Problems with the Bus Driver

A., If nothing gets done, I would call an investigative reporter or something. Not to scare you, but that sounds nuts like there is something wrong with the guy. N. L.

Call the school everyday it happens! They need to do something about it, this has happened to many times. Be persistent.

hi A.,

i am getting ready to send my son on the bus as well. This can be really scary for little ones, so i would go straight to people above him. He might be having problems with remembering or something and might need some medical attention or just to be taken off such an important route. this could really scare kids, knowing there mom was out there and seeing you and not being allowed off the bus.

you do not want your children to be jeopardized or traumatized by the incident. complain every time and he will have a racord against him - make sure the complaint is written in a form letter. email it and send it, so they have it - keep a copy for yourself.

good luck and let me know what happens.

B.

You should call and speak directly to the person in charge of the bus garage (at most schools this would be the Transportation Director). The teachers do not necessarily handle any issues regarding the transportation of students and would not be the correct contact to help you. I work as a substitute school bus driver in a rural county in KY and know that our Trans. Director would never stand for that to happen to any student in our county, especially a little preschooler! If you speak directly to the Trans. Director and that person doesn't do anything, go over their head and go straight to the Board of Education and the School Superintendent. It's not uncommon for a sub driver to accidently pass a stop, but the regular driver has no excuse, that is unacceptable.

Good luck and I hope this gets straighted out for you!

Hi A.,

This could be a tricky situation.
See, my mother used to drive a school bus, then moved up to driving a city bus. (we come from a small city in New Hampshire. The MTA controls both school & public transportation) but several instances she told me about just made me very upset with how things there are run.
For instance, if there was a problem with 1 of the bus drivers and it was reported to the MTA, the person taking the complaint was a former bus driver, and the complaint was never dealt with appropriately, Because this person was trying to save face for her friends.
To you, your child is your top priority, to the bus company, their drivers are THEIR top priority. Not saying that things are run the same everywhere, but a complaint about a driver not dropping a child off may just fall to the wayside. Especially if this has happened to children in the past and this man is STILL driving.
I would personally go to the DOT. that may seem drastic, but the DOT is supposed to oversee incidents such as these.
But like I said, your baby is your first priority. Don't worry about getting his driver in trouble. Something has to be done.

I hope any of this helps, and good luck!!!

My son does not go to preschool yet, but if he did I would not put him on a bus if the bus driver had a problem remembering to drop him off. I would talk to someone in charge at the school - someone higher up than the teacher - and demand something to be done. Remembering bus stops should be high up on the list for the job requirements for a bus driver.

I assume your child's school has a transportation supervisor. You need to talk to that person and formally file a complaint in writing, too. It goes up the chain of command if you are still not satisfied with the action, or lack of action, the school administrators take to address this issue. I would go to the building administrator next, then the superintendent if needed. The bus driver is likely a union employee if this is a public school system, so it it won't be so simple to fire the employee. But, this is obviously a safety issue and a poor job performance issue, so it needs to be documented.

Have had this problem! The only thing that has worked is to make sure everyone knows you are having the problem. Call the garage and then store the garages number on your phone and call them as soon as he drives by. Let the administration at the school know. Just keep at it.
You are on the right track with the bus stop sign--the goal is to make a mental bus stop sign though. I have had my kids make sure they know their drivers name (we have had too many to count) and say "thank you Mr. Smith" or "Have a Nice Day Mrs. Smith." It also helps if you take a minute and step to the door as your son gets off and do the same. Not every day, just enough to make them remember you and it helps to keep the animosity down if you try to be personable. As long as we have had this trouble, not once have the drivers been anything but friendly to me or my kids. Our situation is a little different because its root is at the garage level. I speak from experience when I say that if you come across a person who is less then helpful--go above them. I wish you luck.

This is a serious problem. This driver is being negligent in regard to the safety of your child and your unwillingness to "get him in trouble" is not making the situation any better. Go straight to his employer and tell them what has been happening. Go everywhere, tell everyone and anyone who will listen. Make noise. Your son's safety is at risk.

If this driver is not reprimanded, then you should make arrangements to pick up your son from school. If the driver is reprimanded, and the problem continues, he needs to be dismissed from his job, because he's not performing as his job demands he should.

If you haven't already I would definately call whoever is in charge of busing ASAP. There is no excuse for a driver to forget to drop off a child 5 times- that's ridiculous! Accidents happen or substitute drivers are sometimes needed who may make a mistake but geesh.. a regular bus driver on his/her typical route should not make so many errors. Call everyone in charge until something is done about this driver, IMO.

A.,
I don't have children in school yet, but I wouldn't let this happen again. At this point, who cares about getting the driver in trouble? This is your child and his safety we're talking about. It makes me concerned about other aspects of this driver's job. Please speak to whoever runs the school. They have to know this is happening!

Good luck!
Katheyrn

OMG, that sounds like my sister's old driver. He called her Stephan despite the corrections and her outfit (her name is Stephanie and I guess the roster didn't allow her entire name to be printed), took her to the wrong school several times. Keep in mind for the first week of school she was dressed in pink, purple, etc. with hair in pigtails with ribbons. Her name, address, phone number, and school name was engraved on a rather large locket, put on a "hello my name is sticker" on her front as well as on her bookbag. And he drove the bus for special needs kids. Until my mom (and several others) made enough complaints.

Don't feel bad about getting him in trouble. He is getting himself into it. Your kids' safety is more important than hurt feelings.

don't worry about getting the bus driver in trouble. your issue is with your child. if he is forgetting to drop off your son, you HAVE to say something to his/her supervisor.

you have to call the school i know you don't want to get him in trouble but really this is your son's wellbeing you are talking about, if he can't even make the stops then how can you trust him to drive with your son? this whole thing just screams bad situation, call the school if you are like most parents you are forking over good money for your son to attend this place the least they can do is return him home in the proper manner. good luck

Someone that absent-minded should not be driving a school bus. Not only would I be upset that he misses your house.. I would be worried that he will miss a stop sign next! I wouldn't let up until the problem was solved.

Sounds like Bob-our bus driver! Unfortunately, the school assumes no responsibility for the drivers. You need to call & complain to the transportation department supervisor. (School should readily have this phone number available for you.) If I were you, I would also document each incident, just in case. What scares me the most when these bus drivers just blow on by, is the thought of a child in their path. I have complained repeatedly about similar incidents, & do not personally think they do anything other than let the driver know there was a complaint. Good luck!

I'm sorry my kids have never riden the bus so I can't really help you. However, I would like to say that I find it unacceptable that this would happen more than 2 times. I would be VERY unhappy and would not be worrying about getting the driver in trouble.

I wish you luck!
Blessings.
M.