School Buses

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Do you use them?
If so, do you like it?

ANd if so, what kinds have you had?

I drive school buses actually

My bus is an Amtrans Genesis 1993 model with an I-3600 Diesel Turbo International Engine.

It is a special needs bus. I carry 4 children for Mayo HS and Friedell MS and about 15 children for Riverside Elementary. I also have one bus aide.

I don't like the bus. It takes to long and it's to noisy.

For me I could write tons about the school bus. Two points to sum up my experience with the school bus.

When I first started to take the bus, from about 1989 to 1993 I annoyed the hell out of almost every bus driver I had.

When I got into junior high school, my trips on the bus were trips into hell, the vast majority of the bullying I experienced, and the worst bullying I experienced was on the bus.

I doubt you would have annoyed me as one of my Junior High students is slowly finding out.



That will not happen on my bus. First because of the lower number of students on a special needs bus (mine only fits 20 due to the spaces for wheelchairs even though it is a full sized bus), I can keep better track of the students, who is doing what, and learn about each student.

Second, there are 2 adults on the bus (again because it is special needs), the driver, and a bus aide supplied by the district. I work with the aide and we get to the bottom of things and the students know it. I also have a loud voice which carries well on my bus.

I enjoy buses (the vibrating is...."fun"). I just don't like some of the people on mine. I can't sit in the back because of the fast paced, high energy, gossipy converstaion. I prefer the front, everyone sleeps in the front.

Is he an aspie also like myself? If so I applaud you Louis for being so thick skinned. However if you were my driver and this was 1993, I would have given you a run for you money!

I had some pretty creepy bus drivers over the year. The ones who listened to me were doomed to my incessant questioning and aspie tendancies. The creepy ones ignored me and I ignored them.

One bus driver I had worked as a priest in a local church. He tried to make religion a part of his daily route. He got fired because he took a corner too sharp and took out a row of mailboxes.

Another bus driver I had did the same thing.

The scariest moment I had on a bus was in December 1991. The driver
I had that year had a reputation for being a lead-foot. He took a corner too fast and got the bus up on two wheels nearly flipping it over.

That student is not an aspie. He has some issues all along and to top it all off, went through a windshield and bumped his head a few years ago.

You may have given me a run for my money. I cannot say because I have not had the joy of having an aspie on my bus yet although that could change in the next school year.



The problem with the school bus industry is that they do not pay a wage that one could support themselves off of let alone a family. You therefore get retirees primariy. You also can get some undesireables too. About 4 - 5 years ago, a driver here had chained a girl to one of the bus seats and was going to kidnap the girl later. What that driver did not know was that the mechanics check the buses at the end of the day to make sure that no children were still on the bus. The uproar from that can still be felt today.



Some of my middle school and high school students would probably ask me to do that one again.

I have a very fun route.

http://getaforum.com/phpbb2/index.php?mforum=schoolbuses4eve&sid=76cf34f9ca5dd8578d7fa7753c33ee50

I post there...you can read more info about my experience on school buses at that forum.

A more active school bus forum is at http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/forum, but I was banned from there...my posts are still online, though.

Maybe you guys would like registering at one of them!

I do not know if I will register or not. I will think about it however.

In the later forum, what was your name NewYork and why were you banned?

During 7th grade, a friend and I took the school bus after school. That was the only time period I have ever ridden the bus. I have no idea what kind it was, sorry.

I'd rarely ever ridden the big yellow buses but I've had some small yellow ones. Usually I shared a Suburban with five or six others. For all but the last year of high school I got a bus all to myself. It was a Chevy Celebrity Eurosport that was the envy of all the school.

The bus company was owned by the nicest couple you'd ever meet. The wife of the couple was my driver for two years. I was a quiet kid - one time I was so quiet the driver accidentally got onto an on-ramp and almost took me home with her! I had another driver who did that too.

I got some great buses in high school. If the Eurosport was out for repairs, I'd maybe get a Suburban (usually a nice one but one time not), another Celebrity, or sometimes even the new fully-loaded Astro van. Tinted windows, A/C and even all wheel drive!

Louis: I hear you about money. My aunt's been a bus driver for over 35 years and she's been ready to give it up for a while now.

BTW, here's the list of buses I've had regularly at some point or other.

Pre-K: Old #6(1987 Superior/Chevy Type A-I)
K: #12(1989 Van Con/Chevy "SW" Type A-I), Old #31(1988 Ward/Chevy "Vanguard" Type A-II), #1A(1991 Coach & Equipment/Dodge Type A-I)
1: #11A(1987 Chevy Suburban), #5(1996 Van Con/GMC "SW" Type A-I)
2: #5
3: #5
4: #30(1998 Crown by Carpenter/CGMC "Cadet" Type B)
5: #6Aa(sister bus to #12), #30
6: #30, New #31(1999 Collins/Chevy "Bantam" Type A-II)

I was home-schooled after that.

Here's my list of regular buses I rode in school and when I rode them.

#108 - 1974 Carpenter (89-90)
#140 - 1980 Carpenter (89-91)
#162 - 1990 Thomas (91-92)
#33 - 1972 Carpenter (92)
#142 - 1981 Carpenter (92-94)
#156 - 1987 Thomas (94-95, 97-98 )
#117 - 1974 Carpenter (95-97)

Fair Lawn Board of Education's Fleet Roster

New for 2005!
64-2005 Thomas/GMC Minotour Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
65-2005 Thomas/GMC Minotour EL Type A-II, 20 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
66-2005 IC CE Type C, 72 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.

Current Fleet
1-2005 IC CE Type C, 66 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
2-1996 Blue Bird/Ford CV200 Type C, 66 passenger capacity, no AC/seat belts.
3A-2002 Blue Bird/GMC CV200 Type C, 66 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
5-1996 Van Con/GMC Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
6-1999 Collins/Chevy Grand Bantam Type A-II, 20 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
7A-2004 Blue Bird Vision Type C, 66 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
8-1998 U. S. Bus/GMC Sturdibus Type A-II, 12 passenger/1 WC capacity, AC/seat belts.
12A-2001 Collins/Chevy Bantam Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
14-2000 International 3800CS Type C, 66 passenger capacity, no AC/seat belts.
28-2002 Collins/Ford Bantam Type A-II, 12 passenger/2 WC capacity, AC/seat belts.
30-1998 Crown by Carpenter/GMC Cadet Type B, 20 passenger/2 WC capacity, AC/seat belts.
31-2001 Collins/Chevy Bantam Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
31A-2001 Collins/Chevy Bantam Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
32-2001 Collins/Chevy Bantam Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
32A-1999 Collins/Chevy Grand Bantam Type A-II, 20 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.
34-1992 Ward/International Volunteer Type C, 55 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts.
35-1992 Ward/International Volunteer Type C, 55 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts.
36-1992 Ward/International Volunteer Type C, 55 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts.
38-2003 Blue Bird/Chevy Micro-Bird Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, AC/seat belts.

Buses Retired Since 2000
1-1991 Coach & Equipment/Dodge Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2004.
1A-1991 Coach & Equipment/Dodge Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2004.
3-1989 Carpenter/Chevy Conventional Type C, 55 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2002.
6-1988 Superior/Chevy Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2001.
6A-1989 Van Con/Chevy Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/seat belts, retired 2001.
6Aa-1989 Van-Con/Chevy Type A-I, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/seat belts, retired 2002.
7-1990 Wayne/Chevy Lifeguard Type C, 66 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2003.
14-1987 Thomas/Ford Conventional Type C, 66 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2000.
31-1987 Ward/Chevy Vanguard Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2001.
32-1987 Ward/Chevy Vanguard Type A-II, 16 passenger capacity, no AC/no seat belts, retired 2001.

School Service Vans/Cars
9-1987 Chevy Suburban, dark green, retired 2001.
10-2000 GMC Savana, dark green, currently in service.
10A-2000 GMC Savana, dark green, currently in service.
11A-1987 Chevy Suburban, dark green, retired 2001.
17-1987 Chevy Caprice, gray, retired 2003.
17A-1989 Chevy Impala, light blue, retired 2004.
33-1987 Chevy Suburban. dark green, retired 2001.
40-1992 GMC Vandura, dark green, retired 2000.

I walked to elementary and jr high. I rode the city bus in high school. What I didn't like about the bus was that it was under contact to the school whist still being a public bus. ie we had students and the public on it....and the public could get off at any stop. The students could only get off on "their" stops. It was so stupid that I had to walk back blocks when the bus would stop right near my house for others.

Oh well.

Neither on my child particularly like the bus. Its a bullying issue for the younger as well. I drive them to school in the morning and they normally walk home in the afternoon.