Month: July 2016

Why School Bus Driving is the Perfect Career

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

School bus driving is always a risky business for you. Due to this reason, most of us are reluctant to choose it as a career. Even though there exists such a misconception, school bus driving is still popular among people. There is greater scope for this career as demand for quality bus drivers are rising at a steady pace. With the advent of innovative driver console, task of the driver seems a little easier.

Here follows top 10 reasons showing why school bus driving is a perfect career for you:

1. You are Having Great People Skill

As a bus driver, every day you may need to interact with a lot of people. This includes teachers, parents, transportation officials and obviously kids. One of the greatest qualities needed for a school bus driver is the ability to communicate and deal with different types of personalities. Hence, those with great people skills are best suited for this job.

Must Read: 

6 Must-have Qualities of School Transport Services Drivers

2. You Enjoy Working with Kids

If you love children, then school bus driving is a perfect job for you. All you have to do is to make children comfortable and happy. It will be easier for you to handle them, once they think that you are actually a caring person. If you become harsh and adamant, it may create negative feelings in the minds of children and they may never follow your orders correctly.

3. You like Driving

It will be difficult for you to control and manage a large vehicle like a school bus. Some of you may feel exciting to control a large vehicle and some feel intimidating. If you think driving as a fun task, then life as a driver can be demanding and relaxing at the same time.

4. You Bother about Children's Safety

When you take annual records, you may find that the school bus accidents are really small in number. This is because drivers take an extra effort to make their passengers(students) safe and secure.

If you are a quality driver, then you will be able to maintain proper discipline inside the school bus, make sure that the child reached home safely, implement safe board and de-board procedures regularly. With the help of driver console, you will be able to manage bus effectively and efficiently.

5. You Remain Calm Under Pressure

As a school bus driver, you may face several tight situations such as bad weather, noisy children, difficult traffic, incomplete road construction etc. any time on the road. When such unexpected issues occur, if you have a little patience and a clear head, it can actually be a fun challenge for you.

6. You Prefer a Flexible Work Schedule

Usually a school bus driver works on morning and evening with a long break in between them. You can also choose extra hours for field trips or any other school activities. A bus driving career is a perfect job for you, if you dislike the usual office hours from 9 to 5.

You May also Like: 

7 Reasons School Bus Drivers Play a Vital Role in Student Safety

7. You are Expecting a Job with Rewarding Benefits

You may get different types of benefits from school systems such as extended vacation days, retirement plans, health and insurance etc. Hence you will be encouraged to continue it as a career.

8. You Don't Need a High Five Educational Profile

For becoming a school bus driver, you don't have to spend years in college. All you must need is to go through a training program and receive commercial driver's license before employment.

9. You Want to Get a Reasonable Salary

By spending a few hours in the morning and evening, you will be able to get a reasonable salary. Also you may get plenty of opportunities to spend extra hours and thus can receive additional benefits from the school.

10. You May Not Need to Spend Money for Training Purpose

Most of the schools cover driver's training programme in order to ensure high quality employees for their school bus. This is really advantageous for you.

So, if you are a person who likes kids, is responsible and wants a comfortable, steady source of income, then school bus driving can be a great job for you. With the introduction of  driver console, school bus driving became much easier and interesting than earlier.

How to Make School bus Journey Entertaining

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

School bus transportation is said to be the best mode of transportation for assuring safety of students. It is extremely boring for you to spend a long time in a school bus. Your school bus trips can be made interesting with a little bit of creativity. When you involve yourself with various activities, you may never feel lousy.

Here follows a list of activities that you have to follow for switching your mood from boring to exciting:

1. Try to Look Out of the Window

You can take time to enjoy scenery outside the window and entertain yourself with unusual sights. Search for beautiful landscape, animals, vehicles or anything that might drive your boredom away.

2. Complete Your School Work

Completing some of your school work on school bus can reduce the burden on your shoulders and thus time spent on the bus can be used productively. Doing homework on a moving bus is not advisable, as you may feel nauseous and uneasy.

Must Read: 

25 School Bus Safety Tips For Kids

3. Read Books

You can read interesting books and magazines to pass the time. These books can be shared with the one who is sitting next to you, make friendship and thus lessen your boredom. If you are reading books, handle it carefully and never lose those books as you may have to pay fines for losing.

4. Use Electronic Gadgets

If there is permission for you to carry portable devices such as a music player, video games or a mobile phone, you can use it to while away your time. Try to keep those gadgets charged, otherwise you may get bored and unhappy, thereby, spoiling the whole journey. The only thing you should care about is the size of gadgets. It is better to carry devices which are smaller and handy.

Always take care of your music player, phone or whatever it may be and keep them in a safe place during your trip.

5. Try to Sleep

It is better to take a nap during the long bus ride as you have to wake early in the next morning. While sleeping, you can keep a sweater or jacket for using it as a pillow. Use earplugs or headphones to avoid loud noise of your fellow mates.

6. Pass Notes

When you are separated from your friends or if it is a noisy atmosphere, it is fun to exchange notes. If your friend sits far from your seat, it is not possible to send messages quickly and also make sure that your personal messages are safe.

You May also Like:    10 Cool School Bus Games

7. Practise Drawing

Even though it is difficult to draw pictures in a moving vehicle, you can try sketching for making your school bus trip bearable. Based on your creativity, you can draw pictures and comic strips. You can let other people participate in your drawing and thus complete the activity together.

8. Play Paper Games

Some of the popular paper games that can be played inside the bus include Hangman, Mash and Tic Tack Toe. These games can be played either with one person or groups.

9. Create a Fantasy World

You can create an entirely new world with your imagination. Based on this imagination, you can draw pictures of creatures and people who inhabit in the world you created. Similarly, you can allow your imagination to take control of your entire mind and thus create a fantasy world around you.

10. Practise Writing

Writing is an excellent way to drive your boredom away. If you are creative enough, you can make stories, poetry or jokes which can be shared with your friends and adding their contribution to it.

In addition to the above activities you can also pass time by writing a schedule, listing the things you like , writing song lyrics or poetry, learning history and facts. If you plan accordingly, school bus transportation becomes one of the comfortable, enjoyable and interesting journey for you.

6 Must-Have Qualities of School Bus Drivers

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

“Anyone can drive a car. It takes someone special to drive a school bus”

As you know, school transport services are carefully designed for reducing accidents and its outcomes. Most of us thinks that school bus driving is a complex task to handle. Hence when you choose a driver, he should not only be capable of handling a school bus, but also be able to manage students well inside the bus.

While hiring a school bus driver, there are certain qualities you should consider. School bus drivers serve a great role in ensuring your child's safety.

Must Read: 

              How to Handle Emergencies? Tips for School Bus Drivers

Here follows six qualities you expect from a school bus driver:

1. Have Enough Patience with Kids

Driving an ordinary bus is not similar to driving a school bus. You may expect a considerable amount of patience from drivers, as it is the school children you are dealing with. It is indeed a nightmare for you to drive carefully and manage misbehaving children at the same time.

It is obviously a bad choice for you to select a person who can get easily annoyed and have a high temper. When you choose a school bus driver, he should be able to handle all these easily and effectively.

2. Respond Quickly to Issues

There are times when things go wrong and issues might arise with routes. Hence you should choose a driver who will be able to respond quickly and take appropriate decision. This quality is highly desirable for drivers as you give more priority for punctuality and safety in schools.

When you select a driver who doesn’t know what to do in emergency situations, things become worse.

3. Able to Manage Time and Routes

Your bus driver should be able to know how to use routing software and thus possess great skill of route and time management. You can save a lot of time if the driver is having proper knowledge regarding routes.

4. Know the Difference between a Huge Bus and a Car

There exists so many differences between a bus and a car. Your bus driver should be able to know these differences and handle them accordingly. A school bus driver is someone you expect to be slow and safe rather than driving madly.

When it comes to driving a bus, a good school bus driver always makes best judgment and try to stay on route as planned before.

You May Also Like: 

20 Must-know Safety Tips for School Bus Drivers

5. Able to Get to the Garage on Time

At the end of school bus trip, your school bus driver should be able to get back to the garage as per schedule. This helps school authorities to prevent driver to misuse school transport services for personal purposes.

6. Should Keep Passengers Safe

Safety of students should be given more importance by your school bus driver. If you have a professional and great school bus driver, he will:

  • Follow a specific route
  • Stay on time
  • Wear seat belts
  • Follow all the traffic rules
  • Stop at railroad crossings
  • Respect traffic lights
  • Control speed

If all the above qualities are present in your kid's school bus driver, then school bus journey will become happy, interesting and safe. A positive attitude is very much essential in any job, especially for school bus driving jobs.

The main task of a school bus driver is to transport students safely and hence it is better for you to hire a person who possess a clean past driving record. Therefore, the influence that school bus driver exerts on your children is not so small.

School Bus Safety: Rules for Kindergarten Students

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

Is your kid’s first day to kindergarten nearby? He / she will be excited to meet new friends, teachers, school as well as trip from and to school in school bus. What about school bus safety? Students begin and end their day with a trip on a school bus. Is your kid trained to be safe at and around the school bus?

Must Read: 

10 Important Road Safety Rules to Teach Your Children

Many accidents and injuries can be prevented by teaching kids about good behavior while riding in bus. Students are recommended by the National Safety Council (NSC) to take the bus rather than walking or riding with teenagers or parents. The Council recognizes that more school children are killed outside of the bus, during loading and unloading operations than on the bus.

Though the child will learn those safety lessons at school, it is a parent’s responsibility to make their child aware of these safety concerns.

While bus drivers will be alert with safe driving, students should be careful of their surroundings in order to avoid injuries. The following is a list of safety rules advised by the NSC to teach children while getting on and off the bus. Some of these rules are also aimed at good school bus behavior.

You May Also Like: 

25 School Bus Safety Tips For Kids

Certain School Bus Safety Tips You Should Teach Your Child

It would be easy if you can take a picture of a school bus and show them the safety rules with images. Visual representation will stay in mind more than just words

  • Do not run. Let the bus stop and the door open
  • Get on to bus one at a time. Do not rush
  • After boarding the bus, remain in your seat facing forward when the school bus is moving.
  • Obey your school bus driver’s instructions
  • Don’t make loud noises. It will distract the driver from driving
  • While boarding as well as exiting, use the handrail
  • Collect your belongings before you reach the stop
  • Do not leave your bags or books in the aisle. It will interrupt the way for other students
  • Stay in your seat till the driver stops the bus completely
  • Cross the road only after the driver permits you to do so
  • While crossing, make sure to look right and left to ensure no vehicle is passing by

Go over these school bus safety rules again and again. As your kid’s first day of school will be something very new, you can also meet them at school just to make sure that the kid is riding safe in bus.

Are Seat Belts Essential for a School Bus?

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

As a parent, you may have asked at least once about the need for seat belts in a school bus. There is no doubt to the fact that school buses are the safest means of transporting students to and from school. It is 16 times safer for you than traveling in your family car.

School buses are designed in such a way that they guarantee proper safety for students. Their height provides good driver visibility and raises the passenger compartment above car impact height. Children are protected like eggs in an egg carton, properly compartmentalized and surrounded with padding.

Must Read: 

Seat Belts: An Extra Protection for School Bus Students?

Are Seat Belts Essential?

Even the safety experts do not believe that seat belts would improve safety. You will not be able to get any evidence that lives would be saved by using seat belts in school bus.

Some of the safety standards you can experience in the school bus include lighting, escape hatches in the roof, emergency exits, specialized brake systems and high padded seats that reduce the impact of a crash.

As you might know, school buses are designed and constructed entirely different from passenger vehicles. It is built to ensure safety and hence do not require seat belts. You can find it bigger, heavier and higher than other vehicles. Implementation of newer system such as anti-lock braking system would be more beneficial for you.

Unlike passenger vehicles,school bus protects passengers through compartmentalization.Some of its specialties include seats with high backs, seats filled with energy absorbing material, seats placed closely to form compartments and strong seat anchorages.

The use of lap belts can sometimes increase the risk of your child's head injuries in a collision. This can make your child sit firmly in place, causing serious head and neck injuries. If you use a combination of lap and shoulder belts, stiffer seats are required. In such cases, students who are not buckled up have higher chances of serious injuries.

Driver can not constantly check whether your child has put their seat belt on especially when there are a lot of students in the school bus. Shoulder belts can lead to abdominal injuries of your child.

Organs covering lap belts will be injured, especially when your children slip down. Hence someone need to ensure that seat belts are used and properly adjusted. At the time of emergencies, seat belts can delay the evacuation process.

You May Also Like: 

 How Safe is the School Bus for Student Transportation

Pros and Cons of Using Seat Belts in School Bus

Pros

  • Seat belts avert litigation

  • Improve your child's behavior on school bus

  • Prevent your child from being thrown out of their seats

  • Your child's Safety is doubled

  • Prevent children from being hustled around

  • Your child get an awareness regarding the importance of using seat belts

Cons

  • Seat belts are not necessary, as school bus offers enough safety for your children

  • Not effective for you in most of the school bus crashes

  • Extra expense for installing seat belts in school bus

  • Cause hindrance for you at the time of emergencies

  • Misuse of seat belts during arguments. Your child may use it as a weapon

  • Create injuries and irritation to your child, as seat belts may leave marks on your child's body

  • Driver need to spend extra time for checking whether each of the children put their belts on

Though school bus possess an excellent safety record, you can expect accidents to happen anytime. These accidents can either happen inside the bus or outside the bus. Children who are walking or using another form of transportation are most exposed to injuries than students using school bus transportation.