Early mornings, rough roads, and screaming kids are all part of a regular day for the Kansas school bus driver. Expectations are high and the cargo could not be more valuable! Have you ever wondered what life looks like through the eyes of the Kansas school bus driver? The day of a Kansas bus driver starts early.
Bus drivers are up and ready to start the workday between 5 and 6AM. When they get to the bus, whether it is raining, snowing, or just plain dark, the pre-trip inspection process begins. You see, the Kansas school bus driver is carrying the most valuable cargo in the world, so our buses are checked over before every route! Tires, lights, brakes and heaters are just a few of the bus components that need to pass before they get on the road.
Our bus drivers know that in cold weather our students are depending on them to be on time, because if they are not, our kids are left waiting outside for the bus to arrive at the bus stop. Running a tight schedule is all part of the high expectations the Kansas bus driver lives by. Most of the school year the morning bus route starts dark. The Kansas bus driver has the route committed to memory. On the route the Kansas School bus driver knows where to find the blind curves and narrow bridges. The Kansas school bus driver knows where the cows, goats, or horses are usually out. The Kansas school bus driver knows where to expect deer to cross the road and where to look out for the farmhouse dog that always seems to be in the middle of the road. The Kansas school bus driver knows which students should be pushed to higher goals and which students just need a hug and a friend. Being a Kansas school bus driver is so much more than simply operating a 40-foot commercial vehicle down narrow township roads and into small cluttered driveways. It takes love, patience, and investment into the relationships of their students and student’s families. The Kansas school bus driver makes it their mission to set up their students for a successful school day.
The Kansas School bus driver is trained very well on how to handle a variety of challenges. All Kansas school bus drivers are trained in Defensive Driving and First aid/CPR. They are required to stay up to date on the appropriate Commercial Drivers License and have a DOT physical on file. When you transport the most valuable cargo in the world you need to employ and train the safest drivers in the world. According to the statistics, we have done that in Kansas.
According to the Kansas State Department of Education in the 2022-2023 school year 9176 school bus drivers worked together to transport 191,379 students safely to and from Kansas schools. In that school year, Kansas school bus drivers logged a total of 85.8 million bus route miles and nearly 10 million activity route miles. In all those miles there were only 18 students injured in a school transportation accident. It is data like this that shows that school bus transportation is the safest form of land transportation available!
At Washington County Schools, USD 108 , we have the best of the best driving your students to school. At USD 108 we have 5 drivers running the main routes bringing students to school and taking them home at the end of the day. They are Paula Grace, Kevin Elder, Joanna Novak, Tammy Gano, and Mary Fuhrken. All five of our main route drivers have been driving a school bus for more than 20 years! To be exact…we have a combined 162 years of bus driving experience in our five route drivers! They are safe, they love your students and they are good at what they do! In addition to our regular route drivers we have Cindy Sawin, Greg Metz, Clay Owings, Richie Hill, Michelle Bruna, John Kern, and Scott Romeiser that help fill in the gaps when we need a sub or activity driver.
This week is School Transportation Safety week. Make it a point to tell the bus driver in your neck of the woods that you appreciate the work that they do.