Why Electric School Buses Sound Great… Until They Break Down

Twenty-five bus windows down on a 60-degree day sounds like a small problem until you’re the one driving, managing noise, and enforcing the golden rule: stay seated while the bus is moving. We start Episode 10 with the day-to-day reality of school bus driver life, including whether kids should help put windows up, how slow is “safe enough” to allow a quick bus job, and why little routines can make a route feel calm or chaotic.

Then we shift into school transportation news that affects every district budget meeting: a massive clean bus energy grant sending millions toward electric school buses and propane buses. We’re both open to cleaner tech, but we ask the questions drivers and mechanics can’t ignore. What happens when brand-new buses break down? Who can fix them locally? How long does a bus sit if parts or service are limited? And what costs still hit the district after the grant check clears?

We wrap with a story out of Utah that tackles rural connectivity by bringing internet to school buses on long rides. It sounds like a win for homework, reading, and field trips, but we also talk about the hard parts: filtering, approved devices, and the reality that a bus driver can’t police a screen the way a teacher can. If you care about electric bus reliability, clean transportation funding, and practical school bus safety, this one’s for you.

Subscribe so you don’t miss the next ride, share this with a driver or parent, and leave a review if you like the banter. Would WiFi help your bus route, or create more problems than it solves?

“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.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hello, welcome to School Bus Banter episode 10. Woohoo! Hi Jr.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Hello, Joe. How's it going?

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Oh, I am loving this nice little break of a day that we got that reached over 60 degrees. Windows were down on the bus.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Do you sorry? I'm just going right into it. Did you um do you make your kids put up the windows on the bus?

SPEAKER_02 0:49

You know, it's funny you bring that up because I actually here's a little teaser for y'all if you follow us on TikTok. I recorded a video today about bus windows when I was um doing my bus button. Like literally today, I put the glasses on and recorded it. Uh no, every bus window was down. They they they thought it was fun to do that. And so my video was like, it's it's over 60 degrees uh in the Midwest here. And watch me close, I don't know how many windows are there, 25. So I recorded me going all the way around. So that video will be coming soon, but no, I don't make the kids close it, and it sounds like you do.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Well, yeah, if I remember, yeah, today was not that day. I have uh designated window putter uppers, they are my second to last stop. Um, so I have about four kids left at this point, and they usually ask, they're good at asking. I'm rolling at about two miles an hour down the street, and I do let them go down the aisle, put up bus, put up, you know, while we're rolling. Yes, I'm sorry, it's a battle. I don't really care about report, report. Yeah, and um they get our elementary um has like a ticket system, like they get rewards. Um, and so I go in the office and I get a pack of those and I use them on my bus because I don't have to have prizes or anything. They can take those tickets then and go to their classroom and their teachers can handle it. But they get uh my window putter uppers get one or two tickets a week for doing that, or you know, a smarty starburst, something peanut-free, and uh and they they gladly do it. I don't have to think about it, but today I did because yeah, the weather changed.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Well, that's amazing. I yeah, I don't want to have I thought about that, but I'm like, I don't want my kids to move, I don't want like I I preach to them like do not move when this bus is moving.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

It's one kid, um, and we rotate the ones that get to do it, and like if sometimes you know that kid isn't on, then the backup they all have their jobs, and with one kid going, you know, he he can't hop the seats, he's got to use the aisle. And like I said, I'm barely moving, and um, I'm tucked into a neighborhood, there's no cars, and no, I'm not I just just to clarify, I'm not judging you.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

I've just this that's the person I'm trying to justify it myself. No, you don't have to, and I'm and literally, if you I don't care. Like, I'm I know you're safe, you're a fucking amazing bus driver. I've even the stuff I've learned from like, even though we've worked together, we don't know what we do on each other's buses, you know. So I'm not worried about I'm just saying I would always I would have anxiety that somebody frickin' saw a kid move, like because yeah, nothing makes me like I know this is a news episode, but uh no nothing like stresses me out more when I hear someone say on the radar, so and so you know, or you got kids, whatever it is, and so yeah, but no, that's fine. Uh I don't do that. I probably should, but um, yeah, I got my exercise today, so that video's coming down. It's it's it's gonna be a day in the life of closing. I think it's there's gotta be what like 26, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:00

We have 13 rows. So yeah, 26.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

26 rows.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

No, we don't have 26 rows. That would be a lot. We have third, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

We only have 26 seats?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Yeah. Times two. Well, that one seat in the back is a one-seater.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

Because I thought we could fit 77 kids on the legally what we can carry, but that's three to a C.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

No.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Yeah. No, they try and get it under that.

Clean Bus Grants And Breakdowns

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Oh, well, I don't do math very well. I went to private school. Okay. Um, so we got a couple of articles we want to talk about. As you know, we've broken up the episodes because it's just too, we we talk too much, and so we want to we want our you know, to give you our take on stuff. But uh a local school district, uh, one, a couple of near us, uh, received a huge grant from the state to add cleaner school buses to their fleets, which we've heard about. Um, it's nearly$44 million from the state for a clean bus energy grant. Went to 27 districts. The funding will support the purchase of 99 electric school buses and 10 propane school buses across the state. Uh the state officials say buses emit a low or no tailpipe pollution and cost less to operate. Yeah, I mean, there's our students deserve to travel to and from buses that are best for our logos. Go to the districts, environment, blah, blah, blah. So a lot of the districts got a lot of money. Like one of them got 5 million, uh, 1.2 million. It probably depends on how big the district is. So they all range from like one of the one of them got$73,000. So I'm like, does that even buy a bus for$73,000?

SPEAKER_01 5:40

I was just gonna, my my first question was how much is an electric or a propane bus cost?

SPEAKER_02 5:45

I mean, I I don't know. I mean, what does a regular bus cost? Like$150?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

No, no, like$89.90.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

No, yeah, it's gotta be more than that.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Well, those dollar store buses we got were pretty cheap.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

And then dollar store buses.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, the bluebirds. I don't want to I don't want those blue buses. Fucking blue birds, cheap ass buses. So those are the dollar store ones. Those were those, well, actually, I don't know. Those might have been 80, 88.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Yeah, I guess I I don't know. I thought they were were more expensive than that, but maybe they're not. But either way, this this is in this uh, you know, they're getting a lot of electric buses. And well, I am a proponent of electric vehicles because um, yes, I do have a an electric vehicle. Um, I love them, and uh I it's great for me. I didn't buy it for the environment though, I bought it because I was doing so much work, uh like independent work that I was using a lot of gas. So it works out great for me. But I have heard, and I think Joe has heard too, that these buses are having big trouble with like just even keeping them on the road because they're breaking down.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Yeah, that that's what I had heard that um there's none on the road because they were all broke down and they didn't even get, I believe they didn't even get on the run. Now, maybe there's somebody um that's listening to this that could give us more information. I'd love to hear it, but um, that they're not they're not even drivable. There's so many problems with them.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

And I think that one of the biggest problems too is no one can fix them. Like our McLean, if you don't train the mechanic how to fix them, they gotta be sent out to probably the one plant in the country that they're building them, and so then it's gone for nine, you know, two, three months.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Because they're fixing it. But here's my question as somebody that owns an electric vehicle, and I own the Chevy Bolt 2023, literally zero problems, zero problem. I have 51,000 miles on it, not have to done anything to it. Why are these buses have like what is the big disconnect? I mean, it's it's literally a big battery pack, and like I I guess I I don't understand. It's not like it's brand new technology, it's been around for a while. Why are they having so much trouble?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yeah, I I on athletics and stuff, I see the um they're green, the label is green, right? If it's propane or electric, I think. Um uh black is gas and blue is diesel. Is that how it goes? The the the label on your bus.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Like if you're I think it's only for bluebirds. I don't think international does that. But yeah, I I agree. I think I don't know what the difference for between propane and I don't know, but I'm I have seen some green ones, and I assume that maybe that's propane and electric. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

I don't yeah, but um, and I've I've never drove one myself. I've never even, you know, got to stand by one. Um, they're very far and few between here or over here.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

I don't think I've ever seen one in our area, like maybe on a on a like you said, on a field trip or something when you see a bunch of buses. But here's my thing I am a big proponent of it. If you can get solar panels on those canopies and all those charges there, it it will eventually save the district down the road, if they're not breaking down every five minutes, a shit ton of money. Because, like, yeah, as we talk now, it's you know, look at the gas prices going up. We're gonna probably see five dollars a gallon for diesel. I mean, the school's got to pay that. Yeah, you know what I mean? So, you know, I it's just I think it is is is the future and the how small the routes are for most people. An electric bus is fine. You plug it in at night, you never have to use gas. I if they can get it to work, I think it would be great. Is it what is your opinion on it?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

No, my opinion is that it's just um my curiosity lands with what is wrong, first of all, what is wrong with the ones by us that you know aren't even on the road yet? Like what happened? That's what I want to know.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Because they said it should be able to be be fixed, but if it can start it starts in the factory, yeah, you know, I mean if they're not doing it right, you know, and why are they sending these buses? I'll uh slow down, Jar. Why are they sending these buses out if they're having trouble? But that being said, the last three series of years that we've gotten new buses, big trouble. Like, I mean, mine's been okay. There's been one warranty fix on it, but I know the the series before that and the series before that, trouble. So you're on board for that, right? Are you are you like, no, I don't want to do electric. I and I'm on it just like I said, when I got mine, it was just to save money. I mean, I do care about the environment, but they do say it takes an electric car five years to be on the road before it busts its carbon footprint.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

So okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

It takes a while.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

As a new hybrid car owner myself, I am enjoying that part of, you know, like you start it and I'm like, is it running? It's so quiet. I love it. So I'd have to imagine those buses are be a lot quieter, but I oh god, that's why. Yeah, they would be, yeah, because those diesels are um those are freaking beast loud.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

They're loud.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Like going to a car.

SPEAKER_02 10:59

Oh man, I would have to run a fan all the time, like just to get some noise in there. Cause like I don't want to crank the radio because then they start screwing, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

But I I drive a gas bus. Mine is quieter, it is nice. Um, I would I would be up for one of those electrics, but like you said, deliver it ready to go, bro. Otherwise, it ain't happening. We don't have the money. We don't have the money for that in our district.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

Well, that's a I I appreciate you bringing that up. When you get that grant, that is a grant just to purchase the bus. You're you're on the hook for the maintenance. Like, well, typically there's not a lot of maintenance because there's no flu, a lot, there's no fluids in electric bus, like an electric car. But you're on the hook for that. Once it's out of warranty, you you have to budget for it. Yeah, as far as an electric bus, I think I would be on board if our district came and said, Hey, we need somebody to do this, I would do it. Or maybe they wouldn't ask, maybe they just tell. But um, yeah, unless until they get that stuff fixed, I would get annoyed. I'd be like, All right, just give me my diesel bus back. Like until this stuff is like fixed, like I'm done with it.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

So shout out to our friend that um got a new bus this year with air conditioner, and she hates it, and it went, it's gone now for like some warranty work, and she's in her old diesel and she is smiling again and just loving life.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

Yeah, she she has a disdain for that new bus. I I I mean, I feel I don't know why you just don't get used to it. I mean, if it's breaking down, I get it, but like she's like, I hate everything about it.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

I'm like, it's so funny.

WiFi For Long Rural Bus Rides

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Yeah, for sure. Um, and the second story, uh, with I thought this was interesting. It's Utah, but keeping Utah's rural kids digitally connected during long school bus rides. So this is a bill that would make state grants available to Utah rural school districts to provide internet connectivity. That's a hard word on school bus. Bus provided internet service would only work on approved devices, which is good. Um, and it says student athletes from Utah rural schools often embark on long round trip bus trips. So uh what do you think about that? Would that would that be something that you would uh like on your weird noise?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

I was I made a weird noise. I was gonna say, before I so rudely interrupted you, 100% I would love this on my bus. I have kids that want to do their homework before they get home. I take those long ass field trips either across state or up north, and it's just dead time for them. They have no way to obviously it has to be monitored. I don't know how any of that technology stuff works. Um in fact, you know, Mr. Jerry, when we wanted to do this podcast, he said, you just have to talk. I'm like, good, because I don't know how to do anything else. But if we could get this worked out on the bus where they can connect, um, they got Chromebooks issued by the school, let them do their homework, let them read, let them. I I don't know, I see it as a success, but you know, I can see how it can go bad also.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Yeah, I agree, I agree. I think, you know, I I know when the Chromebooks are in the classes, that teacher can see what every tab the kids have open. And I I worry that I mean, you know, what is that gonna be the bus driver's job? Obviously, they can't do that, but like how are they gonna be able to block, you know, because I don't know. Because like my kids, so my kids on my bus, like especially the the younger ones, um, they play games on their Chromebook, like on the bus. Like, I let them do that. Like, it's not a phone. Well, well, they're older kids anyways, but well, not older. They're they're on the older bus. But like, I don't know what you know what they're doing. Do they have I should probably ask my own kids because they got freaking Chromebooks, but like can they get on YouTube on that thing and and whatnot?

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Well, I mean, they may have it paired with their phone to use as a hotspot, but my kids all are playing games that you don't need internet for.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Okay, yeah. I I never asked them, but I guess that's what I would be worried about because it's not our job to monitor that. I mean, because let's face it, if the kids have internet, they're gonna try to do it other things with it. So there would have to be some software to block all that. Like you can only use Google Classroom or yeah, you know, but then you also need like, well, what if I have to search something? I need a search engine. So again, that's that's that's tech stuff even over my head right um about that. But yeah, I think that's good. I think honestly, you know, maybe they maybe they all need to have it, although my kids are on the bus such a little time.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

That's see, like with my run, um by the time I pick up my all my students to take them home, my run is about 11 minutes long before I'm empty again. So I don't need it for sure. But when I take those longer runs on Saturdays, I usually work six days a week to get my hours in. And those Saturday runs, you can be gone, you know, eight, eight, nine hours. And that would be helpful at that point. But um, for those runs it'd be helpful for the driver.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

I mean, it w unless you're taking a three-hour bus ride, the kids are off the bus all the time.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

So yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Yeah, but so yeah, it wouldn't work for us, but I I I I'm not opposed to it by any means.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Right. Yeah, that's a really I saw that and I go, ooh, I hope we get to talk about that one.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Yeah, I don't really have anything to like, you know, you always try to take like the the pros and the cons. I other than like a security risk of them doing other things, I that's I would guess the only con, but I'm I'm all for it. Like if kids can get some shit done, like let them do it.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

And it honestly, if they're able to play a few games on it, I don't hate that either.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

You know, you don't hate that idea, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Because like, who was I talking to? Somebody recently that they said that they had a oh, it was my my neighbor, his name's oh his name's Jerry too. Um he uh he was 90-minute bus ride for him. Oh when he was he they lived in the country, and it was a 90-minute bus ride every day. That is that's wild. That is so if you got a yeah, think about it, you got out of school, let's say at at four, I'm just rounding up for easiness. 5 30, you're rolling out poems.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, no, thanks. But he would probably love having something to connect to the internet so that he can, you know, even just watch a movie or something, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 17:34

But for sure. That is a long time. My kids complain about, you know, if we got the traffic light red, we gotta sit there, and I'm like, oh my god, we're almost home.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Yeah, shut up. You don't realize how good you have it.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

Uh anything else, Joe?

Send Us Stories And Wrap

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Um, no, those are really good things to talk about.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Yeah, I want to throw it to y'all too. If you see a news article, um, please email us or Facebook message me or whatever. Uh, we'd love to see them because we see some of it, but like I I love to see news maybe in your area that didn't get picked up nationally that we would never even know about. So um, yeah. Uh oh, I didn't do the business at the end. Oh, they know already. Schoolbusbanter at gmail.com. But yeah, go ahead and uh send us some stories.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Send some stories so we can talk about them.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Yeah, we use you and I usually do like debate. That was kind of uh uh friendly for us today because usually we can be on opposite sides of something.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

So and that's what's great about it. Like it's it's not a bad thing, it's just we have different points of views. That's the point of it.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Yeah, yeah. We'll be friends in the end for sure. Maybe okay. Thanks for listening, everybody. We'll see you next time. As always, same bus, same kids, different stories.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

And remember, don't just say ten four.