Who thinks this is strange....

[autowasherfreak]

I've always wanted to drive a school bus ever since I was in Jr. high school, but I can't have a CDL due to my poor eyesight, but I thing it would sure be fun to drive just for an hour or so. Do you think I'm ready for the funny farm now, LOL.

 

[mixfinder]

Busses, Trucks, Motorhomes

All have similarities behind the wheel. You have to design extra time for accelerations, braking and turns. Loud and rumbling but with the tremor of excitement and worn U-joints vibrating the floor boards it delievers it's own kind of excitement. The hard part is driving with 35 kids and keeping all their parts inside the windows for a safe ride home. Our bus driver had to travel a long space from the next to last stop to our house. As soon as the Marsh kids, Curtis, Peggy and Spike got off, Doug put the radio on KORD, opened his window and lit up a Winston. Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. No filter, no flavor, just a roll of toilet paper.

 

[iheartmaytag]

My Mother drove a school bus for 9 years

Besides four kids of her own and three ex-husbands; we think the bus years strongly contributed to her current mental state.

My dream was, I wanted to fly planes. Mean ole' man at the Air-Force recruiting office said "Sorry Son, but the Government doesn't let blind people fly their $30 million jets.

Gee you wear a simple -15 lens and the world descriminates against you.

 

[autowasherfreak]

The first year I started riding the school I became fascinated with them. Our bus held 66 passengers, the seats were all different colors--red, orange, green, and tan with a manual transmission. We had older buses for spares that the driver had to manually put the stop arm out by either pulling a knob or crank mechanism like the doors. When ever we had this bus, I got to put the stop arm out it was fun for me. I always sat behind the driver because if I sat in the back I got picked on too much

 

[danmantn]

Our 1960s bus in elementary school (this was in the late 70s) had big game show-esque buttons that lit up when the driver would activate the outside flashing lights (orange, then with a push of another chrome button, red)...got a kick out of watching those things flash on the console--would sit behind the driver when I was a kid - he thought I was being the good kid, I just wanted to check out the flashing lights and the remote flashing stop sign.

 

[bugsyjones]

I have memories of the school bus.

Living 'out in the country,' meant until I was 15, I rode the bus every day to school.

The best seats you get if you're picked up near the beginning of the route. If you are near the end, or the last stop, good luck getting a decent seat.

The 'cool' kids sat in the back. The small single seat in the very back was always a prized seat, because you didn't have to share it. If you snagged that one, you were king for a day.

Our small town had decent busses. They were all pretty reliable except on some of the coldest days, the diesel busses wouldn't start. So they had a few old, worn out gasoline busses as backup. They were my favorites. Somehow I liked the green seats and the loud SCREECH of the door seal every time the driver opened or shut the door. More often than not, the old gasoline busses would break down. Alot of times when arriving for 3:00 pick up. In that case, they 'doubled up' routes and the bus was packed and you got home late.

The big thing was when we got the 'new' cab forward busses. The cab forward design meant more room for seats. If your route was lucky to get a new bigger bus it was the greatest thing.

My favorite was a brand new cab forward, front-engine Thomas built. The district must have splurged because it was a pretty nice bus. They coveted it like treasure. It had a pneumatic door, in-bus speakers for music, and a suprisingly smooth ride. The steering wheel could tilt in multiple positions for driver comfort. For the longest time it was an 'event' or 'field trip' bus. For when we needed to show the other schools our new, expensive transports. Eventually, it fell into standard route service.

I do enjoy seeing a nice cab forward bus every now and then. Especially if it was a Thomas. They would be interesting to drive, but I don't think I'd own one.

~Tim J.

 

[pulsator]

It is my LIFE GOAL to drive a bus before I'm 21!!!

Of course, I've had the same goal for years but the number is always climbing... I think it would be a BLAST!!! All that power and authority!!!! I have always loved buses, as long as I've loved washers. I always sat right behind the driver and talked to them about different aspects of driving a bus. Our route growing was always the longest and had the most dirt roads so they always gave us the oldest bus. Good old 83. It was a Wayne. My sophomore year of high school, they finally replaced that bus. It was over 20 years old and the stair well kept collapsing and falling off... We got a brand new Blue Bird. Boy was that bus classy! Air everything! Air door, brakes, parking brake, etc. The driver, Dave, always let me open and close the door and apply the parking brake at my stop. I will never forget those amazing sounds! And I WILL drive a bus someday!!!

 

[rp2813]

I've been wanting to get up to Portola, CA and drive myself a locomotive ever since my 50th birthday.

I don't think you're strange at all!

 

[pulsator]

Here she is!

The shiny new Blue Bird! (Obviously not this exact bus, but same model I'm pretty sure!) International engine. It was number 45.

 

[perc-o-prince]

it would sure be fun to drive just for an hour or so

I do it for 8 or so hours a day, 180 days a year. There are better days than others, but if you have a handle on your kids and have their parents trained, it's not a bad gig!

Chuck
p.s.- My chariot is a 35 passenger - I generally get sent into the streets the full-sized buses can't get into well.

 

[whitekingd]

autowasherfreak!

OH MY GOD!!! I wanted the same thing in junior high! To drive a school bus. I always wanted a Crown Coach, or at least a Gillig. I learned how to "double clutch" from my first bus driver, Alice Dunn. Great Memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1