BUS SAFETY: SCHOOLS GIVE DRIVERS RIGID TESTS

If you are on a school bus and all you see of your driver is the back of his head, the driver is probably doing a good job.

For many students, the back of the head or a pair of watchful eyes in a mirror are all they will see of the bus driver responsible for carrying them safely to and from school.

School transportation officials say that is good.

"You can see the whole world without turning your head around because there are mirrors for everything on a bus," said Vince Bowman, safety coordinator for Ryder Student Transportation. "If you turn your head you can't see anything."

Bowman said safety is a No. 1 priority for his bus drivers, who transport students for Cape Girardeau School District in Missouri and Shawnee, Meridian and Egyptian school districts in Illinois. That is why new and returning drivers currently are undergoing rigorous testing on safety procedures and personal health, he said.

"We have about 25 new hires a year out of about 80 drivers," Bowman said. "We've got pretty strict standards. A lot of those people didn't quit -- they were terminated."

Bowman said many of the requirements are mandated by state departments of transportation, which issue commercial drivers licenses. Most states require drivers to pass a written test, a physical and a drug screening before receiving their license.

Missouri drivers also are quizzed on pretrip safety checklists. Two mistakes will mean a failing grade for drivers.

"I'd guess 90 percent of all failings are on the pretrip portion of the test," said Bowman. "

Illinois bus drivers must fulfill even more requirements before transporting a single student.

In a process that can take up to five weeks or more, potential drivers must be fingerprinted and complete an eight-hour class on school bus safety, in addition to successfully passing the written test, physical and drug screening.

Sometimes local requirements are even more vigorous than state mandates. For example, state requirements mandate a biannual physical. However, Bowman said his drivers are required to pass a physical exam every year.

Carol Woods, transportation director for Jackson School District, said her more than 50 drivers can also expect random drug screenings throughout the year.

"The state requires pre-employment drug testing, and then we also do random drug test three times a year," she said.

Bowman and Woods said they have never had a driver fail a drug test.

Safety issues don't end after bus drivers are hired. Woods said she holds monthly meetings to provide important information to her drivers. Speakers train drivers in such issues as first aid, emergency weather awareness and assertive discipline, among other issues, she said.

"Sometimes we just have a talk session," she said. "That helps us to be a true family because we all do the same job."

Most buses in both fleets also are equipped with a video camera to monitor student and driver behavior. Although drivers are trained in working with children, Bowman said the cameras have reduced the number of discipline issues drivers face.

"That's really stopped a lot of problems because it's not a student's word versus the driver's word," he said.

Bowman and Woods said it takes a special type of person to deal with the many safety and other concerns bus drivers face.

Most often, responsible people who have free time -- people like retirees, farmers and housewives -- take on the position, they said. Those people do a good job of safely transporting students between home and school.

"Truly, to be a bus driver you have to enjoy being around children," Woods said. "Jackson is kind of unique because we have drivers who have been here 30 years."

Bowman said he wishes more people would apply for the job because they would develop more respect for drivers.

"Bus drivers get a real dirty slam," he said. "A teacher thinks they've got it bad with 25 or 30 kids in a class, but we may have 50 or 60 kids in a bus with our back to them.

"It's a good job, and a lot of people who would make excellent drivers do not apply because they're afraid it would be so hard," Bowman said. "They're actually easier and safer than cars."