These drivers mean bus-iness
Students race to their buses at the end of the day on a Friday, often forgetting to say hello or thank you to the people who drive them to school each day and back home each afternoon.
December 22, 2015
From the moment a child starts his or her first year of school, bus drivers hold the child’s life in their hands. With such an important role in young children’s lives, bus drivers work tirelessly but receive few benefits for their passion.
“It’s a difficult job when you’re responsible for the lives of so many, but the rewards outweigh the difficulties,” NC bus driver Steve Randazzo said.
What does a typical day for a bus driver look like?
Bus drivers devote their days to their young commuters, morning through afternoon. The average driver wakes up at five A.M. to prepare for their day of driving, while others rise even earlier. Drivers arrive at work by six in the morning and drive until nine A.M., when they go to breakfast. Afterwards, they return to work by two P.M. and finish up by five P.M.
Driving buses for Cobb County does not boast a high pay rate or amazing benefits. Drivers work for other reasons.
“It’s enjoyable watching the kids grow up,” Cobb County driver James Lebente said. “And it’s a pleasure doing field trips with band and various sports and them telling you thanks for taking us.”
The vast majority of bus drivers genuinely care for these young students, transcending the basic responsibilities of their job. Bus drivers work above and and beyond the line of duty on behalf of their riders and become trusted adults in their children’s lives.
“It feels like eight hours well spent watching my kids grow physically and mentally into respectful, responsible people,” Randazzo said.
When it comes to the passengers of the bus, 40% of students in a survey of 25 saw their bus drivers as in-between people, as in they exist in these students’ minds as only when the student rides the bus. The majority of students (44%) feel thankful as bus drivers work out of their way to make sure students arrive at school safely, while 16% do not care.
One of the majority, junior Madhu Kamarajugadda, explains the need to respect bus drivers: “I feel like bus drivers are taken for granted. They spend a lot of their time time just driving us everywhere. They have to deal with many ignorant people that don’t clean up after themselves. I just think that we need to give more importance to bus drivers in general.”
A bus driver takes check of procedures before giving the go-ahead to other buses.
Bus drivers face numerous obstacles throughout the course of their work. They work hard in sporadic conditions for meager pay. They endure feeling as if they may melt in moving ovens during the summer and sit in frozen metal cans during the winter.
While students cannot do much for the sake of their bus drivers, they can show them gratitude for their selfless hard work. Students can also help by making sure they clean up after themselves on the bus, and arrive at bus stops early to ensure the driver’s efficiency. It only takes one demonstration of gratitude to brighten their day.
Students easily pass off bus drivers as mere vessels to provide for them. It only takes one minute to stop and think about a driver’s feelings and only a second of effort to acknowledge their efforts and express gratefulness.
How do NC students feel about the people who drive them to school safely every day?
