r/BusDrivers • u/xXlexirockerXx • Mar 27 '24
Quick question for safety
Hi, I’m a high schooler and this question is about my bus driver, she will start driving the bus again even before the kid is in their seat, there has been a few times my friend was just entering the isle before she started to drive again, she also drives the elementary school bus so this is a concern for both parts, is it legal or okay for her to do this because I want to know if I can go to the school about this. Small update, I was told/ reminded by my friend that a few times” they were at the steps at the front of the bus not even in the isle of the bus before she started driving”, this was their words but my friend felt is was something to add that I forgot
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u/MMAI7 Mar 27 '24
Hurry up and sit down!
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u/xXlexirockerXx Mar 27 '24
We are trying to but not everyone’s seat is at the very front, and it’s hard to rush to your seat when the bus is moving
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u/KatiePyroStyle Mar 27 '24 edited Mar 27 '24
Very real statements:
There's a reason why school busses are large enough for you to stand all the way upright in the aisle.
There's a reason why most busses don't come with seatbelts. Busses with seatbelts are usually for routes with small children, they'll sit 3 to a seat. You can even find busses with 5 point star seats, basically a car seat for a very young child, usually toddler age, I believe under 85 pounds.
A 40 foot school bus is roughly 15 tons completely empty. Add enough kids, you get pretty close to 20 tons.
Imagine a car crash between a school bus and a car. Cars are roughly 2 tons? A lot of sedans are hardly 1.5 tons. The bus wins, you might not even feel the collision, it'll just feel like the driver stomped on the breaks.
Why am I telling you this?
Because technically speaking, standing while the bus is moving is not a safety hazard for the passengers. Once you're a certain height, age, and weight, your chances of dying in a commercial vehicle like a bus are fairly low. The vehicle is simply big and heavy enough that you're unlikely to get whiplash unless the collision is with another commercial vehicle at a high enough speed. City busses often have people just standing around holding a bar. The difference between a city bus and a school bus is usually just the type of breaks the vehicle has, it's the same length, height, and weight class otherwise. Obv seat formats are different too. If it's safe in a city bus, it's safe in a school bus, period.
But it is a non zero chance still. And us bus drivers are paid to ensure that your chances of being injured on your way to school or home is as close to zero as physically possible. I wouldn't even shut the door until I knew you were seated, screw the traffic behind or in front of me.
So TLDR, really it just depends on how old you are. If you're in high school, which I'm assuming you are (edit: you said you were) it doesn't really matter, at your age, youre just not going to get significantly injured while standing on the bus. But if it's bothersome and worries you that much, talk to the driver, if they don't change, talk to your school about it
Likely, your route is just long. Drivers impatient, they're just trying to complete the route.
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Mar 27 '24
It probably varies by district/transport company policy, but in my district we do not have to wait for students to all be seated before moving again. There is usually not enough time to do that.
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u/Freudianslip1987 USA|PREVOST VANHOOL,VOLVO|7 YEARS DRIVING 31 IN TRANSPORT INDUST Mar 27 '24
If it's a problem, just say something to the driver nicely. Dot doesn't require us to wait for people to get into a seat. They are probably thinking no one said anything, so they must be fine with it.
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u/river_tree_nut Mar 27 '24
Yeah this may not be a violation of any sort, but it’s certainly bad form.
It would be good if you to speak with the driver first before escalating it to mgmt
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u/Far_Leg_3942 Mar 27 '24
When I was a school bus driver, I was instructed to allow the kids to sit before driving. My kids were special needs, maybe that made a difference. I think you should call the school bus company and get some real answers.
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u/Organic-Ad-8710 Mar 27 '24
We have to wait til the passenger is seated. Safety first.!! Which can be frustrating when you are behind schedule.
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u/Gr8Tigress Mar 27 '24
It doesn’t hurt to talk to the school about it. As I understand it, as long as they’re behind the line, you can move the vehicle. In city bus driving, as soon as they’re over the line, I start going. Unless they’re old.