SMCPS Transportation
- Thread starter MMDad
- Start date
chernmax
NOT Politically Correct!!
voter said:
Well my vehicle safety features are 100X better than any non seat belt wearing school bus driving down the road by distracted drivers running red lights. So you can keep trying to convince people of how safe you THINK your kids are however I personally don't give a sh!t about statistics or laws of probability, if there must be an accident, better at my hands than a strangers...
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How arrogant are you! So what she has been doing this twenty years! Your telling me she can't stop the bus in time before a light changed? Well then she was obviously travelling too fast for conditions. Don't use the ohh if your going to complain do the job yourself! I drove a bus, and you are wrong. If you travel at the appropriate speed for conditions, you can stop the bus in a timely fashion when you need to. What if it were a car who pulled out when they had the right of way? We are all accountable! If I do something wrong in my job, I should and would be punished. Just because I may have a difficult job, this is no justification for poor, or negligent behavior!baileydog said:
T
tikipirate
Guest
I grew up in a relatively poor midwestern school district. Our school buses were kept in the city yard with a night crew of mechanics. Around 0600, the drivers would show up in their personal vehicles, be briefed on weather conditions, and drive the buses out of the yard. Buses back by 1800, and gone over thoroughly by qualified mechanics before being released for next day operations. Did I mention that this was a poor school district?
When I moved to Saint Mary's County, I was amazed to see school buses parked in the front yards of homes (presumedly the homes of the drivers), usually with a passel of hound dogs sleeping under them.
How do maintenance and operations logs get appropriately fullfilled with such backwoods operations? Has the water been bled per schedule from the fuel filter/separator and the air brakes? Tire pressure measured every morning? My guess is, 'no'.
I have not yet been blessed with children, but when that day comes, I would never allow them to ride a Saint Mary's County school bus. If those kids are going to be driven to school by someone with a stinging hangover, it's gonna be dear old dad. And they will get there in one piece.
When I moved to Saint Mary's County, I was amazed to see school buses parked in the front yards of homes (presumedly the homes of the drivers), usually with a passel of hound dogs sleeping under them.
How do maintenance and operations logs get appropriately fullfilled with such backwoods operations? Has the water been bled per schedule from the fuel filter/separator and the air brakes? Tire pressure measured every morning? My guess is, 'no'.
I have not yet been blessed with children, but when that day comes, I would never allow them to ride a Saint Mary's County school bus. If those kids are going to be driven to school by someone with a stinging hangover, it's gonna be dear old dad. And they will get there in one piece.
chernmax
NOT Politically Correct!!
tikipirate said:
Actually IMO I think owner operators take better care of the buses since they do own them, that's their bread and butter so they have a vested interest to keep them safe and operational. I've also seen county owned buses and their conditions were horrible. Statistically, things are better cared for when someone has ownership over it verse luck of the draw in vehicle pools...
I also would not put too much faith in county night mechanics. Last, I'm sure the bus drivers are equally informed of weather situations in our area since pickup/drop off times change as a result of adverse weather, and in the 3 short years I have lived here, seems like the buses are always there...
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MysticalMom
Witchy Woman
I'd just like to add that bus 626 flies down Flat Iron Road and doesn't even slow down or stop at my daughters stop unless she flashes a flash light to let her know she's there. 
Granted her stop is hard to see, but shouldn't the bus driver slow down anyway? I've called to complain, and so have other parents. She still does it.
I understand that the bus drivers have stressful jobs, but IMO good driving should be the #1 priority.
Granted her stop is hard to see, but shouldn't the bus driver slow down anyway? I've called to complain, and so have other parents. She still does it.I understand that the bus drivers have stressful jobs, but IMO good driving should be the #1 priority.
tikipirate said:
water is automatically disposed in buses nowadays,
dosen't take much to amaze you then, at least we have front yards.
The county owned the buses in your poor district probably because no one individual could afford $70,000 to transport your little darlings.
when you get blesssed (cursed for some) volunteer to do the pretrip inspection for your driver at 5:30am you'll be the drivers best friend. don't forget to crawl up underneath and shake the muffler to make sure it stays on for one more day.
I've never seen a county employee stay past 1800 for any reason, but things may be different in your super duper poor district.
never ever heard of anyone checking pressure in tires everyday for 180 days, thats 6 tires a day for 180 days equals 1080 times a school year.
FACT: contracted buses are saving the county millions.
mingiz
Horse Poor
I was driving home after work one day. If I hadn't had a passenger I would have never seen the bus before it was too late. This happened at Spring Ridge. One bus was coming out turning north bound and the south bound bus decided to go to.Never seen me and I didn't see it because of the other bus blocking my view.Just about hit it. First time I ever heard my anti lock brakes kick in. I called the board of education as soon as I got home. The bus driver was lucky because she went down my road and I almost got redneck on her but didn't want to make a bad scene in front of kids. But the bus drivers around here lately drive 60- 70mph down 235. The ones that go across 489 from Spring Ridge are just as bad. I was almost run off the road because the bus came around the turn on my side of the road and not going the speed limit.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
I think our busses are in much better shape than school, or county owned busses.
The owners of these busses basically have to go out and buy new every 3 years, sometimes they can stretch it to 5 with waivers and thorough inspections from the county. They are very limited as to how many miles a bus can have on it that transports our kids, they are all fairly new compared to the school busses I remember riding on. You won't find a 10 year old school bus in the county I would bet. And every year there is a good percentage of new busses added to the fleet.
Every year at the beginning of the year it's kind of neat if you keep your eyes open.. see the proud driver and/or owner of the new busses.
The owners of these busses basically have to go out and buy new every 3 years, sometimes they can stretch it to 5 with waivers and thorough inspections from the county. They are very limited as to how many miles a bus can have on it that transports our kids, they are all fairly new compared to the school busses I remember riding on. You won't find a 10 year old school bus in the county I would bet. And every year there is a good percentage of new busses added to the fleet.
Every year at the beginning of the year it's kind of neat if you keep your eyes open.. see the proud driver and/or owner of the new busses.
bohman
Well-Known Member
baileydog said:
I respect the job that the drivers do, and I know I wouldn't want to do it myself. I've also worked around a lot of large commercial vehicles, and I'm aware of the distance it takes to stop them, and the way ignorant car drivers behave around them. So I'm not going to get all hard-ass and act like a decent driver should be fired for one mistake. But that WAS a mistake; all the yellow lights around here light up for the same amount of time and she should know how long it takes to stop from a given speed. If you know you can't stop during the time a light is yellow, you have to slow down.
Of course that leads to people tailgating you, making your tough job even tougher, but that's just the way it is. I hope this didn't come across as jumping on your back when there's already a bunch complaining.
General Lee
Well-Known Member
I would like to add that I too have witness several bus drivers driving like an a$$. They speed through my neighborhood, and one just recently ran off the road and tore my grass up. I didn't see it, but a school bus with dual wheels in the rear was the only type of vehicle that drove on my street that day. Lord help them if I witness it.
So baileydog, if you could let your drivers know complaints will be hammered down if they don't change their ways.
So baileydog, if you could let your drivers know complaints will be hammered down if they don't change their ways.
I'll buy that. Stuff happens and I don't think we can expect bus drivers to be perfect. You guys know whether there are frequent complaints or not, so if it's a one time deal...eh...cut her a break.baileydog said:
itsbob said:
buses have a 12 year life span in MD
A bus can be extended for a year at a time up to 3 years (15 total)
Most all extended buses are spares (700#'s) few of them are on regular route
All buses have 3 inspections throughout the year
extended buses the MVA inspecs every 2500 miles
There is no milage limitations
mingiz
Horse Poor
mingiz said:
Ok to the ASS that gave me bad Karma.
I don't give a damn what you think. 
I've probably been driving longer than you have lived. With no accidents on my part. I also drive rigs just as big and long as a bus. Stupid bus drivers put many kids lives in jepordy by doing stupid things like not making sure the road is clear before they pull out into traffic. If your defending stupid drivers than your no better...JMO