School bus drivers might have one of the most underrated jobs. Brandi Irby is a bus driver at the Lewiston School District and has dedicated 13 years to the work.
In a recent interview, Irby said that she became a bus driver because she wanted to have more time with her kids, who were 3 and 1 at the time. Previously, she was a semi-truck driver.
To start her day, Irby arrives at her bus early and does a pre-trip inspection. She goes over any route changes and begins her trip with picking up the high schoolers.
“Some days you have to play it by ear and rely on yourself to read the traffic,” Irby said, recalling a lot of bus driver tips she learned from being a semi-truck driver.
After high school drop-off she picks up the middle schoolers and then the elementary students. Her favorite age group to drive is the elementary kids. She said that her least favorite are the middle schoolers because “they’re finding out who they are and trying to be one of the ‘cool kids’.”
But no matter who’s on the bus, timing is always a big deal.
“We’re allowed to be late, thankfully. But we can’t get to a bus stop early in case a kid doesn’t get there on time,” Irby said. “When we run behind, we let ‘yellow control’ know.”
When there is a difficult passenger, depending on the difficulty, a driver can call radio control to get someone off the bus — like a parent or principal — or write them up. For bad behavior, Irby said she tries to understand what is going on. From there, she can assign seats or separate kids, especially if there is a fight. When there is an emergency, drivers call the radio and explain the situation.
To become a bus driver, Irby said, a person must take a DUT physical, watch training videos and pass 12 tests. Then, they take a written test at the DMV, complete 10 hours of driving, and practice their route. The drivers also go to North Lewiston for railroad practice.
Irby said that the main responsibility of a bus driver is the safety of the children.
To manage stress, she listens to music. She lets the kids choose because it “helps behavior and overall maintains the bus and keeps kids happy.”
To be a good bus driver, Irby said, it’s important to be personable and get on the kids’ level to communicate, all while paying close attention to the road.
She says that the kids keep her going every day, and she loves to make a difference. She concluded the interview by saying that the most rewarding part is when the kids say ‘thanks’ and are appreciative.
“It makes your day when a kid says, ‘Thank you for getting us here safely.’”
