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
Dollar Store Buses With A Back To School Bus Reality Check
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We’re back for season two and we’re jumping straight into real school bus life, from sweating through the first weeks of school to building a bus culture that actually works. We trade the unfiltered truth about equipment, routing, student behavior, and the little choices that keep kids safe and drivers sane.
• summer recap and why the season flies by
• how we handle feedback and why reviews matter
• air conditioning on school buses and how quickly you miss it
• leasing versus buying buses and what tight budgets change
• Bluebird versus International differences drivers feel every day
• setting expectations early with names, seats, and clear rules
• evacuation drills as a chance to reset behavior
• crowded buses, instruments in the aisle, and route reversal tricks
• Friday music, kid requests, and the Michael Jackson debate
• reward tickets, raffles, and low-cost ways to reinforce good choices
• bid-time anxiety and how schedule changes hit drivers and kids
• traffic congestion, half-day traffic, and dispatch help in real time
“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
Call or text us at 757-529-1574
Join our Facebook Group with bus drivers around the world!
Season Two Return And Summer Recap
SPEAKER_02All right, we're back, bitch. School bus banner season two, episode one. I'm so excited to be back. It's been a hot second. Joe is here, and we're excited. Are you excited, Joe?
SPEAKER_00I'm excited when we started going over stuff to talk about. I was like, oh my God, this is gonna be three hours long.
SPEAKER_02Oh, for sure. Um, I know we dropped some episodes, and I hope you like those over the summer. No one commented on how I uh dropped those strategically because I didn't try to do that on purpose. Well, I did after the first one, but I dropped the first one on June one and then July one, and then August one, and then September one. But no one commented on it. Like, fuck you guys.
SPEAKER_00I mean, Jesus did they listen? Did they listen?
SPEAKER_02Of course they listen.
SPEAKER_00Everybody just agrees with that. When people don't have anything to say, it means they're sitting there going, yep, that mm-hmm, yep, that's exactly what happens. Yep.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, we dropped a bunch of episodes. There were a couple of interviews we recorded earlier before we took our summer break, but I'm excited to be back. Yeah, we just got a lot of stuff to talk about.
SPEAKER_00Fastest summer on record. You think fastest summer? Oh my god, yes.
SPEAKER_02Why do you think that is?
SPEAKER_00Well, I worked, but it just seemed like everything that got put in my calendar just came about fast. And then all of a sudden, first day school.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Joe and I went to Foo Fighters this summer, and that was amazing.
SPEAKER_00Remember buying those tickets so long ago.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_00And when that concert was coming up, we're like, oh no, we don't want to go yet because that means summer's almost over.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then yeah, that was that was yeah, shout out Foo Fighters.
SPEAKER_02Do you feel like when you have stuff like that, sometimes the anticipation is like, not that it wasn't a great concert, it was amazing, but like I love the looking forward to that's almost as fun as the event itself.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. Yeah, looking forward to it for sure. You know, we have more concerts coming up, and I just by then it'll be a different month. And yeah, it it just goes by fast. When you work in the school district or you're you're involved with you know, you kids' sports and stuff, it goes by faster than ignoring the school calendar for me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know we're we're different. I love the kids, but I love my brakes. You miss the kids.
SPEAKER_00I'm sure you love your brakes too, but yeah, brakes are good, but yeah, it was um said I worked, I I did get to drive school bus over the summer for one of our daycare programs. So I saw a few of my kids um throughout the summer, and then I drove the bus in the fourth of July parade, so I saw a lot of my kids uh in over the parade. But yeah, I missed my kids, we're having a great start. It's been fun, challenging, but fun.
SPEAKER_02Of course, as always. Uh, before we jump into stories from the road business, email schoolbusbanter at gmail.com. Uh, Facebook group link is in the description. And I just realized this new rundown that you created, which I very much appreciate, does not have our phone number on it, but we have a phone number too. It's 757-529-1574. Just go ahead and text us through that. Our friend Brian, I think it was the first guest on the show who always texts us through it.
SPEAKER_00That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02I love seeing that. I love getting the notification. I'm like, oh yeah, someone's listening and wants to talk.
SPEAKER_00That one person is listening.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that well, it's more than one person. It's tough in the podcast business or any kind of media business that you're not like right out in front in pictures and stuff like on screen. It's tough to get people to get any feedback. But um, so yeah, email school bus banter at gmail and the Facebook group. We'd love for you
How To Reach The Show
SPEAKER_02to join. All right, stories from the row. Joe, do you want me to just let you go? Go take a nap for an hour and then come back and see if you're still talking.
SPEAKER_00Sure. I'll see you in a bit. Yeah. No, you have to like, you know, banter with me.
SPEAKER_02That's true, hence the name.
SPEAKER_00I
Air Conditioning Bus Whiplash
SPEAKER_00was spoiled this summer because I got to drive a bus with air conditioning.
SPEAKER_01Ooh.
SPEAKER_00So it was a hot summer, humid summer. God dang that humidity's got to go away. So, with the air conditioning bus, you know, the driver compartment and maybe seats or rows one, two, and three, maybe might feel it, but it doesn't go all the way to the back. But it still helped because we were going to the zoos and museums and splash pads, and we just kind of sit there and wait. And um, yeah, it it was um it was nice. So then, fast forward to school starts, and I'm back in my bus with no air conditioning, and it's rough, rough, rough. But I know you have an air conditioning story. Do you want to jump in with your well?
SPEAKER_02I'm I'm kind of in the same situation where I got to use an air conditioned bus all last year, and unbeknownst to us, uh, we thought we had purchased we. When I say we, I'm including the district. Uh, we had purchased those buses, but someone did a slick willy or a fast something, and they didn't purchase those buses, they decided to lease them. And due to a little bit of restraint through the budgetary things, which every school district goes through, uh, from time to time, there's there's great month or there's great years, and there's there's tight years, and this is a tight year they sent those buses back. So I'm back in my old bus that I had before I got the new bus with no air conditioning, and it's it's warm. I I guess I've been blessed by the spirits above that the heat doesn't get to me as bad as some. Don't get me wrong, it's uncomfortable. I'm wet, I'm changing my clothes a couple times a day, and you know, to just freshen up a little bit. But yeah, I do know that there are some people that that really can't handle it.
SPEAKER_00So, yeah, I I can handle it, I do better now. I take better care of myself as far as getting the cold cloth that you wear around your neck, making sure you just sip that ice water, whether you want it or not, you just sip on it, sip on it, and then you know, keep those keep those fans on you and then get out of your bus when you can, you know, at the layovers and stuff, because it's definitely breezy or whatever, you know, you can get to the shade and stuff. But yeah, uh we were spoiled definitely, and then and now we're not. So hopefully moving forward when we do purchase buses, they're all coming with air conditioners now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we're gonna talk about that on the next episode because you you y'all know that we have a regular episode, then the next one that we post is news. But yeah, we're gonna talk about air conditioning, how a lot of them are coming from the factory like that, but no one's retrofitting because I mean that's an insane amount of money to have to do that. So yeah, I'm uh I'm dealing with it this week, uh, at least as we're recording, has been a cool. I mean, not that it wasn't hot. I mean, when I got on my bus this afternoon and my temperature thing was said 95, so it's not like it was it was nice during the morning, though. It felt amazing.
SPEAKER_00Morning's good, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But anyways, yeah, so AC's gone for both of us. I'm over it. Like, if you were if you go back to listen, because I think I've talked about it in the end of season one, I was a little bit more bitter about it, but now I'm like, whatever, I don't care, just suck it up, buttercup.
SPEAKER_00So it is hard when it's out of your hands, like you you have nothing, there's nothing you can do.
SPEAKER_02Literally, nothing I can do, and it's just frustrating that those buses were leased instead of yeah, bought. Like, I don't think we've ever done that ever.
SPEAKER_00I don't think so. So and that was um, those are good buses too. They were nice, nice internationals.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I've already the bus I'm in, I've already broken it and it's been in the shop for two days.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, now you're you're in one of those old diesels, right?
SPEAKER_02Well, I I put my foot through the floor. I drive though, I do not baby those buses. Like when I have to turn on a street where it's 55 and I'm going up a hill from a dead stop. I mean, I put my foot through the floor. So I'm expecting that bus to be in the shop a few times this year.
SPEAKER_00How does your bluebird do going out? Oh, you got that highway run and that hill.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's fine. I the biggest issue with at least my specific bus, and I don't know if this is standard with all our blue bus bluebirds, I can't go past 64 miles an hour. So, like, I'm in that that diesel today, and it's fine if I have to make a pass. See, I can't I can't challenge into the left lane in in the bluebird. I have to stay in the right lane because if I go over, I can't go faster than 64. You know, uh it'd be nice to go 70, 72 just to get around somebody, and then I always go 65. I put the cruise on, but yeah, it's been fine, it's very loud and rickety. Those buses are just yeah, pieces of shit.
SPEAKER_00Oh man.
SPEAKER_02To the point where the the the emergency uh things, I keep them, I keep them down because they rattle so bad. Like I'm in the bluebird, yes.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_02It's so bad, Joe, that there are been times where like I'm driving home in dead silence because my ears will be ringing because it's just so fucking loud because it just rattles. Of course, I'm in a bus today, the the spare that is 157,000 and it barely rattles at all. It's an international. Yeah, they're tanks, they're tanks, those bluebirds are just pieces of shit. Dollar store, dollar store buses. God damn.
SPEAKER_00I know. I started that one. Yeah, I know the one the one that you're in. I drove fresh off the line. Front, I had before even cameras were in it, right? And our boss is like, take it out, take it for a spin. And that was mine for a while. And the the run that I had, it drove like my car. I loved it, but they're so light, even for wintertime, they're very light. You got to adjust to that, and they're just they're a rust bucket inside. Yeah, I mean, if you could touch that up a little bit, it might be better.
SPEAKER_02But I don't I don't give a shit. I just don't want it to be, I just don't want it to rattle. Like the heat is the least of my problems. Like, you can't see out the window because it's like the smallest window known to man. Like, how that how how someone said, yeah, that's great, let's reduce the visibility out the front windshield. Oh, who designed that and said, Yeah, let's go different from international and make the windshield smaller.
SPEAKER_00Who made bluebirds?
SPEAKER_02I think it's Ford. Oh, yeah, I think it's Ford. Uh, I could be wrong. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Send me a text. Yeah, there you go.
Leasing Buses And Budget Consequences
SPEAKER_02Uh, what else you got?
SPEAKER_00Um okay, so we're what a a week in, two weeks in?
SPEAKER_02This is our third week. We've not had a full week, but this is our third week.
SPEAKER_00Because of a holiday. Okay. This is our third weekend. And by now, you have you should have established your expectations to your kids, um, attempted to learn their names. I know um some people have, you know, either new freshmen coming in or the seniors are off and the seventh graders are not, you know, whatever. Attempted to learn their names right from the get-go and get those seat assignments if that's what you choose to do. All three of those I'm getting done, um, are done. I have some rearranging of my seating assignments for my older kids, but my elementary are placed, they love it, they got to pick their seat first. I'm seven kids less this year than I was last year. So that's good. We have room. There's a fourth grader that likes to sit by themselves, and this year they can. But we also got the paperwork today that um we have to do our emergency, our first emergency back. I know it's out the brack door too. But this is the opportunity to get those expectations stated. Don't wait, don't think, okay, you know, I'm just gonna talk to them later or something. Don't let another year go by with behavioral issues when we're here to help and tell you that learn their names, get those seat assignments as well. Have them pick the seat first. I think it works. Um, I think it works great. And if they don't want to sit there, or if if when they sit down, well, I'm trying to say is when they sit down, if that seat assignment doesn't work, bring them up, then you assign their seat, but they at least get to pick it out to begin with.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I do the same thing. I was like, hey, figure out your seats. I don't care. Give the next couple days, let's make some adjustments. I use magnets. I say you're welcome to take your thing and move it. That was for my older kids, though, my fifth graders and sixth graders. I the younger kids, I didn't do that. I assigned them seats. Okay, I didn't let them pick.
SPEAKER_00I don't have that many older kids to sit in the back, so they got on first. And I'm like, okay, if if you want to go in the back, this is your opportunity. My my kids last year. Here's the difference between last year and this year. My kids last year, my older kids, so we go K through four on one on one uh route. And my fourth graders last year were safeties, and they were they ran the bus for me. All I had to do was drive. I was just blessed beyond belief. These kids were like, feet in the aisle, here's your backpack, make sure it stays on, wear it like a backpack, baby. If you want to sit against the you know, the cushion or whatnot. Um, sit down. I mean, they they ran the bus. I had they placed themselves so they were like in the middle of the bus and in the back of the bus and they rotated. They did all this themselves. It was amazing. Okay, those fourth graders are now on another bus, so I don't I don't transport them. They go to another driver. My fourth graders now, I only have like four or five of them. I had 11 last year. Um, four or five, and they're having a dance party back there because they could care less if they're safety, if anybody's doing whatever. And I'm like, you guys have set the example now. They're like, really cool, dance, you know. I mean, it's just it's it's completely different change of atmosphere on the bus. So now I'm gonna work a little bit harder for my money this year. Yeah, because and I already moved some fourth graders to the front, so they understood the assignment this week, but no, I I'm not messing around, I don't waste any time in the beginning. I've already talked to my kindergartners, we've already talked about food, water bottles, sitting down. You know, I use your cheek to seats um instead
Bluebird Versus International Bus Real Talk
SPEAKER_00of bottom to bottom, back to back. They like the cheeks to the seats better. And with our evac this week, it's a better, it's also another way for me to reach, you know, the upper L. Um, but usually they're just so tired and they have their own headphones in that I don't have to worry about them either.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for me, yeah. We talking about the EVAC, I'm like dreading it because I have so many kids.
SPEAKER_00It's even after your first, like your first transfer gets off, and then your kids get on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I still well. Remember, I have 35 fifth and sixth graders, yeah, and then middle school and high school. So yeah, it's full. I mean, uh the transfer is fine. I mean, that's no big deal. That's it's actually not that full. Um, it's just total. And and we can do it, right? We'll do the evacuons fine. I heard from a little birdie that they might be making some moves and I might be losing some of the kids on that route. Oh, to give me some relief. Um, I did reroute myself in the afternoon to drop, uh, even though I have to double back a little bit, to drop the majority of my kids up. I basically have two neighborhoods. The first neighborhood is like two-thirds of my kids. So instead of making it them ride to the other part of my route, I'm like, you know what? Fuck it. I'm going in there, I'm dropping.
SPEAKER_00You're reversing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Just for that one. And so unfortunately, there's I have two major neighborhoods, and then one little one by the elementary you work at. Unfortunately, they're on the bus the longest because I go through there, I don't go drop them off, and then I immediately start start my route again. So, but it's just they're like, Well, why are you doing that? I'm like, just to give everyone some relief of three to a seat. I mean, they're these kids got instruments and bags, and they're hanging out in the aisle. I'm like, yeah, I've just been like, if you can put just a half a cheek on, I'm happy with that. I just can't have you sitting on the floor or sitting in the aisle. I get it. And so at least in the afternoon, I'm able to get them off and get them some relief. But supposedly there's some things that are gonna happen, and maybe I hope I don't lose. I have some favorite kids on there.
SPEAKER_00I hope it's not them because like can you hand pick, like, okay, go. I don't want this per this house or this house or this. Well, I'm hoping you can't do that.
SPEAKER_02No, I'm hoping before they pull the trigger on that, I can look at it and say, Oh, you know what I mean, and just see if I can negotiate something a little bit. But yeah, I don't I don't know how they're gonna do it. I really only have two major neighborhoods and then the one little tiny one by you, unless it's tiny, it's 10 kids. If maybe I can maybe they'll just take that one, I don't know. But anyways, so I'm I'm dreading my evac because it's gonna take 45 minutes to get all the kids out.
SPEAKER_00Holy moly!
SPEAKER_02I mean, not really.
SPEAKER_00Well, the bus will burn down, so you can't do that. Try and do it in like 45 seconds.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, seriously, yeah, it's just it's tough, and you know, these are full grown adults, these high schoolers, and it's like you know, and it's just and those bluebirds. If you haven't driven a bluebird, they're just small inside. Yeah, the entryway small, the walkway small, everything's small.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it those are very narrow, very narrow. You know, you're it's great that you're a bus driver that can just pick your battles and you know, a cheek, half a cheek on there is gotta work, you gotta do what you gotta do. Yeah, but there are drivers. We have there are drivers that are like, I am not leaving, I am not leaving. It's I'm like, You it you can't. Where are they supposed to go?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you can't physically force them to push on another person. I get it, it's tough being a kid, especially an older kid, and being sitting next to people that maybe you weren't expecting to sit next to because for because again, there's no assigned seats for middle and high school, so they just kind of filter in. I think everyone's kind of found their space, but as long as you make an attempt, I'm like, we're good. It's a short route. I mean, my last pickup in the morning, I'm less than a I'm like a half a mile from my first drop-off at the middle school, so it's like the amount of times that are fully loaded are very small, but yeah, I just can't have you like standing up.
SPEAKER_00I reversed well, I think it was that run that I did. It's probably changed now, but yours that um when uh how I picked up and dropped off to school, I did it completely opposite going home. I start because just because it was, you know, larger amount of kids interesting getting off faster. Yeah, I did it completely backwards, and it actually worked out great because I ended right by the bus garage. So it was perfect.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's probably obviously the routes get a little different each time, but yeah, and we it's you know, especially this year.
SPEAKER_00We I think um kudos to our boss, they're gonna listen to us when we have ideas. That's what's always great. We do have support, yeah.
SPEAKER_02It it's been good, and and that she actually uh suggested that reversal, and I was like, hmm, let me think about it. I didn't do it right away, and then one day it took them forever to sit down. I was holding up the line. I was like, Okay, this I'm done with this shit. Like, we gotta we gotta get these kids out. Honestly, the kids that are in that neighborhood the first couple days when I turned left, they all clapped. Oh because I'm sure they were excited to get off the bus sooner, too. I mean, you're talking two-thirds of the the the bus. So so now I'm they all clapped. They did, yeah, and for like a couple of days, and they realized I was doing it every day, and then and then they don't, but also another reason or another thing with the amount of kids, I had to add five minutes to my route. Wow, I had to change the time because it takes so long for them to filter back, and it's not like they're dicking around, they're literally navigating to get to the back for other people, stepping over instruments, and it just takes longer.
SPEAKER_00And I was getting they're holding their instruments over their head, yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's a bitch, and and so I was getting them to school late, and even today, I still like I'm like I was five minutes early, but I realize I'm butting into different buses and getting stuck behind people. And I was still I I started five minutes early, and I think I got to this the school where you're weighed at like with one minute extra. So I I somehow ate four minutes between yeah.
SPEAKER_00So it's just been you're coming in at a great time for me. I know I take kids off your bus or um for transfer, but I'm still I'm still doing pretty good. I know it's gonna allow my um winter driving. It's gonna that's what it's doing, is when you're adjusting your time like that. Now that's gonna free up. Like right now, it might be early, but when that snow hits, I'm gonna be well.
SPEAKER_02That's another reason. Yeah, that's another reason why I did it. Just because I knew if I don't get any relief for someone taking my kids off on another route, I'm gonna need that with snow. I mean, just trying to turn out and spinning and you know, so goodness. Yes. Uh what else do I got? I think I covered everything other than like this was an interesting thing. Um, and you love music, play music with your kids, and I do on Fridays. That's like I play the radio during the week, but like on Fridays is play. list Spotify whatever and right away the first week coming back ever the kids were like are you playing music on Friday and I was like yeah I go we want MJ Michael Jackson I was like okay okay and so obviously that documentary came out so a lot of kids must have seen it it's a weird I'm in a weird just just a to I can't say that word can you say it justifia justification no oh just a like a position it's just a just oh my god hold on okay how about you just switch out a whole nother word fuck you you're gonna google it aren't you just
Seat Plans And First Week Expectations
SPEAKER_02just a position juxta juxtaposition it's okay I can't even spell it right to get it to Google but anyways I'm in I'm in a pickle making up words now you're no it's uh juxtaposition juxtaposition now you're not juxta juxtapos Okay juxtaposition juxta J-U-X-T-A-P-O-S position is the act of placing okay what this doesn't work the act of placing two or more things ideas or characters side by side to compare them or show the differences no then that's not the word you wanted no it isn't ah fuck I'm an idiot I went I went to public or private school anyways all that for nothing I went to public and I don't know what you're talking about. I I'll have to ask my wife because she's amazing at grammar. There might maybe there's like an urban dictionary for that um but um so yeah I'm in a position where um and you know I've I've literally never asked you this question and you're welcome to answer yes or no that you know Michael Jackson is a pedophile and but yet the music is all out and so I don't do you believe it or not he never got convicted in a court of law but there's a lot of evidence I don't believe it okay I don't think he did anything sexually with those kids but I do think he liked the attention oh yeah for sure from them I mean I've I've never watched I don't know much about it I know I listened the did you watch the documentary or did you watch oh okay it is good it is they did an amazing job. Well yeah they don't go into that stuff they they specifically I had the summer of Michael Jackson with my daycare kids okay it's all they wanted Michael Jackson every day and the song Chicago for some reason first they wanted that first and then all the all the hits yep it was the summer of that I think it's you know because that movie came out they also can I put you on the spot and say though if he was convicted would you still play the music I don't know I'd have to ask the teachers I think like what they want yeah well I mean not you would ask your your run right now or you're talking about summer summer well summer's different I'm talking now oh right now I don't play any Michael Jackson right now they didn't ask for it no mm mm no my kids are you know Taylor Swift uh K pop still they like oh it's kind of like a cross between a country K oh shoot yeah I just played it today and they still like Fallout Boy and Sweet Home Alabama and I mean we have just a weird eclectic well it's different kids music. Yeah I'm kind of torn because I mean even if he did it's still good music. Are you really su I mean he's dead now at this point so it doesn't even matter.
SPEAKER_00Tate McRay.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah of course Tate McCrae. Yeah they like that one have you heard any Phoebe Bridges yeah I like Phoebe Bridgers. My daughter's going to that show two times this summer. Wow nice so let's go back to yeah Michael Jackson um it it was the summer yeah my my kids now that I currently have they do not they they didn't request any of those okay well that's cool well I'm playing it I am I did have a couple of kids ask if we could play some T Swift and stuff I gotta redo my basically I gotta redo my playlist for Friday. Yeah I gotta add some MJ take some stuff out maybe add some stuff but I'm looking forward to that well somber I'm going to that concert coming up but they love somber yeah I'm playing that a lot I you know I would probably recognize it but like it doesn't ring a bell like what they sing.
SPEAKER_00Anything else for stories from the road uh no I think we killed that it's dead I can beat it with a dead horse yeah tips and tricks from the road Joe what do you have uh uh three weeks in right is what we said uh I've already handed out a nice gob of you know like way to go tickets type things um I got my window putter uppers that are so excited to be doing it this year because I just had my fourth graders last year now now my new fourth grade they love to do it except they'll put it up too soon like all my windows are down when they start when I pick them up then we're going home and like they're start shutting the windows I'm like dude I got like a good I don't know what do you think that is a five mile stretch back with no air coming through those windows but no I I love that they do that. So I'm I've established that I'm I started handing out those you know be nice ticket um whatever the school calls them be nice tickets and other kids are seeing that like oh wow if I just you know share my seat with somebody and sit down the whole time that because I'm noticing it and I'm handing them out. A lot of my kids are sitting towards the front this year. I only have like I have my first rows are all full two to a seat and then I have this big gap and then my fourth graders are in the back like sprinkled throughout back there. So it's kind of weird how they all sat there. But yeah I've started handing out the ticket so that's working pretty good. And we've already talked about how my fourth graders are different from um last year compared to this year. But they're getting there. They're just more sociable my fourth graders this year are just more what's going on after school I'm gonna ride my bike to your house right just social butterflies. And last year they were all about business. So um yeah quite different but no it's we're off to a great start so the chip tips and tricks I can offer you is just don't wait any longer. Right when you get to school start establishing that behavior that conduct the praises or the discipline moving seats.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. As far as the tickets go I am going to do my thing next or um I always tell the kids all right the first full week of school we'll do the because they're asking about candy already I'm like it's the last Friday of the month. Well Mr. Jerry uh we already had a last Friday in August and you didn't pass out candy I'm like well it's got to be a full week I'm like putting all these like new rules terms and conditions. No i've I've always had that but they forget right this summertime. But uh I am going to do the raffle I like your idea of like giving them because they did good work but it's just so hard to monitor that while I'm driving me personally I don't I don't see a lot of that but I am going to do every week I on a Friday if everyone's good if you were terrible you're not getting a ticket but if you were good you're getting one and then when you come back in the afternoon I'm gonna draw a number and then what whoever's number that is then you get a little packet and I bought some stickers and I bought some little like rubber duckies and then I'll probably put a piece of candy in there and then you know there that person doesn't get to draw now you can lose that privilege.
SPEAKER_00Yeah so I'm gonna start that that next week it is I'm gonna say um three years three years four years ago when I had 55 kids it was basically candy for the holidays and that was it I you you is I don't want to say you lose control but you lose um yes of of what you got going in Europe just concentrating on getting to these stops and how many kids get off these stops. So it is different when you have a smaller bus I've I've always tell myself like Becky you've earned I've had a full bus my entire career here at our district and these past couple years I've I think I'm just that more much better of a driver because my attendance
Evac Drills And Overcrowded Route Fixes
SPEAKER_00is lower especially for my K through four and I can kind I know more intimate stories and you know yeah you're you're in touch with more of them and yeah so if you have a full bus I you know I apologize that I'm just rattling off like you should do this you should do that because it's harder with with higher attendance buses.
SPEAKER_02Well yeah everything you say I mean it's not going to fit for everybody everyone's bus is different but I still think it's good to talk about because it gets the juices flowing for other drivers to think oh okay maybe I couldn't do what Joe exactly does but maybe I can modify it in a different way and and don't feel obligated to spend money on your kids either we we make the choice to do it and it's not a lot you know we've talked about Joe she gets a lot of stuff on the buy not buy nothing groups to kind of supplement that but don't feel like you have to do it um we don't make enough money anyways yeah it's just something I like to do I mean obviously the kids enjoy it um they're spoiled as shit anyways but what the hell I might as well spoil them too right it it there but they're gonna talk about that they're like yeah oh we have a bus driver we never get candy oh my bus driver gives candy you know it's it talks about it it's it's um I do utilize our free neighbor neighborhood with free stuff I just went to a garage sale that was all done happened to be going by when the husband changed the sign from garage sale to come get this shit and I got tons of stuff for my kids tons I'm already sorting it out and getting ready for Christmas and Halloween.
SPEAKER_00I'm I'm probably good to the first of the year.
SPEAKER_02Oh dang yeah I'm excited nice work nice work thank you scrappy you are scrappy scrappy yeah anything else on that nah I'm good all right and then the last segment of the show what grinds are gears I'll go first on this one it's part of it is the bid time anxiety and so you all are gonna like I'm sure you've heard it but if you're new to the new the show and you haven't gone back uh and your jaw will drop because I feel like no one else does this that I've even heard of in my area but we bid like four weeks in after the school school starts. So we start sorry I don't have my buttons up so yeah we start like that we started this school year exactly how our routes were for last year other than like the added kids and maybe an extra stop here and there nothing nothing gets well I'm sure there was there was a couple of routes that got revamped heavily but for the most part all of ours were the exact same and so that you know they look at it like well the kids can start out good and they know their bus driver. I mean those are the excuses I call them excuses that I've heard and and then then we rip the carpet out from underneath them four weeks later and say fuck you you got a new driver good look so yeah we we do bid about four or five weeks after school year so I'm I'm starting to like get the little things going on like anxiety going yeah a little bit anxiety we're gonna have to investigate on if we've ever done it differently we have oh we have you have probably been part of it in the summertime bidding yeah no 15 years done it yep all right when I when they said they used to do it I assumed it was relatively recent but no they give the reason about what what was their exact reason oh it's one of the reasons excuses oh people are on vacation fuck you it's your job if you know that the date of bid is gonna be August 6th you put that out at the beginning of the year they'll they'll know they don't you don't even have to wait like this is our bid date be there or have a proxy that's why I say like if they're up somewhere hours and hours away camping or whatnot you get your proxy you get that established before you even go. So I guess that's not an excuse because to me I would love to start out fresh with a new route if I'm gonna get bid out of it. Like I want first day we're all in this together you know what I mean it's just so hard for kids and I think it's so much harder like four or five weeks especially these kindergartners they get used to like Mr. Jerry they're already you know we already got a relationship with these kids and then all of a sudden you know you get bit out now yeah Miss Joe over here has a lot of seniority so chances are she's not moving.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I mean you you never know you never know but Mr.
SPEAKER_02Jerry here is down the list I'm I'm a third of the way up that's how far I am so I mean even even though we've lost three drivers it still feels like I'm on the bottom third so I do have an opportunity to lose my route I I hope that it doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_00Thankfully it's not very attractive route it's minimum hours and you're not getting it's there's nothing to it my my route they're probably going to adjust my time I'm sure I'm getting back five minutes earlier than last year.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So mine will go from 420 to probably 415 right maybe and then that means I have to scrap on my extras.
SPEAKER_02Well it's five minutes Joe calm down I need my benefits that's 25 minutes. Oh I see you're looking at at that I was like I thought you I thought you meant for like pay because I'm like it's it's literally not even a half hour of work.
SPEAKER_00Oh we need to get to 26 hours and 10 minutes to get our benefits. Yeah and I need to get to that and I can't I can't lose that.
SPEAKER_02Well yeah and that so that's such a good point if the you know you do have people above you if they adjusted their routes where they didn't get it that you and you had and that you might bet you might get bit yeah I I would have to take a longer run and then I lose my kids that I've yeah spent so much time on. And you got to do what you got to do, right? You love the kids but if it if it boils down that you don't get health benefits or cash and loo um you're you'll you definitely uh sorry you definitely you have to take a route that gives you the time I mean I would hate to do it too I would yeah I don't know if I'd rather leave my kids as by choice or get bumped out. Either way that episode that I get bumped out on the next time I record oh my God you're not gonna want to miss that one because I'm gonna be like probably crying crying hard I I don't think like you said yours is down there I don't I don't think anybody's gonna bump you out of that one. I have a couple of packs with people and they I don't think they re well renag on it and and and not and do it that are well one of them is with you and you wouldn't do it and the other one is like one above me and the other one's below me so she doesn't really it doesn't really matter but I've I vowed not to take her route either like even if I got bit out of mine then hers is off the table.
SPEAKER_00There's one that I would take um she parts next to me and we we are pretty much we leave the same time in the morning we come back the same time in the afternoon and um it's fairly similar neighborhoods but it would put me at your school that you're at so the the four of us friends that do everything together we'd all be at the same school.
SPEAKER_02God that'd be funny you know what's funny though in the afternoon none of us connect no no like me and the one are in the morning I don't ever connect with the other one. I don't know what it is about the afternoon but everyone just kind of stays on their buses probably because it's hot I don't know yeah I don't move yeah but the last speaking of hot I know we're kind of jumping around but last week I I stayed inside the school where the air was I went in there and I'm like I am gonna be in here until I have
Friday Music And The MJ Question
SPEAKER_02to immediately go out. I didn't I stayed on my bus because going in and out kills me worse than you know you just get adjusted to it and but sometimes you just need that like relief just for like 15 minutes to kind of bring your core temperature down. I probably should have all right then so yeah we so we want to bed in the summer that's my goal working through the next year is try to get that change and then what about you?
SPEAKER_00Um I'm just seeing that our community we are just fighting traffic all the time. Just I mean um we pass each other on that hill and I pull out of the school and sit there now. It's like I I don't even get up the hill anymore. It just seems like there it I don't know I don't know if more kids are driving this year more parents are driving their kids this year but it just takes me longer that way even though I'm still getting back earlier but um I'm finding the congestion to be the congestion of traffic to be different this year and also the half day traffic when we have half days as much as I like well I don't know if I really like them because they can't do anything in between you know I'm saying like you can get breakfast barely but um that half day traffic is insane. Like they don't know they're like oh crap why are the buses out it's completely different ball grain when you have to go at noon versus the 230 three o'clock the after yeah I wonder if you're struggling with the exchange because it's different this year so you're in kind of in a different position than you were last year so it maybe feels busier.
SPEAKER_02Yeah um it was an S show today yeah it was and okay I'm gonna add something to grind my gears okay why is it and I bet this is a similar experience in other districts why does it feel sometimes when I'm trying today happened I was trying to find a location for this kid that got on my bus that swore up and down he rode my bus and I'm like son I don't know who you are he told me his name I'm like am I your bus driver he's like yeah I've ridden 672 I was like I know I'm old and there's a lot of gray in this beard but I know I I don't know everyone's name but I know everyone's faces it's the third week I know if you ride my bus he swore up and down so then I said okay where do you live and he told me the street I go you do not ride my bus and now he's already on my bus. So we're going to the transfer so I'm communicating on the radio I didn't specifically ask for dispatch but clearly I was struggling trying to figure out where this young man needed to go and I wasn't getting any help until I specifically called it out and so that just frustrates me where I wish somebody would step in because I'm I'm trying to drive I'm not like sitting there you know having some tea and crumpets and just have all the time in the world. I I have a limited time I'm driving to this school I have to get rid of this kid tell me where he goes and it was just frustrating when I did finally reach out it felt like I was burdening someone it it kind of felt like it went a whole way around unnecessarily when the person could have just spoken up and goes I go to that I think maybe they just need to know where this kid goes so you'd be like hey I got a kid doesn't ride with me needs to go here well I will put one more extra detail the kid's bus that he does go on first of all is a female so clearly you're not looking at your business oh my god like and second that that driver was missing today and had a sub and so when I said the street name yeah the sub didn't know got it and so that makes more sense that was a cluster yeah it was a cluster yeah it's just frustrating like I feel like I love don't get me wrong I'm not shitting on our dispatch by any means it just it would be nice if someone would step in and I know I'm not the only one that they're dealing with.
SPEAKER_00I get it you get a lot of phone calls in the afternoon so you do if they don't get back to us they're probably all on the phone.
SPEAKER_02Right but there's three of them in there in the afternoon. So I just I'm just asking for a little grace of like help me out I'm not I I'm just want to get this kid to where he needs to go like it because we're all moving no we're all moving and and so I need to know what bus this kid rides so he can get home to his family. So well it's on that kid though come on well do better this so first of all first of all we don't
Rewards, Tickets, And Driver Tricks
SPEAKER_02use names or anything but that kid frustrated me because I said finally he he was tearing up a little bit I was like look at I go I got I got information for you at fifth grader I think fifth or sixth I would assume fifth I got information for you I want you to leave the bus go to the sidewalk and look for letter P you ride that that that I told him the number the letter and I was like I know you might it might be hard to see but I am G and then just go A B C D G A B C D E F G H I count down like I'm telling him this. Yeah he steps off and turns back within like 10 seconds three seconds what letter and I told him walks comes back what do you want me to do again? I'm like I love you I I'm sorry. And so I'm just I got a little like son Letter, you know what I told him. Letter P. And I hope he got home. I think he did.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we didn't get a call to look for anybody.
SPEAKER_02No. But I'm just like, I do not. I mean, maybe I look like a female, but I don't think I do. And I know your bus driver, and we don't look anything alike. So I don't know. Maybe it was your first day on the bus. I don't know. But he was adamant he rolled this bus. My boss.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god. Which reminds me of something to talk about next.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, thank God, because we're out of time. But um, so yeah. Well, we got to record another episode behind the curtains, folks. You it comes out a week later, but we record it right after this because so we only have to meet once every two weeks.
SPEAKER_00I only have to look at them.
SPEAKER_02Oh, how dare you! You see me every morning, you bratass. All right, uh, anything else? What uh looks like you're ready for athletics.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I'm ready to go out at night. I've been to football games already, got one this Friday. Oh, hockey season starts.
SPEAKER_02Come on, come on, let's go.
SPEAKER_00Let's go. Yeah, I'm excited for that. What else starts? Rugby?
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Oh, did you see that big trip going up?
SPEAKER_02No, I will tell you, I don't I don't look at them because I can't get them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this is a big one on a Sunday.
SPEAKER_02Hmm, interesting. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Rugby plays on Sunday, so those are good ones.
SPEAKER_02Well, we'll find out during, you know, just to wrap it up, during bid time, if I lose that extra, then I will be bidding on field trips because then I won't be like kissing the overtime button.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02All right.
SPEAKER_00Good. We're we're off. Our buses are rolling.
SPEAKER_02We're rolling. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Uh, if you ever have any stories from the road yourself, you can definitely just email them. I mean, we'll we'll hide your identity and obviously any pertinent names. Um, we try to be respectful of that, but we'd love some stories. Or if you just have a comment, or if you want us to tell us the fuck off and don't ever record again.
SPEAKER_01Don't tell us that.
SPEAKER_02I will tell you, I will tell, I will say that on and I will I will dox your ass if you say that to no. I'm just kidding.
SPEAKER_00I won't tell us.
SPEAKER_02You know, I've never looked at our reviews. We should probably go look at our reviews.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, I don't like those.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You don't get emails, so you just have to go and look, and you're like, oh shit, that one rough. But anyway.
SPEAKER_00See, because that is my fear of what my voice sounds like on the other end.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You have the you have the voice for for this, and this is my very first time, and I'm always concerned because I don't listen to specific radio shows because of their voices.
SPEAKER_02Well, no, of course not. Um, but I will say that um what was I gonna say? I I started looking. I'm looking for the reviews. Well, we have one review.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02One, you fuckers, how can I read it? Who's
Bid Anxiety, Traffic, And Dispatch Friction
SPEAKER_02it's probably our favorite fan.
SPEAKER_00It is. It's our okay.
SPEAKER_02March 4th, I think it is. As a fellow bus driver, I truly love this show. Very casual conversation about what we bus drivers go through on a typical day. If you drive a bus or not, you'll enjoy the conversation. All right, we need another review. I don't ever talk about it, but come on, folks. One review. We got 70 downloads on our last episode.
SPEAKER_00We are in this together. Let's go. I want to hear it.
SPEAKER_02All right, so now that I brow beat beated you, beat you, brow beat you, beat it.
SPEAKER_00You're having English problem.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, it's so bad. Okay, as always, same bus.
SPEAKER_00Uh, same kids, different stories. Just say ten four.
SPEAKER_02For the love of holy, just say ten four.