give me something that they'll play the edited one. It's it's it's cut out, but it we get the gist of it. We ain't playing MM. I love MM. I play it on my own stuff, but we can't do that.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

So mine say the same thing, MM.

Midwest Winter And Snow Day Fatigue

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Yeah, yeah. So, but no, that's a cool story. I'm glad you had that because like with this uh weather that we've been having here where we are in the Midwest, it's been grueling. Oh grueling, and I know we only we had one snow day this week, we had four last week, and it's just been tough, it's been draining, uh, especially I you know, you drive a midday, I drive a midday, and you know, being on the highway and trying to tackle, you know, everyone's still going to work. You know what I mean? You just add a bunch of snow, it's it's been grueling. So I'm glad you had that little pick me up today with those.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Yeah, it was good. You know, and if every day can't, you know, obviously can't be like that. I just I kind of wanna, you know, the people that'll find this podcast and listen, I'd just I'd be really anxious to hear like, you know, does it bother you, like that noise going on behind you? Is it distracting or because I just yeah, for me, I I let it go until screams happen.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

I can tune, it's amazing. I I think it's because I know I have a limited amount of time with the kids, and so I can handle the scream, or not the scream, but I can handle the loud noise. Like I can handle quite a bit, and people always ask, don't you get distracted? I'm like, nah, not really. What I get distracted for is kids be bopping around in my aisles, and then I'm like pissed. Yeah, like I'm like, hey, we're gonna crack some skulls. Just kidding. That when I say that, that's just a figure of speech. I obviously don't do that. So, anyways, thank you for tuning in for episode four. Just quick business email, schoolbusbanter at gmail.com. We have gotten so much email, that's a lie. We've got zero. Um, and then our Facebook group, the link is in the description. Again, tons of people, just kidding. It's just Joe and I. So it's like that's it. But we know it's new, it's gonna take some time. We literally only have is it two episodes out? I know we've recorded.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

What you posted?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Oh no, episode two comes out um February this Monday. Was it February one, three, six? I don't know. February two.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

That sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

The next episode comes out. So we know it's gonna take some time, but if you do have some stories from the road that we're gonna talk about next, please email them. Um, we'll actually, if you're comfortable, we'll put you on the show. This quick interview about the story. Oh, that'd be fun. That would be a lot of fun. All righty, Joe Joe, Jojo stories from the road. Do you want to go first? Do you want me to go?

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Yeah, well, your segue there. This is that's good. And then the snow days. Um, we're we maxed it. We're we're done. We're maxed it. So our district has three ways of making up snow days. So if we go on to snow day seven, eight, nine, whatever, we're supposed to make those up at the end of the year, right? That's the biggest, that's always the threat. We're gonna you're if you go over six, we make it up in the end of the year. I've been dr I've born and raised in this district. I've never had to go um past the last, you know, planned calendar school day. But um, so they say we can, you know, add days on after we can add minutes to the day that we existing have to the rest of the scale. That's never happened either. The rest of the calendar year, add minutes to the day. That's never happened. Or what everybody does, because it was almost statewide, or or at least half the statewide of every district closing, you apply for that waiver, you apply for the waiver, and you ask for forgiveness on those snow days. And I know surrounding districts that have gone over the six that we've had, um, they've already applied for three days, three more days, so that they can go to nine.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

I don't understand all the waivers we have for school. Like, oh hey, you can't start school until after Labor Day.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Oh, but you can apply for a waiver and you can do what you want, and you can't start school unless you had all these vaccines. Oh, that's gonna open up a whole thing, but then you just get a waiver, watch a video, and you can go to school now.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

It's just like we have all these rules, and then um, and don't get me wrong, I want them to get rid of those days. I don't want to go to school any longer if I don't have to. But as far as our district goes, and every district is different uh depending on um your your contract, uh, if you have a contract or whatever your association, uh ours is we get paid half days for the first six days, and then we get full pay from any days after the sixth day. So we're on full daytime now, and and you know, as we record this on January 29, you know, we got a month and maybe six weeks of winter left. So there is a possibility that we're gonna be, and this has been a shitty winter, yeah. And so I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

I mean, uh it's winter. I don't know if it's been a shitty it's winter. This is this is how it used to be, babe. I mean, this is how it's it's don't don't grade me.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

You're not that much older than me. You act like you, you know, grew up in the 40s. Yeah, I know, and that did not happen, so right.

Seat Belts, Compartmentalization, And Safety

SPEAKER_02 10:22

It's changed though. It had because now it's just more sporadic. Like it was so hot this summer. I remember sitting on the porch going, it's gonna be a bad winter because of how hot it was. I don't know, it's just a feeling. I didn't put it out there, I didn't make a bet or anything. I'm just like, it's gonna be a bad winter, and it is, but bad meaning it's just yeah, we just we've gotten the snow.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah, I think we're at almost 60 inches, and we average like 77 a year.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Is that okay? I thought we were over our average, but no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

I I just looked at the stat last night. Okay, so we're we're close. It's a lot, and in the you are right, we are uh this is a true Midwest winter. We've had some pretty weak winters the last five, oh, probably the last 10 years, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Other than that polar vortex, which was 2019, I think. Yeah, that was a the kids were off for a week.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

I remember going down. Um we had to get to a concert. We had to get to the um concert downtown. And uh we had to go. And uh it was a yeah, it was a blizzard. I remember that. I think we had over ten, over ten or fifteen snow days that year.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

We had a lot. We had a lot. All right.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

You got a couple other things. Do you want me to jump in or um let's see?

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Well, okay, yeah. We talked about um do you have anything to add about snow days?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Nope.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Okay. So last episode we talked about inspections were going on. And I just want to kind of go over um if anybody else again wants to chime in about this. But I was talking to our mechanic in the bus lounge, and I said, How's it going? And he's like, Well, good. We'll have nine buses in a row that are green tag, green, good, good, number one, good, number two, good, you know, all the way. And then it's like he has to find something wrong because you can't have a hundred percent of a good fleet.

unknown 12:25

Really?

SPEAKER_02 12:26

So how are you supposed to like yeah? He he's now something that he usually maybe would uh overlooked or said a verbal, hey, fix this. He would just do a yellow tag. Um, there I think there was a red tag, but there's no a hundred percent across the board, no matter how good these buses are, and these are good buses. We have an awesome mechanic, we have good drivers that prep their buses for these inspections. Most do. I'm gonna say 99.9% do. And we have somebody that helps us pre-inspect before it goes to the inspector. So that driver's doing, you know, like a little extra work to get the buses ready, you know, get everything cleared out if you forgot to take anything down. And still the inspector guy is like, no, we'll never, you'll never have a hundred percent, even if you do have a hundred percent, he'll just find something.

The Tricky Three‑Way Stop Dilemma

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah, I mean, they can find something. But it may not be fair, it it may not be a red tag issue, it may not even be a yellow tag, but he's gonna find something that that is bent or you know, it's not gonna put a bus out of service, but like that's his job though. Like, he's going to find it, but it doesn't mean that he's gonna tag it.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Is that is that kind of what the vibe I'm getting from you as far as I um no, yeah, but he tags it just to have just to yeah, just to have something on there, yeah. Oh and that's why Mark was like frustrated because it was just well that's crappy. It is that's why I did. That's why I was just kind of, you know, it was my um, I should have put it under what grinds my gears, but um, I was just kind of like blown away by the fact that wouldn't you want to go and inspect a whole fleet that had a hundred percent and then just go off there and say, Yeah, I just came from this district and they had a hundred percent, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

No, because he had he has to qualify his job. He can't go back to his boss and say these are all perfect, he he can't do it.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Well, that just sucks.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

It's just the business of what he's in. He he can't he can't go back to his boss and say this district was perfect, and the boss is gonna look at him like, so what are you doing there then?

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Like right, but wouldn't that be more positive than haha, I got you.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

100% I agree. I'm on your team, but I I know how the real you know, although it's not business, it's the state police, I think that does it. So it's it's still part of the government, but it is kind of a scam, you know what I mean? I mean, I I would like it to see like okay, you guys did so good last year, we you're good for we're gonna do a two-year, you know what I mean? It's just a money grab. If you're a shitty district, I'm coming back every year. But if you do great, we'll do two years.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

We um wrote something in the contract for our mechanics to get a bonus, yeah. You know, to have you know some good number. I don't know what that was or if they made it, but it's pretty crappy. If the bus was good, it would have been a green tag, but then he just went, nah, we'll just do a yellow tag.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

I think I I could be wrong, but I think the contract was written as once it's finished with inspection, if it's a hundred percent, it gets it's included in the bonus. So that's even after the repair.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

So I think I don't know, but yeah. All right, we're getting in the weeds.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

One more on story from the road. I want to go over because um I had a parent um actually come up to my door uh this week or last week. I don't know, we weren't in school last week, but and say, um, how come there's no seat belts on the buses? And I I investigated a little bit um as far as that goes, because so some of the other buses that um are around our district, they do have seat belts, but um the only comment I came up with was we are statistically accident shown that because we're up higher and the cars are smaller, you know, they're gonna go under the kids, like where they sit. And the compartments are built, the compartments from seat to seat are built structured so that if the kid is sitting bottom to bottom, back to back, um, their injuries will be less or to none because they have that cushion and that you know that safety part in there. Is that is that right that I said that?

Inspections, Tags, And Mechanic Frustrations

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Yeah, I think that's I've never looked it up, but I've been told that it is like I always explain it because the kids ask me from time to time, you know. I'm like, it's like a mini airbag. If you're sitting properly, like you're supposed to, butt to butt, back to back, it it's going to protect you. You're gonna hit it. It's not like hitting, I mean, it's not gonna explode like an airbag. Like, I don't get in details. I'm like, it's like a mini airbag, it's got a cushion all around you and it's gonna keep you safe. And then I also mentioned, you know, that most cars are gonna go underneath uh the bus. So it's like a but I don't, I mean, that's kind of what I say. Like, I mean, I don't know how else to put it other than that.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Yeah, I mean, we don't as much as I would love to strap about 10 of them in there, yeah. Um, I can't imagine having to try and get them out should we need to quickly, you know.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Yeah, I mean, I think the other buses you were talking about in the district are mostly for special needs kids, and a lot of them need to be buckled in anyways, because you know, as much as we struggle with a few kids here and there that move around, those kids are going to be running up and down the aisles, and there's no like some of them are cognitively impaired and they don't kind of understand, like, hey, I need to sit down to be safe, so I think that's why the belts are on there. But I but can you imagine having to buckle in you know 70 kids? I mean, most of them could probably do it themselves, but like, you know, that what a nightmare. We'd never get home.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

No, no, it would be, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

I have two things. This is gonna be a picture that I'm gonna show Joe, and I know it's gonna be frustrating as an audio listener, but hopefully you'll get the gist of it. But I want to get like her real-time opinion on it because I actually am ignorant on this, and it's about a stop uh where I stop and the issue that I'm having occasionally. So I'm gonna throw that picture up. Um, I don't know if you can see it on there. Um I know where you're at. Okay, so you see that yellow, right? And that driveway right in front. That's my stop. Okay, okay, that's where I stop. So this red line is a car coming, and this car does not stop and keeps going, and I cross kids diagonally right here.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

I have that same issue. You have to back up, you have to back up a driveway or you have to move forward a driveway. That's what I had to do. You can't cry. That's a it's so it's like a try three-way. It's a three-way basically.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

It's a three-way stop.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Except your road that you're on is is a through, correct? Through.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

And the other one's a yield.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Okay, so I had I have that same situation in my um all through my neighborhood, and I had to back up a driveway or move forward a driveway. So then you can stop that either that flow of traffic that way.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

So if you back up a driveway, well, I wouldn't back up, I would go forward. Okay, because one of my one of my students is in that next house forward.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

Yeah. Um either oops, either way, either way that you do it, I think will help fit alleviate um some of that traffic flow that you I understand exactly what you're talking about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

I think I would move forward because the kids I'm crossing Kitty Corner are going down that other street towards the main street, so yeah, it would make more sense to move forward.

SPEAKER_02 20:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Um, so here's my question though. Legality-wise, and is this driver required to stop?

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Uh no, because you're stopping um, you know, before that road.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

I kind of knew that.

SPEAKER_02 20:33

I know kids are crossing, so they should. In in common sense, a driver should legally, I don't think they have to, because you have stopped before that road.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

So I was on Reddit and I was looking at some posts, and some states everyone's required to stop.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Like if this is if this happens in one state, that person that's gonna turn right onto that court has to stop.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Yeah, I can see that too though.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

So I honestly, Joe, I have a couple of stops I'm not super comfortable with.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Get it evaluated, put a um request in. You can have either our boss ride around with you or one of the dispatchers ride with you, and they can take pictures and take notes.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Yeah, I feel bad because so this is not a well uh well-traveled road, but just this week I've had two cars turn and I'm like, God, I gotta do, I gotta do because like it doesn't happen very often, but it just for whatever reason this week it's been maybe it's because I'm I'm behind because of the snow, so I'm timing cars different, but I normally never see anyone there.

Kids Are Watching: A Teachable Moment

SPEAKER_02 21:46

I have a four-way, so add another, you know, um, leg onto that picture there, and I have a four-way stop in my neighborhood, and I backed that up a whole drive because I was stopping at that four-way, and people were kind of looking at me like uh and I'm like, no, I know this isn't right, I know it's not right. So I backed up a whole driveway, and my kids now are you know one driveway removed from that four way and they can cross safely.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Did you you made sure this uh the discount?

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Yeah, it's all it's flat. Everybody can see me. There's no hills. It's the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

No, no, but you made sure it you made the change with the district, though, right? You just didn't do it yourself.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Correct.

unknown 22:25

Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

I went to dispatch and said yes.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

All right. I think I'm going to do that. They're going to be like, but but Jerry, you've you've dropped us for two years you've done this stop, and I'm I'm just going to blame it on the office and just say, well, they felt it was they did a little route review. And it's not that far. You can see the picture. I mean, and that is one of my kids, and they'll probably be ecstatic about it because that they don't have to walk as far in the cold.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

But you're at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Actually, I got two kids out of that building or out of that house.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

So all right. Well, I feel a little better talking it out with you.

SPEAKER_02 23:01

I'll send you my invoice of correcting your problems.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

I mean, honestly, there should be bus bus coaches. Uh, my wife is currently in a nurse coach program, and um, they're starting a program at the hospital, so she's gonna be a nurse coach. Wow, she's still gonna be on the floor, but she's gonna have time. Part of her time is gonna be coaching new nurses or or nurses that need some coaching.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

So because I think once you get your school bus license, they throw you to the wolves. Yeah, that's it. You just you gotta do it, right? But there's there should be somebody riding with you for a bit.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Oh, like an audit, maybe once a year the the dispatcher or your supervisor rides with you and just be like, Oh, this is this is a little wonky. Let's take a look at this. Not to get you in trouble, but like maybe they see something that you don't see, and but okay. My other story, I caught a school employee doing something. Um, I don't have a video.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Is this a video?

SPEAKER_01 24:07

So it's actually another bus driver. I was driving, you know, and and a couple of the kids said something. I was driving down the hill, uh leaving one of the schools, and this driver gave the middle finger. And two of my kids that sit in the right hand, like right behind me, but like on the opposite side, saw the middle finger. And they were like Really? Yeah, and they were like, I just saw that driver give a middle finger.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Can you guess who that was?

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Well, I I can probably pick three people out of out of the fleet that would do that to you.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Yeah, I think I might be staring at them right now.

SPEAKER_02 24:56

Were they scratching their nose?

SPEAKER_01 24:58

You know, I said, like, no way, no way, and and they actually know who you are. And like they said, Joe just gave us the middle finger. I said, absolutely not. She's there they're like, Yes, yes, she did. I was like, no way, she was probably just scratching her nose or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

That's how I push my glasses up, dude.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's I don't know why they would say that. I'm not sure. I I think I see a little redness in your face right now. I'm not I'm not sure about that.

SPEAKER_02 25:32

No, you just said the lighting was shitty over here.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Yeah, but I but you're glowing now.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Yeah, no, you're making this all up. So this to get ratings. Yeah, that's how I push my glasses up.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Okay, you just you're just clarifying for the for the audience. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

So they kids are kids are watching.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Well, especially these two girls. These are Oakstown kids, and and they know me? They know you.

SPEAKER_02 26:01

What did they because I used to drive your route?

SPEAKER_01 26:04

That's what it was. That's what it was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

I had their I had your route before you got on there.

Parent Leverage And Reward Tickets

SPEAKER_01 26:10

Yeah, that's what it was. So no, that couldn't be it because where they are at, um Yeah, they'd be older. Yeah, so they they they did say that you used to drive them. I don't know what it is. I I mean we can't figure it out without saying numbers, and then we'll yeah, but anyways, so I was dying. I was dying, like I played it off, and then so this is fucking 27, we're 28 minutes in, we're selling stories. I was dying today, so I was like, hey, here she comes. I go, do it, I give you permission, let it fly. Today, today, and you notice I I kind of didn't really look at you when you didn't, no, so I was kind of foot like I was like trying not to bust out laughing, and so um then we pass. I'm like, I gave you permission, and she's like, I did it, I just did it behind the C.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

I'm like, oh my okay, so um if you were to go to check the video of my bus, I guarantee you it was so subtle of me pushing my glasses up or whatever that there's no way they could have seen that.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Shit, shit, it was not subtle.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

It was too. Well, I on record, I am not the only one that flips you off.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Oh, on record, I flipped her off. They couldn't see me doing what I did, I didn't admit to that.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Isn't that good trouble?

SPEAKER_01 27:47

I could not wait to talk about this on the show. Like, oh my god, I was gonna tell you, and I was like, You should have led with that. Yeah, I should have, but no, I it I had so much fun yesterday.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

My apologies to those girls because that's really not good leadership.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Oh, and yeah, and and and they said that they know you and they're like, I'm I'm shocked, and I'm like, I am too. I'm I I'm actually appalled.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

It was the first time I've ever did it, and I get caught. First time.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

I know, and I'm like, you noob, you gotta kind of filter it in a little bit. You were just like, boom.

SPEAKER_02 28:25

I did not, dude. You were like more subtle than that.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

You were this is it, this is what you were doing. I know you can't see this audio, but think of a blatant middle finger. That's what Joe did. So, anyways, yeah, that's my story from the road.

SPEAKER_02 28:40

I could not wait, I could not wait to record tonight to tell you that. That's embarrassing, it's really embarrassing because that was like my first and only time that I did that, and the kids are watching.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

I'm gonna have to work on you for the next six months to get you back in the way to do it. Yeah, you gotta be a friend of mine that drives with us, we do it all the time, but we're so sneaky with it. We're so sneaky.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

I thought I was too.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Well, yeah. I can't wait. I can't wait to talk about this with our friends because I haven't said it to anybody because I'm was waiting for tonight.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

Oh, that's embarrassing, really, because I'm better than that.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

You're stop, it's fun. The kid you're telling me that these aren't like kids, you know what?

SPEAKER_02 29:25

I guess I have that to be thankful for that it you're they're your kids, so they know you. Like this is this is your normal thing.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

Um, so no, but the fact that they know me. What do you mean it's my normal thing? Like, I can't.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

I mean, that's yeah, yeah. Well, they don't probably like hi, my name's Jerry. I'm gonna show you how to use the middle finger.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Yeah, it's no, but they they knew like I don't know, they know I'm a jokey guy, but I mean they don't know I randomly try to flip other drivers, although they probably would freaking love it. And let's face it, these these these girls are seasoned fifth graders, meaning they're not like quiet and shy, they're boisterous, they've heard it all.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

Was it just the two that saw, or were there more?

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Well, it's just the one, but she her best friend was right next to her. Yeah, no, because the kids across from them are boys and they're playing Minecraft and they're they couldn't I could get in a I could get in an accident and they wouldn't freaking know what was going on. So don't worry, you're good.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

That's it's embarrassing, really, though.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

No, it's not. You want me to cut it out?

SPEAKER_02 30:28

No, no, okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

You're fee I don't feel bad about it. It's just it's fun. It's a yeah, it it it adds a little hue uh a human perspective to an adult world that we're not just uptight.

White‑Knuckle Roads And Snow Day Rants

SPEAKER_02 30:43

I mean, you're not, but no, it's funny because um the one time my daughter did that, a picture was taken and posted to Facebook. She's never literally never given anybody the finger before. Really? And she just we did a selfie or something at a concert, front row of a concert, and girlfriend did a um uh selfie, and my daughter just put her middle finger up because she just felt like doing that, and then it went on Facebook, and everybody's like, You can't believe you did. She's like, I've never done that before.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

That's so bad. That's that's the time that she doesn't.

SPEAKER_02 31:21

There we go. Yeah, hey, it's the time we live in.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

Social media, man. Be careful what you post.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

Well, and what can we take away from this? That the kids are watching, pay attention, they are observant, they're watching, they're listening.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

Yeah, I gotta be better. No, stop. No, don't don't be like that. No, all right, we gotta move on. Okay. Uh tips and tricks. Uh, what do we got?

SPEAKER_02 31:47

I yeah. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

Uh mine's real quick. It actually happened this week. Don't be afraid to use your parent, your parents for leverage.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Like meaning, hey, so and so, if you don't, I mean, depending on the age, the younger the better, obviously. So and so, if you don't sit down, I'm gonna have to have a conversation with your mom. You know, and I don't know if you're you're I mean it sounds like a threat, but I mean to me, it's some it's it what is a threat. Um, you know, but I follow through with it. Like I'm not it's not an idle threat. In fact, the next day I said it to one of my kindergartners. I'm like, hey, Mrs. So and so, come on the bus and talk to so and so about not sitting down. Meltdown. Meltdown. That kid didn't, and she can't I wasn't actually inviting her on the bus, but she came on anyways at the stop, which I was fine with. It's a cool parent, it's no big deal. I mean, it's technically unauthorized, but like I didn't say not get on the bus. You were there, yeah. I was there, of course. Yeah, I typically didn't typically I wouldn't advise a parent get on the bus, but she kind of not bombarded me. I was like, hey, can you talk to your student about having their sitting, shut up, sitting down, and uh and she's like, sure, and like doot doot do, and before I knew it, I was like, Oh, she just became aboard, yeah. And he sits in seat uh two, so he's right up front, but uh he he had a meltdown, and then so I guess what I'm saying is sometimes you have to use the parent card, you know what I mean? Sometimes if you can't get a kid to sit down, they don't understand the civ and it's a kindergarten, they're gonna learn, you know, and especially if they're at the bus stop.

SPEAKER_02 33:33

A lot of my parents, I'm blessed. Blessed or is it a bad thing? No, my parents, I have a lot of them, a lot of them at each bus stop. They're there, they're very engaged, you know. Mom or dad work from home, somebody's there. So I'm just like, hey, when we roll up to the bus stop, I'll just let dad know. Yeah, yeah, it works.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

Yeah, it's not, it's not to be like, hey, I'm having trouble with this and I need a little parent help. It's not like, oh, mom and dad are gonna beat your ass. It's like, hey, parent, can you give me a hand with this a little bit? I'm struggling to get through to your child about how important it is, and I am not strict on the bus either. I don't even, you know, I let their let if their legs are out, I don't care. Just be butt on the seat. But on the seat. I'm not on the seat, yeah. I'm not so worried, but this kid was literally a half of a quarter of a cheek on the seat, leaning to his friend in the back. So I can't do that. I can't, I can't allow that. So use your parent for leverage. I that's kind of a sounds like a mean like thing.

Pre‑Trips In The Cold

SPEAKER_02 34:37

I I guess I don't know how to rephrase that to sound more PC, but once the parent gets over the fact that it's their child acting up, heaven forbid, um then they get it, I think. And yeah, years pass. I'm I'm kind of lighter now that we split our five and six out, our fifth and sixth grade out, but my K through four, my K through six used to be three to a C. So I'd open the door and these kids would get on. The parents could see how full we are, and they're like, Holy, you know, I oh my gosh, it's just it's unbelievable. But now that we're, you know, spread out a little bit. Um, you know, I think the parents they're I don't know. My mine at least, they're more forgiving. And and I was just like, Yeah, you know what? Um, we're having a hard time here, and none of mine have ever gotten on, but they're like, Yeah, sure. When um you drop them off this afternoon, we'll definitely have a talk over dinner.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

Yeah, it's it's good to have parent involvement. I mean, you use all the tools you have available, whether that be your supervisor, a phone call from dispatch, you know, a parent involvement. Like sometimes you just need that little bit. And I know he's gonna be fine. He's a young kid, and I have had him since August, but for whatever reason, he's starting to get a little more free of the seat and more comfortable, I think. More comfortable on the bus because he's not afraid, he's not on this big, you know. I mean, these are little tiny little people, you know, and they get on this big bus and it's scary, and my bus is diesel and it's loud, and you know, but now he's getting comfortable. Now he thinks he can move around. Um, but this can't happen.

SPEAKER_02 36:12

So our district uses tickets. They're I'll just say they're called be grand tickets, like be grand, be be nice, be grand. And I fish or I dole those out like candy, like they work. My kids, my kids will if I see them letting a student out in front of them, picking up a glove that somebody left behind, a water bottle that somebody left behind. I have a stack of these tickets and I have them usually on my dashboard so kids can see them. And I'm telling you, that turns some of the behavior around. Um, they love those tickets, those tickets they turn in for prizes.

SPEAKER_01 36:50

Okay. Are you using tickets that uh coordinate with the school or is this something that you okay?

SPEAKER_02 36:57

Coordinate with my school. Yes, correct. I went into the office and I asked the ladies in there. I was just like, I think you guys have like some sort of ticket system here. And they're like, Yep. They gave me a lot of them, like a stack of them. And I just went through and put my bus number on each of them, and then you can write on them. Um, but then the kids put their name on it and put it in for prizes. And I'm telling you, this this is a game changer because they want these tickets.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

So, interesting enough, so I see so we at the at the elementary I'm at on the playground, we have our own ticketing system, it doesn't correspond, it's the same ticket but different color. So these are only recess tickets, but we don't so it's a different different environment, right? Because there's the kids are spread out, so we don't see a lot of like picking up gloves or that kind of stuff. So we really I find it only rewards the good kids anyways, yeah, because they're doing stuff for you. I mean, we use them to get them to work, honestly, to do stuff. But how I don't know if that would like so, but you're saying on the bus, you're not getting them to do anything because their job is to stay in their seat. But do you find it's changing behavior of some of the kids like like what are your what are your things like when you announce on the radio, say, hey, you can earn a ticket if you do that that what do you say?

Waving, Radio Etiquette, And Sign‑Off

SPEAKER_02 38:21

Put up your window. Oh they have their windows down in the winter time. It's like I'm driving menopausal 50-year-old women back there. They want the windows down.

SPEAKER_01 38:33

It's like my wife's in there.

SPEAKER_02 38:35

Yeah, I mean, I'm hot, you know, I'm running hot too, but we don't need windows down when it's negative out right now. Put up your window, I'll give you a ticket. But I don't announce that I'm giving a ticket. If I see it and they put it up and they kind of walk past, I'm like, good job, thanks for doing. Maybe there'll be a ticket, maybe not. They don't know when they're getting it.

SPEAKER_01 38:54

But you have to like initially tell them like the beginning of the year, like, hey, yeah. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

I state my expectations, yeah. Yeah, okay, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

All right, so putting up a window.

SPEAKER_02 39:05

Yep, I want windows up. Um, you know, let's work together. Anybody see a glove back there? Pick it up, bring it up. I don't want them to pick up band-aids if there's a band-aid. I want to pick up Kleenex if there's a Kleenex. Okay, we don't have to spread germs, but hey, let me know. And seat 17, there's something on the window. It's gross, it's sticky. Thank you. Here's a ticket, Miss Joe. I think I lost a boot. Okay, who can bend over right now and look underneath the seats right? I got a boot. I found the boot. Great. Here you go. Here's a ticket. Okay, but sometimes they don't get it, but sometimes you know, a lot of times they do because like we can give these out. It's it's no big deal. They're not getting, you know, cars, they're getting like little prizes.

SPEAKER_01 39:44

So you get a car, you get a car.

SPEAKER_02 39:46

Yeah, I get a car, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:48

Do you so do they turn in those? Are you rewarding them with the prize or is the school?

SPEAKER_02 39:53

The school. So they take their ticket from the bus and go to their teacher. It's a whole building, wide system. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 40:00

Are there good prizes?

SPEAKER_02 40:02

Because I feel like um they get a ticket and they get to go to the prize center and pick something out.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Yeah, I feel like our elementary though, I mean, not the one I don't know about the one I drive for, but the one I work at for my midday, the prizes are kind of lame. We like on the on our playground, like if you have 20, you get like a full pack of Skittles. Oh. Like big, big candy bars for like 20. Um, now now like 20.

SPEAKER_02 40:29

You have to have 20 tickets?

SPEAKER_01 40:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:32

Oh no. I think ours is just the ticket goes into goes right to their classroom, it goes in their teacher jar, and I think the teacher draws almost every day at that point.

SPEAKER_01 40:42

Well, yeah, because they're getting a little freaking bouncy ball. Like that's dumb. To me, that's dumb.

SPEAKER_02 40:48

For a bouncy ball, it works.

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Nah, kids want candy.

SPEAKER_02 40:52

Yeah, well, they they can pick candy if they want.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

I you know, I like, I like, I'm so glad that we had this conversation though, because like just like you said, like everything, everyone does does things different, and I I guarantee there's somebody that's gonna listen to this and go, oh my god, I need to do this.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

Yeah, make your own tickets.

SPEAKER_01 41:11

Yeah, I feel like I need to do that. I mean, I don't want to be like the problem is like you kind of got it great because you give it to them and then you're done with it. You don't have to worry about the prize. You're like, I rewarded them. But if I if you do your own, like and you're navigating, like, oh, Mr. Jerry, I have 20. I'm like, frick, I don't have the candy for you, you know, because I forgot it or it's it melted.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

So then don't so then bypass the ticket and just go right to the candy. I saw you move over in your seat so Billy could sit down with you. That was awesome. Here's a pill, or here's you know, pills, those little sweet, here's some medication.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

Um sorry, that one got me.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

You know, those pills, those sweet tarts.

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

You leave that in, right? Yeah, you'll have to. Here's some sweet tarts, here's a sucker. You can go get a bag of dumb dumb bank suckers or even better brands. You can get 300 at a store for like smarties like yeah, smarties too. I mean, kids like kids like those. But um, just don't don't do tickets then. Just do the and then somebody's gonna be like, Well, how did you get candy? I saw somebody being nice, but the tickets for me, they were we have a good system at our school. No, no, no. I just give them a ticket.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Yeah, okay. I like that. I'm I'm gonna talk to you more after the show on that. But anyways, okay, what grinds our gears? Do you want to go first? I have a I have a voicemail that I need to play from a from a fellow bus driver in a different district crew, and uh it's just it really sums up the frustration kind of about snow days and and driving and inclement weather. Do you want to do that first?

SPEAKER_02 42:51

Yeah, you got her permission, right?

SPEAKER_01 42:53

Yeah, I got her permission, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Okay, yeah, do it.

SPEAKER_00 42:56

I don't understand it either. We actually had a meeting today at the bus garage um after our morning runs. It was a planned one, but they were like, Oh, we have every faith in your ability to drive, and it's like, that's great, but we're fucking out here white knuckling it and having to deal with a bus full of rowdy children on top of everything. None of the side streets are fully planned in the car. Or you would turn to go into the street, like the entrance to the street, the mouth of the street. I don't know what you want to fucking call it. Anyways, like when we try to turn, we can't like every time we turn down one of those streets, go sideways because there's so much snow. That's just what happens. So great. Whatever, I don't have a problem with it. But no, putting everybody so far behind, it's ridiculous. And I think that's why they get to feel like the world's great, no. I guess maybe I don't know. Like no in the you know, at the beginning of the street that you're trying to turn and trying to leave. Ridiculous. And as a parent, I wouldn't want my kid driving to school in this. Like if my children were old enough to have their licenses, I wouldn't want them out in this. I wouldn't want them driving to school. And that's my biggest thing. Like I don't my kids don't even wait for the bus. They ride the bus with me. But if they did, they used to always like wait inside until they saw the bus and then walk out before the bus stopped. But I wouldn't want my kids sitting outside either because you know, like like I said, every time I turn down one of those side streets, my bus goes sideways. And that's not safe, you know, based on where your stops are. If you can't get a good stop in or if you can't control your bus, I guess. Um wax a kid, like I can feel terrible. I would never drive I I would never drive a bus again if I hit a kid. Like not be like legally, I wouldn't be able to, likely. Um, even if it wasn't actually my fault. But like mentally, I just I couldn't I don't think I could ever do it again. So I'm on a rant. Um, I definitely need to up my medication. Um yeah. I got the pills. Help you enjoy your snow day, you bitch.

SPEAKER_02 45:32

Nice. She's a female version of you with your boss.

SPEAKER_01 45:35

So um, yeah, so to let people in a little bit, she was complaining. Uh we obviously got a snow day, and that other district didn't. And she actually is my boss in another job of my life. Um, and I love her. I love her so much. Like she is like my spirit animal. She's got you think you think I'm crackhead. She's more of a crackhead. But I wanted to play that because that is such a uh a good example of like how scary it can be to drive in that. And so when you when you go when you see it on Facebook and people are bitching, why you got another snow? You guys are bunch of pussies. This is why it's dangerous, it's hard, it's stressful, and we don't get paid$50 an hour to do this. Like, I'm I I love driving the kids, but like this is why you have a snow day. It is it is literally white knuckling. Do I feel safe in a bus? Absolutely. But I got 70 kids-ish. Uh I gotta make sure they don't die, and it's just tough. So that's my grind my gears is parents or people on Facebook that bitch about a snow day, and back in my day we didn't have it. Well, fuck you. There we go. Aunt rant over it.

SPEAKER_02 46:51

I agree because it's so inconsistent. It's one day, you know, and I and I think in our very first podcast, I said, how do they determine snow days? Do they just grab their cup of coffee, open up the window, and go, Yeah, that looks great, or open up the curtain and go, Yeah, it looks good. Yeah, and um, but if they get out and get on the roads and get on the highways, and the highways are good, that's great. But 80% of us don't go on the highways to get our kids. Correct. We're going through those neighborhood streets and they're a mess. And that slush that she's talking about in the mouth of the roads is killing me in my neighborhood because the cars go to turn in and then they stop, and then I have to stop, and then behind me has to stop. I gotta make sure the person behind me stops. It's um there's so much snow right now that it's not being put in the, you know, like off the roads enough. It's it's narrowing the roads, first of all. But yes, um, do we do it? We do it um because it's our job. We can't enough to yeah, we we can't not do it. Um, it's what we signed up for.

SPEAKER_01 47:55

I do like her point about I never thought about because I have a daughter that drives, but she's such a great driver. I don't really worry about her, but you know, why'd you did you put your hand up? Did you want to?

SPEAKER_02 48:08

I'm sorry, my cat. You're gonna have to my cat is just going to be. I can't hear it. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 48:12

Okay, no. Um, no, but we have in our district, we have a like a farther out area, and these kids gotta drive 25 minutes to get. I don't want my six new 16-year-old having to drive, and then they'll say, Well, let's put them on the bus then. Well, that's not the point. If it's terrible, let's just cancel. I mean, I honestly I would rather make it up at the end of the year. I mean, I don't want to, but like out of the out of out of caution, I I I'm fine with it.

SPEAKER_02 48:40

I I say that too. Like, let's just, you know, add a day or two in June when it's safe. We know there's not gonna be snow on there. My kid is 23, and I still bring her into work and get her when I can because she's not a confident driver. She's not, but she doesn't pretend to be. She right flattens out, say it like I'm gonna call grandma because that doesn't look fun out there. Um, it's it it is it's it's hard and it's the consistency. It's like one day, the next day we have to go to school, but the day before that we didn't, but they're the same day, it's like nothing changed, right? You know, so what makes us not drive it on one day, but we gotta drive it on the next day. That's my thing, is the consistency.

SPEAKER_01 49:23

All right. What about you for grinding your gears?

SPEAKER_02 49:26

As long because it is so cold out there, people aren't pre-tripping their buses. Did you see? I don't know if you caught one of the numbers that went out the other day with one headlight.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

Oh no, I didn't leave.

SPEAKER_02 49:38

You don't leave with one headlight, you just pre-tripped unless you just happen to lose it in the bus slot on the way out. But I'm pretty sure they didn't pre-trip. Yeah, the buses are cold. They need you gotta walk around it, you gotta walk around it and see you gotta get some of that snow off the top. I don't know if other districts with snow have long handled brooms or whatnot out there. I know we got some pretty cool things, but you gotta knock some of that off so those light people can see the lights. It's dark in the morning and it's been kind of dark in the afternoon.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

Yeah, I mean that pre-trips are just like the bane of my existence. And I'll be honest with you, like usually I check my oil once a week. I know you do it every day, and I'm I'm fine with that. You're you do like that's great, but for me, I check it once a week. Well, with it being so cold, I've had somebody start my bus before I get there. So I haven't checked my oil in two weeks. Now, granted, last week we worked one day. Um but yeah, but but yeah, you do have to pre-trip. I I will always go walk around my bus, look at my tires, check all my lights, look underneath, always look underneath the front hood to see if anything's leaking, and I feel like that's good. But if you're rolling out with a headlight out already, you're like, fuck you, you didn't check it. Like, come on, we don't you my pre-trip that I just described actually takes a little bit longer with a newer bus because the way it cycles the lights, it takes 60 seconds.

SPEAKER_02 51:07

Yep. So you don't have 60 seconds, open that back door because my god, if that freezes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:15

That I do that too. Yep, always do the back door.

SPEAKER_02 51:19

There's somebody right by me that has never opened that back door during a pre-trip? Yep.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

Oh, that's that is shocking.

SPEAKER_02 51:28

I think it was caught during a service change or something where it was just stuck.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

Really? Because it was so cold they hadn't opened it. It was can you imagine trying to get out and that motherfucker's frozen?

SPEAKER_02 51:42

Yeah, that's why I'm being a little quiet about it because I was like, dang, come on, open the door. Open the door.

SPEAKER_01 51:50

If you're if you're looking at the lights, anyways, you gotta walk around the back, open the freaking door. Like it takes two seconds.

SPEAKER_02 51:57

I know. So the pre-trip and during the cold, it's not fun, but no, man.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

The last thing I you and I are gonna fight to the death, and then we're gonna turn this recording off and never talk for two weeks. What's your what's your last part for grinding our gears?

SPEAKER_02 52:14

Well, oh, waving at other bus drivers. Yes. Is that what you want? Okay, yeah. What do you what do you think I want to do? Listen, here is why I do it. First of all, I wave certain districts, don't wave back, you know. That's fine. I cross, I'm driving all day, so I do pass a lot of other district buses. I wave at them all because here's why. And it just happened not too long ago. My kids think that I know every single bus driver. Oh my god. Because I make up names. They're like, who was that, Miss Becky? I'm like, oh, that's Mr. Bob. He's great. He's he's from another district, he's great. He's been driving a long time. I don't know who the fuck it was. And then I'll wait to another one. They're like, Oh, who is that? I'm like, oh, that's uh Miss Sally. Oh, she's great. Yeah, she's kind of new, she's from another state. She came up, she's driving in the winter, she's doing really good, don't you think? We had the cut I make it in conversations, but they think I know every single bus driver. I'm loving it. I'm loving it. I'm just gonna keep waving to you. It's fun.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

That's hilarious. I thought it was like because you are a very friendly person. I mean, you're you're quiet and introverted, but you're you're friend, you're generally friendly.

SPEAKER_02 53:23

And I'll be more friendlier now. New meds.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

Oh I mean, thank God. No, um, I just I hate I like the friendliness because like I I know it doesn't seem like I'm friendly, but I I do like to talk, and like if you're if we vibe, like we're gonna vibe, you know what I mean? Yeah, and and it's mostly like I don't want to have to do it every time.

SPEAKER_02 53:50

If I just passed you, if I just passed you and it said, hey, there you go, and then I pass you around again, like in the parking lot. Hey, again, we have a driver that's coupled down from me every time. I gotta wait. If I don't, I feel that they're gonna get mad. But every there's a way, and if I just passed you, you you I'll let you pass on that. That's fine. But if I know I'm coming through with another district, you know, I'm definitely gonna wave because my kids are gonna ask who that was.

SPEAKER_01 54:15

Yeah, well, yeah, you gotta go you got a whole storyline going on. You gotta make up something, you gotta be us something. Yeah, I just don't I just don't want the pressure of doing it. Same to if I let you out at a school so you can go. I don't need a thank you. I'm not gonna give you a radio. No, no, I'm not gonna give you thank you. I'm not gonna wave, it's just common courtesy. I'm gonna let you out when I can, you're gonna let me out when I can, and we're just gonna be we're we're 50-year-old adults. Like, do we need like, do we need that every single time? Sorry, it just annoys me.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

It's the ones that like to talk on the radio. They do they need that validation of oh, I haven't taught, I haven't hit that button yet. Yeah, I'm gonna get on the radio and go, thank you for letting me out. And then the other person goes, You're welcome, have a good day. And the other person goes, Thanks, you too, you too. It keeps going.

SPEAKER_01 55:03

I know somebody else chimes in. That can that can be a long standing what grinds our gears. We should put like what grinds our gears in parentheses, radio traffic. What else grinds our gears? So, like it's a staple of radio traffic. So, well, I appreciate you. I appreciate you whipping my kids off, giving the middle finger. I appreciate this podcast. Are you having fun? Isn't this fun?

SPEAKER_02 55:30

This is amazing, amazing. Yes. I mean, and earlier this week I was like, what am I gonna talk about? And then as the week just kept rolling, because we had snow days, and my kids give me this content, of course, you know. My kids are like, they'll do something. I'm like, oh, I gotta talk about that. Um, but I think we can just get a topic and just I mean, I'm just staring at nothing, like everything was just stories. Yeah, so I love it. I love I'm having a riot. I'm having a riot. All right, so same bus, same kids, different stories. See you later.

SPEAKER_01 56:08

See you on the next one.