Driving a school bus can be a lot of fun, longtime drivers Mark Whitney and Warren Johnson agree.
The kids make it fun. The drivers listen to their stories and watch them grow.
But the best part about driving a bus is the flexibility with their schedules. It’s what led them to the job in the first place. It’s what drives them even now — pardon the pun.
“When I started driving a bus, my kids were just starting school,” Whitney said. “My wife and I thought one of us needed to be on their schedule.”
It’s been 17 years now, and Whitney still enjoys the job. He drives a morning and afternoon route to and from Gas.
“When my kids got through school, I kept driving because I enjoyed it. I’ve always liked driving. I like taking the kids on trips. I like seeing the kids.”
Johnson started driving a bus 27 years ago. He was self-employed and looking for something else to do to make a little extra money.
“It just kind of filled in after that,” he said. “It’s nice because you get off for Christmas and spring break, and there’s usually one or two days every month when they don’t have school.”
Now, he drives a preschool route, which means he picks up students in the morning and drops them off mid-afternoon, Monday through Thursday. Then he picks up more students and drops them off at the end of the school day.
It gives him the freedom to do other things throughout the week, with the benefits that come from a full-time job.
Aaron Cole, director of transportation for USD 257, schedules routes and drivers so they qualify as full-time employees. That means they qualify for benefits such as health insurance and retirement. Pay starts at $15 an hour.
Route drivers are given credit for 2½ hours of driving time — five hours round trip — for each route, no matter how much time it actually takes. Most routes run less than two hours.
The district will provide all of the training required to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL). They’ll even pay for it.
And if you want even more flexibility, Cole is willing to do that too. Some drivers prefer to drive only to activities, such as field trips or basketball games. It’s ideal for parents, who want to watch their children’s sporting events.
It’s also an ideal job for someone who is retired, as the schedule is not as demanding as other jobs.
Yet with all those factors, Cole still has a hard time finding drivers. At least two positions are currently open.
