No unimportant jobs- school bus driver

GON

GON

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White Sands, NM
Vercingetorix said:
Insulting to bus drivers by saying he is overqualified just because he was with the FBI. In what way does that make him a good bus driver?
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I looked at the story differently.

A 60+ year old guy, with a likely very nice federal pension. Guy learns of a severe public school bus driver shortage. Instead of watching TV, etc--- the 60+ year old guy commits to a job that requires him to get up every scheduled morning, report to work, and then do the same every afternoon. I thought it was a good story, not a derogatory story about bus drivers or any profession.
 
Sounds like a BITOG'er at heart:

"I'm probably one of the few bus drivers who has Turtle Wax in his kit back there, because my hood was so oxidized and I said, 'Oh no. I can't do that,'" Mason said with a laugh. "So, I am what I am."
Click to expand...

Not sure if AI or not, but I do know that it's an issue around here. Go figure, it's not high pay and the hours are not great. And some times the kids are awful--my kids were glad for the pandemic and no more bus rides (when school went back to in-person we just drove them for various reasons).

Somebody has to do it... although I could see some age issues being a problem. But it could be a good way for retirees to get out, do something for the community, etc.
 
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I didn't go to the link, but I've been telling my wife for quite some time I might drive a school bus in retirement to have something to do. Our local school district is always looking for them. They provide training, offer in the range of $25/hr, and the middle of the day is available for taking care of important things, like taking a nap! I also have the distinct advantage of poor hearing, so I can just turn off my hearing aids as needed.
 
GON said:
Came across a video about a former USMC officer, top FBI official, and is now a public-school bus driver. Hopefully true story and not AI......
Click to expand...

Going to say you have a higher confidence level with a story like this on a network VS something on your FB feed.

Vercingetorix said:
Insulting to bus drivers by saying he is overqualified just because he was with the FBI. In what way does that make him a good bus driver?
Click to expand...
Did you read it? He says driving bus is important too. He was #4 at the FBI so yeah his resume makes him overqualified.

I have 2 nieces who drive bus. In Wyoming at least the driving test is no joke serious. The job is part day care worker part prison guard and well above average driving skill.. Respect.
 
In the rural school district where I spent the longest part of my teaching career the vast majority of our drivers were either farmers who drove in the mornings and afternoons between farm chores, or their wives. More than a few took the job only to get health insurance for their families, and at least one paid the district because the premium for her big family was larger than her salary. I have nothing but respect for school bus drivers.
 
My wife is a driver. She transports special needs students.
Drivers here are members of the teachers unions.
We have top tier benefits and cost is a small % of her wages.
Prior to that I was paying over $2k/mo for mediocre coverage for 3.
She maintains close relationships with many of her students and their parents.
There's a lot more to the job than just driving.
 
My district got so bad with bussing around the COVID era that we gave up on it completely and drove our kids. Presently only one of our 4 is still in school, so it's not so bad. Ironically, the bus contractor's garage is only about 2 miles down the road from my home, but they can't/couldn't keep drivers. At times, most routes were covered by 2nd string substitutes from out of the area. Back in the day, I'd be standing out at the end of our driveway with our kids, waiting for the bus (we live in a rural-ish area) and the bus would fly right on by with a sub driver at the helm.
 
JTK said:
..ironically, the bus contractor's garage is only about 2 miles down the road from my home, but they can't/couldn't keep drivers...
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My sister drives a school bus. She is constantly begging on Facebook for people to apply to become bus drivers. They make decent money and have pretty good benefits, but they can't find/keep drivers. Nobody wants the gig.
 
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One of my kids' bus drivers had just retired from the US Navy as a Captain. He said he loved the job, because he felt it was giving back. He ran the cleanest ship in the entire bus fleet.

The only problem I had with him is he teased me for wearing crocks to the bus stop in the dead of winter. :)
 
Bus drivers are in demand here, but many work long enough to pay back their CDL training and move on.

It wouldn't surprise me if the government came out with a "hobbled" CDL that only allows driving school busses, and not semis or oil trucks, as a means of retaining people.

Drivers also have the options, in well run school districts, to do side work like lunchroom monitoring so they can get more hours.
 
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