A School Bus Driver's Memoir: A Miami Dade County Bus Driver's Life Throughout Eight Years of Service

Por Roberto Suriel

We, school bus drivers, are a twenty-five-minute parents and a short trip teacher in our profession of driving school buses. Our responsibilities go beyond any training or preparation that we might have along the way, coping with difficult students and rewarding act of kindness from unexpected parents or students. Timing and safety are well seen by parents and teachers as good token for being always on time. However, school bus driver faces many scenarios which could test his/her patience and goodwill and put his/her job in jeopardy at any given time.

In A School Bus Driver's Memoirs, I described several scenarios--some funny, others were exciting and traumatic, but most of them were rewarding and happiness as part of the daily life of a school bus driver.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 24 ago 2022
• ISBN: 9781662499685

Vista previa del libro

Chapter 1

Full of Beans

I just finished training for truck driver under the WIA program in Homestead, Florida Department of Economic Development, and I decided to take a chance at Walt Disney World Epcot for a bus driver position they had had opening there. I went to Orlando right away to continue with my new career as a bus driver in Walt Disney World Epcot center.

In the past, I was a janitor inside Epcot Center, so I figured I could get a better chance to obtain a position as a bus driver. And so I did.

My records from preview position were excellent and helped me get back there. But it didn’t last too long because I already bought a condo to my family in Homestead. It was a long trip every month to visit my family, and my expenses were split in two, paying for the condo in Homestead and a room at Home Sweet in Kissimmee with only one source of income. So I quit Disney after six months leaving a good record and references, and I applied for a position in the Miami Dade County Public School transportation area.

Training began at Southwest compound for the Department of Transportation of the school board and lasted for two weeks. Videos about safety driving, Dade County school’s policies and procedure, and normal and regulations for bus drivers and bus assistants (aids). After that, I was assigned to south transportation area located in Florida City.

So far, so good.

On my first day, I was nervously and timidly talking to no one. However, I was received with a warm welcome, introduced to other drivers, and showed the area around by the operation manager in turn (she’s not longer there).

I was at the driver waiting room when I was called by the dispatcher through the intercom.

Mr. Suriel, please come to dispatch, said the dispatcher.

I promptly went to the dispatcher office.

My first assignment was to rescue another driver whose bus had broken down on the road, around Exit 6 northbound on the Florida Turnpike inside a shopping mall at southwest 137th Avenue in front of Publix supermarket.

I was given a piece of paper with the location of the driver and an assigned bus number to drive over there. I quickly went to the bus’s slot, did my work-around procedure, started the engine, and exited the compound.

I had an old Blue Bird bus. Some driver called it a pusher. As I worked at Disney World before, I got a different work-around procedure for pre-trip inspection (mostly Gillig buses, and it was an 8×14 long sheet written on both side with more than eighty different items to check up). I tried to stick to the form given to me at the bus driver training orientation (short and an 8×11 sheet with less than forty items to check up).

When I got there, the other driver was waiting for me (that driver is now an FOS for the south transportation).

I parked the bus on a safety location and waved my hand to her in a friendly display. She approached the bus and greeted me. We displayed the safe signals in front and at the back of the broken-down bus.

She politely took control of the bus and moved it out the shopping mall to continue with her route. She then radioed dispatcher to inform her going back on the road to finish her assignment.

We had smooth run without any more incidents.

She didn’t talk too much. And I didn’t ask her too many questions since the whole things were new for me. Besides, I was little bit shy for the skill and confident she displayed at driving the bus. Therefore, we run the route quietly.

When she finished her run, we returned to the compound.

Back at the compound, I started to read the manual and instructions for school bus driver and bus assistants. I was enthusiastic about my new career.

I spoke to the operation manager in the afternoon to get a route assigned, but there were none available since the bidding time was over.

I had to take whatever is left or waited until another driver call for absence or sick day from the route.

This period of waiting helped me to get familiar with different situations.

The bus driver handout coped with several important issues and mostly focused on safety and time management. I realized that customer’s relation, bus drivers, and students’ parents are essentially important for an effective and efficient route performance. Being on time is a critical for drivers and parent.

Driver would be able to complete their routes on time and safety, and parents would have no delays in getting their daily routine done quickly.

The waiting period helped me go through the manual and got valuable information to perform my job efficiently.

However, one day, I was a driver with a route, the next day a bus assistant, or a transportation operations helpers, or just waiting for something to come up.

And it did come up when I was assigned to a route.

I thank God that afternoon on my way out for the new and went home to prepare myself for the next day.

When I got home, I read the manual Mental Health First Aid USA for adults assisting young people. Customer service skills would help me cope with stressful situations.

A Good Morning Lesson to Students

It was Monday morning, the day that I started with my first route. I went to the compound early so that I would have plenty of time to do my routine and spare some minute talking to my coworker.

I stepped in the building; headed to the key room through the corridor; said, Good morning to a fellow worker going by; and entered the key room to sign in and pick up my bus’s key.

Good morning, key room, said I to the clerk behind the desk as I signed in.

Good morning, sir, she replied to me.

As soon as I signed in, I turned around facing the keyboard and looked at my route number to pick my key. Another driver behind me was waiting in line. I greeted him as I walked toward the keyboard. I usually like to say good morning to everybody I encounter on my way in. It is a refreshing greeting to anybody. However, not everyone gets to work happy and in good mood.

He didn’t respond my greeting and lowered his head to sign in quietly.

I didn’t pay attention to his dismay and continued walking toward the aisle to get out to the backyard where the buses are parked.

I passed the lounge room.

Good morning, everybody, said I to a group of drivers inside the waiting room. They all replied friendly.

Sometime there was an FOS (field operator specialist), sitting next to the key room clerk, and I greeted her too.

Good morning, miss…, said I to her.

I walked down the garage and headed out to my bus’s slot to start my routine.

My routine consisted of the following: I quickly clean off the handle at the bus entrance, steering wheel, and a dashboard. I use to carry a wipeout with alcohol in my backpack. Afterward, I do a walk-around, fill up the inspection form, and review the route run. It usually takes me some minutes to figure out where I am supposed to go and what area I am heading out.

Then, when I figure out the route completely, I read the Our Daily Bread, which is a devotional reading given by Ms. Charles Mims (FOS) to all the drivers for reading.

This devotional reading set up a tone for the day for me since it has so many messages from the Bible, which helped me focus on the Lord.

After that, I started the engine, put the flashing hazard light, put the gear in b (backing up), and blew the horn to let other drivers know that I am backing out.

Slowly, I drove around the backyard toward the exit. As I passed the exit gate in the compound, I looked for the FOS or supervisor who usually are there to check out the buses exiting the compound.

I heard Mr. Burns saying on the radio some warning to the driver in front of me.

Driver, put the silver light on, he said on the radio.

He used to stand at the gate checking that all the buses were okay to ride. The strophe silver light was located on top of the buses. No bus was allowed to go out with lights not working properly.

The driver corrected it and continued his way out.

I rode toward Krome Avenue.

According to the route, my first run was for a high school, and second run was for middle school. It was still dark. I carefully drove down on the road paying attention to the traffic at this hour since some drivers were rushing up and driving carelessly.

I had three bus stops and got about thirty-two students for a senior school (the name of the senior school is omitted due to confidentiality issues) on my first pickup.

My first stop, I followed the procedure to load students in the bus and check mirrors for traffic. I slowed down at least two hundred feet and turned master switch on to activate flashing amber loading/unloading light. I stopped at least twelve feet away from waiting students and activated the red flashing loading/unloading lights and the stop arms. I engaged the emergency or parking brake, then shifted to neutral, and waved my hand toward students outside to indicate Stop.

I again checked the mirrors for any vehicle moving or hazard. Then I opened the door and signaled the student to get in the bus (all the procedures according to the manual). Before moving the bus, I checked out that all students are in the bus and looked around for any students left behind.

As all the students were entering in the bus, I started to give lesson of courtesy and good manner by being polite and greeting them as follow.

Good morning, said I to the first student.

He replied none. He looked down and proceeded to get a seat.

Good morning, said I to the second student.

She looked at me in surprise. She silently entered to the back of the bus. She also replied nothing.

Good morning, said I to the third student.

He stared at me, turned his back, and walked down the aisle.

Good morning, said I to the fourth student.

Again, he did as the previous one did. He kept silent.

According to our training, bus drivers are the first-person students encounter on their way to the school—the first