School Bus Banter
Climb aboard for a ride you’ve never taken before. School Bus Banter pulls back the yellow curtain on the real world of school bus driving — the early mornings, the chaos, the heart, and the hilariously unexpected moments that only happen when you’re responsible for dozens of tiny humans before 8 a.m.
Hosted by two veteran drivers who’ve seen it all (and probably cleaned it up), this show mixes on-the-road stories, behind-the-scenes insights, safety know-how, and the kind of humor you only earn by surviving years of middle-school field trips. Whether you drive a bus, used to ride one, or just enjoy stories that bounce between outrageous and relatable, you’re in the right seat.
Start the engine. Close the door. Let’s roll.
School Bus Banter
No Pop Tarts, No Breathalyzers, And No Margin For Error On The Bus
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We react to a heartbreaking school bus assault case and the uncomfortable reality that safety systems can fail if adults break trust. We also dig into what helps, what backfires, and where we draw the line between protecting kids and invading privacy.
• emotional courtroom report and why the story is hard to hear
• anger at abuse of trust and questions about how predators slip through
• limits of bus camera angles and why drivers should stay seated
• parents using GPS tracking to spot delays and ask questions early
• a viral no food on the bus clip and what the driver should do instead
• why districts should protect student privacy with camera footage
• NTSB recommendation for alcohol detection systems and the crash behind it
• confusion over impairment stats and whether they come from tests or stops
• debate over cannabis testing vs real-time impairment measures
• personal liberties, surveillance creep, and where to draw the line
School bus driver sex assault trial VIDEO: Pewaukee mom testifies against the bus driver found alone with her daughter on parked bus
“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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Morning Banter And News Agenda
SPEAKER_05Welcome back to School Bus Banter, your news edition, episode 18. Good morning, Jerry.
SPEAKER_04Good morning. How are you?
SPEAKER_05Little congested this morning, but we'll get through it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we always do. You got your sexy voice on.
SPEAKER_05I got my Phoebe sexy voice on.
SPEAKER_04My wife, uh, every time I'll get up in the morning and like I am, I'm I'm regularly deep, but like in the morning, she's like, My God, you need to go record a podcast right now. Or record an audiobook of like, and then she opened her blouse and he caressed my inner thing.
SPEAKER_05No, oh no, not that books. No.
Trigger Warning And Trust Broken
SPEAKER_04Okay, okay. So today it's it's the news episode, today, tomorrow, whatever. And uh, so we got three things we want to talk about. Just a trigger warning. The first one is not great. Uh, unfortunately, it's about a bus driver that sexually assaulted somebody, but just want to talk about that and just kind of reflect on how fucked up it is. And uh, we do have a video. Obviously, you won't see the video, but we'll you'll hear the audio on that. And uh, so yeah, do you any other um thing you want to talk about before I play this?
SPEAKER_05This is gonna be a tough one to get through.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So 228, we'll listen to it and then we'll come back to it.
Court Report On Bus Assault Case
SPEAKER_00First at five, emotional testimony from a Waukeshaw County mother. She told a courtroom what it was like tracking down her daughter's school bus, only to find her child on board alone with the driver. Former Pewkey school bus driver Thomas Felser is charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. TMJ4's Waukeshaw County reporter Rebecca Clough was in court as Felser's trial got underway.
SPEAKER_06This is an extremely emotional case before it even started. Some potential jurors cried hearing about the evidence. The first witness on the stand was the mother of one of those child victims. We do want to warn you, we are not going to show you that mother's face, her name, or her voice. And that's because we do not identify sexual assault victims, and we want to protect the identity of that child.
SPEAKER_02This case is about a bus driver who was entrusted with the safety of the students. And instead of getting them to their destination safely, he preyed upon them.
SPEAKER_06Thomas Felser is accused of sexually assaulting four preschool and kindergarten age children. The former Pewkey school bus driver was also a longtime math and science teacher. The mother of one of the victims says she caught Felser with her child after the bus was late to drop off her daughter. She tracked the bus through a GPS app. You can see in this surveillance video, Felser is in the middle of the bus with his head down. We will not show you the victim, but they're in the seat as well. That's where the mother found her daughter.
SPEAKER_03I knew that it was completely out of the norm, and I saw the look on Tom Felser's face, and I saw the look in my daughter's face, and I wanted it investigated.
SPEAKER_06Police reviewed the video footage from the bus and say they found other children who were victims as well. Prosecutors say they will show other videos where you can see Felser touching children on the bus. Felser's defense attorney says his client is innocent, and people are looking for something that's not actually happening.
SPEAKER_01Seeing what, as I said, they want to see.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so that's rough, dude. First of all, how can you be a defense attorney? Like, I I'm there's no first of all, like if it if I God, if I was a defense attorney, like I wouldn't be able to do that case. I'd be like, okay, you you think you're falsely like if it's if it's obvious, if you look at the evidence. Now I'm not saying this is obvious. I'm not like whatever, but like, you know, like a murder or or robber, you have video of pulling a gun at a bank. Like, how can you defend that? Like, what a fucking piece of shit.
SPEAKER_05Hard hard pass.
SPEAKER_04Hard pass.
SPEAKER_05I I how can you not interpret it? You know, they said that they're looking at video and it's being interpreted in different ways. There's there's only one way to we are trusted to be with the children alone, and you don't come out of that driver's seat, which that's a good tagline to that's our other articles, yeah, too. But you you don't come out of that driver's seat.
SPEAKER_04The problem with those cameras is is you're not going to if so I'm gonna say alleged because it's we haven't, I don't know if the trial has gone on yet, but allegedly he touched them inappropriately. I don't know if you'd be able to see that with our cameras, depending on what seat it is and and how the angle is, right? Like our cameras are pretty good, but there's times where I've viewed my cameras trying to catch a kid, you know, eating, yeah, like yeah, doing something eaters, yeah. Yeah, but um, and and you clearly he knew where his camera was because he chose to sit. Maybe, yeah, I don't know. Maybe it the problem is is like God, I feel there's got to be more victims, right? Just not on the bus if he was a teacher and stuff like that, but like Yeah, he was like all over the district. My question is, how do you you can't stop that? Like, he probably didn't have a record or anything, but it's just like you know, y'all you think about the Catholic Church, right? And all those stories that have come out about like priests abusing kids. Do you think these these people they get on they take these jobs to prey on these kids? Like, I mean I feel I do feel like it's a mental health issue when and and maybe you can disagree with me when when people do this, I feel like they're fucked up in the head. And I and I don't know if they're like intentionally like oh, I'm gonna take this job because I can be around kids, or they're just naturally drawn to those kind of jobs because yeah, both.
SPEAKER_05Both. Thank God the mom knew the bus was late and followed it because we we wouldn't be talking about it right now.
GPS Tracking And Parent Vigilance
SPEAKER_04This could keep going on, or it could have been worse. He she could have stopped something that was about to happen. That being said, what are your thoughts on parents or parents being able to monitor their kids on the bus with GPS?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, good.
SPEAKER_04I think it's great. I don't know why our district doesn't do that.
SPEAKER_05Well, I mean, a lot of it you can see they either have the tags on their shoelace or it's in their or the you know their phone. We have um those QR codes on our door. Do you know what those are linked to?
SPEAKER_04Those are only for the state inspection from the state police. So if you scan those, it'll tell you this bus has been inspected and has been certified safe for the road.
SPEAKER_05Oh, that's it. It has nothing to do with them like location or who's supposed to be. Okay. Yeah. Um, but and then we are tracked, you know, like back to the district as far as that. But I think a lot of my parents do know where their kids are on the bus route.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I think you say a lot, but I would bet I bet it's less than a quarter.
SPEAKER_05No, I'm gonna say half.
SPEAKER_04Really?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. My littles. Well, the other ones have phones, so yeah, they can be cracked through that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the older kids.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, the up and I allow the phones on my bus unless they're video or pictures, you know.
SPEAKER_04You allow the phones on the bus for your elementary?
SPEAKER_05No.
SPEAKER_04Oh.
SPEAKER_05For the for the upper.
SPEAKER_04Well, yeah.
SPEAKER_05I can't I can't monitor it. I can't. It's something, so I'm not going to that's a battle I am not picking or going into on that. Just I make a statement though in the beginning, and I say, you know, you don't have my permission to take a video or um picture of me, nor any other students on this bus.
SPEAKER_04So funny you bring that up. Dude, did I remember? Did I I should post this story these kids wrote about me?
SPEAKER_05Write it down so you remember.
SPEAKER_04It's a weird story the way they wrote it. Like they're goofy kids. Like it is interesting. It's hard to read, but it is once you read it, I'll have to bring it in. But they took a picture of me. Oh. And when they presented it to me, I it was the back of my head, and then you could see my face in the in the kid mirror, which they're good kids. I mean, they're great, uh, middle school kids, they're really great. But they I I when they handed it to me, I'm like, hey, we can't you can't take pictures, you know. I mean, I don't take pictures of y'all. It's just, you know, without their permission, at least. Like, if you say, Hey, can I take a picture of you? And I say yes, yeah, go for it. I don't care. But like, I didn't know that you did that.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, no pictures, no videos. But yeah, I'm all for if if they want to figure out how to track their kids, yeah, go for it.
SPEAKER_04I think the district should do it personally. I mean, we have the technology, you know, we do need to do maybe get a tablet in there to add that. But I mean, they that if the bus can track if the dispatch can track us, then the parents should be able to track us.
SPEAKER_05So yeah, it's very common in other districts, that's for sure.
Viral No Food On Bus Video
SPEAKER_04Right. And just a word of warning to the parents. I mean, they're not listening to this, but who knows down the road. You know, if it doesn't feel right, ask questions. Like protect your child. You know, you have a right to know, and and it's a vulnerable place on that bus. There, there can be bullying, there can be safety issues, and then there can be fucking creepy ass drivers. So God. Um, moving on, talking about food on the bus. So this is uh a video, it might be a little bit hard to hear, but the premise is a kid gets on the bus and he's eating, and somehow the mom, I think, got was able to view this video, and this is a mom posting it. Um, so yeah, basically, uh kid gets on the bus, driver asks him to stop eating, um, and then he gets out of his seat and has a discussion, and mom was really upset about this. So we'll play it and then uh talk about it.
SPEAKER_00Hey, no food on the bus.
SPEAKER_03Hey, hey, hey, kid, no food on the bus.
SPEAKER_05How did she get the video?
SPEAKER_04So here's the thing. Somehow the district let her view the video and she must have recorded it.
SPEAKER_05Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_04So that's that was that that's what I was wondering. I'm like, this is why we don't let parents view like, well, somebody allowed her to record it too. So whether she was or she has a friend that is the dispatcher or something, because like, yeah, this is this is why we don't let this out because you got other kids on on that on that video too. It's not just your own kid.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So what do you think about all that?
SPEAKER_05Well, first of all, learn their freaking names. You know I was gonna say that. Did he say kid? He did.
SPEAKER_04Do you think he's he said hey kid at the beginning, but then I think he called his name at the end. I think actually his name was Case.
SPEAKER_05Okay. Yeah, you don't get out of your seat, you move on, write him up later. This isn't a thing, this isn't anything to be upset about. This it happens, could be late for late for the school bus, so he had to bring a snack on. It happens to me and you write about right about when they're done. If that's you know, if that's a battle you want to pick, just be like, oh, you know, at the frequently I say no food on the bus due to allergies, choking, whatnot, and you chose to come on with a big old pop tart. So I wrote yeah. That's it, move on, and then we move on. I forget about it and we move on.
SPEAKER_04So that that video has 10,000 comments, and it's not going the way the woman thought it was gonna go. Lotta defending of the bus driver.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, but you don't get out of your seat.
SPEAKER_04But he was so I agree, but he was now I defend the bus driver too. Like, other than like he probably shouldn't have gotten out, but he he didn't yell at the kid. Okay, he said, hey kid, whatever. He may have been a sub, who knows? Like, I'm trying to give the driver the benefit of the doubt, but yeah, there was a lot of comment about it. Um, you know, no here's a comment no symphony for the kid. This is uh no, that's not the right comment. She's commenting on like it's so much of her, but yeah, there's a you know, 10,000 comments on this, and this is another reason why you shouldn't have a copy of this video because it's just causing, you know, she's saying racism, she hashtag racism, and I'm like, I didn't see any of that from the driver. He was no, he wasn't he didn't yell at the kid.
SPEAKER_05He's like, hey kid, he did it, but that that movement of getting out of your seat looked like he was just gonna deuce start something, you know.
SPEAKER_04He did get out uh not slow, but not fast. It was a little bit, it did feel the little bit of aggression. I I don't know. I I'm defending the driver. I don't I actually don't hate that he got out. He leaned forward and was like, hey, we're we're having a conversation, like what are we gonna do about this? You know what I mean? Right. Generally, our supervisor says, do not get out of your seats. I have gotten out a few times and walked back and just and and you can disagree with me, and that's totally fine. It doesn't hurt my feelings, and just be like, Hey, we we cannot do now, not this year that I had a route that was a little rough, and there were a couple times I had to pull over to the side of the road and be like, give me that phone, or yeah, that like it was it was stuff that had gotten pretty extreme. It wasn't like, hey, kid, that's stop eating. Like, I'm not gonna sit out of my seat for food. I'd be like, bro, like you can't eat on the bus, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05So I know you might disagree with that, but no, I just I haven't been in a situation where I've had to, you know, everything can be handled after.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah, you're sure you know what you're right. Even the situation Unless there's a somebody's in harm, right? Even the choices that when I got up could have been handled after, but I was honestly, I was frustrated, you know, yeah, I was pretty frustrated, and I'm I probably won't do that anymore. I my supervisor, you know, when he talked to me, he was like, Hey, yeah, you can't do that. I was like, Yep, you're right, I can't do that. So it wasn't like I was in deep trouble, but it was just a reminder, like, you know, I didn't say anything wrong to the kid, I didn't do anything wrong. It's just like it's kind of an aggressive movement.
SPEAKER_05And and it does, it protects us too, because we can have that cooling off period, you know, where so then I'm like, oh, somebody's eating it, you know, just raises my blood pressure, you know, or something like that, taking a video or something like that. And it protects us too by staying in our seat and we can think about it later.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's a good, that's a good point. Uh protecting us, covering our asses, because then it doesn't show us getting up yelling. I mean, we may yell from the seat, but um yeah, I don't know. I I I'm willing, I'm fine with that bus driver doing that. Although the one thing that was weird to me, he blocked the rest of the member he was blocking those the rest of those kids getting on. I didn't understand that. It was kind of weird. I mean, I understand he wanted to maybe he thought the kid was gonna come back to talk to him, but I don't know. That was a little weird too. But the rest of the kids seemed chill, like I it seemed like a chill bus. So I like I I don't know, it was just kind of weird.
SPEAKER_05So yeah.
SPEAKER_04Any more on that?
SPEAKER_05No, okay, I'm good.
SPEAKER_04So I started watching, um, and I'd really love to go to this. It's the School Transportation News Expo. Um, this is a site I've been monitoring, and uh the Expo's July 9th through 15th. I don't know where it is, but um, they posted an article about the NTSB uh recommending alcohol detection systems in school buses. So when you read that article, it's a little clickbaity, right? Because you're like, fuck, but no, it's true. Uh the national uh NTSB called for alcohol detection system in all school buses with release of its final report of March 2024 uh of a school bus crash in uh West Virginia determining a drunk school bus driver caused the incident. I'm gonna jump to try to find the stat. This guy was uh it was he was a 0.161, which is four times over the federal limit for commercial drivers, but it's like twice the amount for like regular drivers. So the stats, they say it's an increasing problem. Found the NTSB found that from 2015 to 2019, 118 school bus drivers nationwide were cited or arrested for operating a bus while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both. Sounds like a lot, right? Yeah, I mean 118. Also, he said he found 28 instances of school bus drivers arrested for either drunk driving or under the influence of drugs from 2024 to 2025 for the school year for this year so far, August through April, Fisher has recorded 20 instances of school bus drivers being impaired. So, my question if for you is and it doesn't say I read through this article, is this after a random drug test and alcohol test that it's getting popped, or is this something like there was an incident and you like pulled them over? Like it doesn't clarify that. So to me, to me, that makes a big difference.
SPEAKER_05It does. Like, we're yeah, did they get popped during one of their tests? Or okay, either way, he can't drink and drive, right? Let's put that aside. Did they get how yeah, how are the statistics made?
Testing Limits And Privacy Rights Debate
SPEAKER_04Exactly. That's what I I would like to dig in more because me personally, this is my personal opinion, I don't think drivers should be tested for cannabis. Okay. I think if I used a gummy three weeks ago to relax at night and I get tested and I lose my job for that, I think that's wrong. Um now alcohol is different if you if you know it's if you get randomly alcohol tested at eight in the morning or whenever you're done with your route, and you come up with something, you're fucked, right? Because it's has it's still in your system, but weed is so much different, and I I've been a big proponent of that. Like they they need to come up with a better test or they need to like do something with that. It's just that's just my personal opinion on that. But I want to know the stats if it was from a random drug test or from pulling it over. Because when you look at those numbers, that's a lot.
SPEAKER_05It is, it's staggering.
SPEAKER_04And if it's sorry, I interrupted you. If it's it's a lot if if these were like being pulled over and they got arrested for it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, if there was a violation, traffic violation or something, got pulled over and found it. I mean uh yeah, this is this is a hard one for me as far as our our rights being invaded if they put this on the bus.
SPEAKER_04I don't see that's so because thank you for bringing that up. That's huge.
SPEAKER_05It is, but look at our job though.
SPEAKER_04I know, I know, but I I honestly I would not work for a district that had this. I don't even drink regularly, it would just be the right of like if you think I I am in violation of that, have at it. Give me a test. But I'm not gonna blow in this fucking thing like a piece of shit every day just to make sure I didn't get alcohol. I won't do it. I'll quit. I'll quit the industry. Yeah, I just won't do it.
SPEAKER_05I guess I I am at a point in my life where I I would never drink to that excess and where it would pop. So I would be fine blowing into it every day.
SPEAKER_04But it's the right, it's the principle.
SPEAKER_05I understand I understand that, but because it's it's me and I'm not I'm not gonna pop it, then I'm gonna do it. Like I'll do it because I like the job. I'm gonna continue to do the job. I wouldn't quit.
SPEAKER_04Are you good with a government recording inside your house even though you're doing everything legal?
SPEAKER_05Yes or no, it's not a way with our phones.
SPEAKER_04It's well, it's no no no, it's a yes or no. Sure.
SPEAKER_05Sure. Oh I mean I don't care. I don't care, I guess, because the phones record I mean, they're they're ever we're being watched anywhere. So yeah, if they If they want to come and put and say, we have to install this video, and you're I'm gonna live my life the same way.
SPEAKER_04Well, of course you are, but it's the principle of it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04If you want, if you don't care about that, then go go live in communist China, then like, and I'm not even like this. It sounds like I'm a right wing nut job. It's not even, I'm not even right wing. I'm just saying it's more important to you, it's super important to me because at some point we get to a point where like, how many liberties are we gonna end up being we're losing? It and to me, it's it's not fair, it's it's it's disrespectful. Again, if you think I'm it I am, go ahead. I have no problem with that. I want a driver caught if the if you think they are.
SPEAKER_05Yes, if you think they are, yes.
SPEAKER_04But I mean, where do you draw the line?
SPEAKER_05It's just new, it would be yeah, I don't know. I don't know where that I would have to get way more information. Well, of course, and in this but right now, for the sake of this podcast, I'm going to understand your right. However, I'm gonna continue to live the wife the life that I still do because I know that I never would pop it, you know.
SPEAKER_04Well, I the same with me.
SPEAKER_05I know, not either.
SPEAKER_04It's not worth I'm not going to do that. I I just not. I feel like I'm not gonna blow into something like I'm some fucking criminal. I mean, where do you draw the line? I gotta take a piss test every morning, we gotta dip it to see. Like, I mean, what are we doing here?
unknownI know.
SPEAKER_04I mean, if it becomes a an epidemic, I get it. Then, like, we I think we have another issue to work on. Maybe it's alcoholism, like or whatever, but I don't know. I just, I mean, are you gonna make the cops do that? Are you gonna make every teacher come in? And you know, I guess it's a little different with teachers because they're not driving, but like, I don't know. There ain't no fucking way that this dude is gonna blow into something. I'm just not gonna do it. I'll quit. I'll quit. It's it's not it is something that that will be. I'm done. I'm out. Peace.
SPEAKER_05That's your game changer, huh?
SPEAKER_04I mean, I didn't I wouldn't care if I was one year away from retirement. I'd be like, deuces, like I'm out, like I'm just I'm just not gonna do it.
SPEAKER_05So oh that's a funny one.
SPEAKER_04We feel like we we found out that uh Becky's a sheep in here and she'll just do whatever. I said Becky. Sorry. We just found out in here that Joe's a sheep and she'll just do whatever what what her boss tells her, and like, sure, I'll poop in this bucket every day for you.
SPEAKER_05Because I'm not doing anything illegal. So the day the just the day that I decide to, you know, um do drink and and and get behind the wheel. No, what that doesn't sound right. The day I do decide. No, if anything were to happen like that, it just first of all, I don't live my life where that would, you know. Well, I don't either we go out the night before and have that much to drink, I will be not even alive the next day.
SPEAKER_04You won't be making it, you won't be making it to the bus garage because you'll be dead, you'll be laying on the floor.
SPEAKER_05I'm already dead, right? So the the one the when when we get together on our Fridays and we go to our local brewery and have have the three quarters of the cup that I try and drink down, it's um not gonna blow anything the next morning. And I usually don't do that if I have to drive the next morning.
SPEAKER_04Well, right, and same for me, it's just more of a principal thing for me.
SPEAKER_05I know.
AI Surveillance Fears And Sign Off
SPEAKER_04Um I know it's the government, like you know, there's something. Um, I'm getting on government conspiracies. This isn't even a conspiracy, but there's something happening. Oh, and I don't I have not watched it because I don't want to get in that algorithm, but apparently, starting in 2027, cars are gonna have AI AI cameras in the car features where it can tell that if you're excited or your heart rate's going or whatever, it'll turn your car off and won't let you go.
SPEAKER_05Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_04No, I don't know if it's true or not. I I we'll see, but you know, like what happened, and people are like, well, what happens if it's an emergency and you got to get to the hospital because your loved one, it's not gonna let you drive, it's just gonna sh yeah, anyways, so yeah. If that happens, it I'm not gonna buy a new car because like I no, exactly. Uh just not gonna happen. So, anyways, anything else on conspiracy theories before we go?
SPEAKER_05No, I think I think that got me thinking a little.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, if you if this got you thinking, uh email us schoolbusbanter at gmail.com or text us and tell Joe that she's a crackpot at 757-529-1574. Uh and then we have a Facebook group. Join that for the discussion as well. Um, yeah, thank you for listening. I appreciate you guys so much. And as always, same bus, same kids, different stories.
SPEAKER_05Oh, and for the love of Peter Murphy, please just say ten four.
SPEAKER_04Who the fuck's Peter Murphy?
SPEAKER_05I don't know. I didn't want to say Jesus Christ.