Back-to-school = Bus drivers back behind the wheel
Laura Macham is enjoying the last few days of summer in her New Lowell garden. Come Tuesday morning she’ll beoutthedoorby6:30a.m.todoa safety inspection on the big yellow bus before heading out on her route.
Macham is about to start her eighth year as a school bus driver. A long-time resident of New Lowell, she was the first ever crossing guard in the village and then graduated to driving a bus when her youngest child was well into his teens. At the time she was looking for a more challenging role, and challenging it has been. She recalls the pandemic years as a tough time for bus drivers.
“Once the kids were starting to go back to school, there were constant changes. One day we needed to wear masks, then it had to be medical grade masks. We had to wear shields, which is very hard while you’re driving,” said Macham. “Coming back, the kids were different – maybe their attention spans were a bit shorter.”
Macham’s principal route is delivering high school students to Nottawasaga Pines in Angus. Once she drops them off at 7:45 a.m. she loops back to the start of the route to pick-up elementary school children bound for Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. Macham says the older students can be boisterous, but tend to listen for the most part.
“When there are problems, I like to give them three chances before I give them a pink slip and take it to a teacher or the principal,” she said.
With younger children, the problem is more likely to be kids standing while the bus is in motion, which is a safety issue. “When that happens I just pull over until everyone is sitting,” she said.
It is important, she says, to be sympathetic without letting the kids take over.
Macham loves the flexibility of being a school bus driver. She doesn’t have to work weekends, and can schedule personal appointments during the day between her morning and afternoon routes. Drivers do have the option to make extra money with charters. Macham is the driver for the Creemore Coyotes hockey team, but she donates her services.
Landmark Bus Lines Collingwood branch manager Darryl Beighton says long time drivers are an essential part of the business. This year, roughly 80 per cent of drivers are returning. When recruiting new drivers, he says, the technical skills can be taught but temperament is critical.
“Not everyone is cut out for this,” he said. “It takes a thick skin and a lot of patience. If a new hire is struggling, we can assign an experienced driver to do a drive along.”
The Collingwood branch operates a fleet of 114 school buses serving Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview and adjacent areas.
Landmark drivers earn $19.64 per hour, with routes ranging from 15 to 35 hours per week, with retention bonuses paid by the school board for long service. Beighton says many people believe that advanced driving skills are a prerequisite, but the training provided can make average drivers into good drivers. He jokes, “It’s sort of like advanced driver education for grown- ups.”
When she started as a driver, Macham received intensive training both in class and on the road.
“You learn how the bus runs, and go through all kinds of scenarios like what to do in the event of an accident and how to get the kids off the bus safely,” she said.
Safety is the number one priority in driver training. All drivers, new and seasoned, receive training before the return to school that covers daily inspection of the vehicle and all safety aspects of operation. As school boards work to integrate students with specialneeds, drivers must also be aware of Access for Ontarians with Disabilities requirements and may need to provide an extra level of care.
Beighton says he is constantly recruiting, and drivers come from all walks of life.
“We get retired teachers and a lot of self employed tradespeople, he said. “They can work a couple of hours in the morning on their route, then head off to their other job.”
Landmark must maintain a complement of spare drivers to cover things like regular driver illnesses.
“These are people who have to be able to pick-up an unfamiliar route on very short notice,” said Beighton. “No matter what, we have to get the kids to school.”
Sandie Golfetto of Collingwood signed on as a bus driver late last year. She’s always loved driving, and prior to retiring from a career in social services enjoyed her one-hour commute as a time to clear her mind. Initially, she was intimidated at the thought of being responsible for a 40-foot bus, but was shocked at how quickly she came to love it.
“You’ve got to notice everything, and be prepared for other drivers to do things like cut you off,” said Golfetto.
She said she enjoys the daily interaction with children. She recalls one passenger who confided in her, “Sara says grandmothers don’t drive buses.”
Golfetto describes the atmosphere on the bus as “chaotic fun” and says there’s no better sound than children’s laughter, adding, “If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.”
Rules of the road
Ontario Provincial Police remind motorists to be extra cautious and attentive to school busses and students walking to and from school.
Drivers should be prepared to stop for school busses. Since 2022, amber-yellow lights on a school bus will flash to serve as a warning to drivers that the bus will soon come to a stop. Once the bus comes to a complete stop, the red lights will flash, and the stop arm will be extended which signals to drivers in both directions that they must come to a complete stop.
Drivers are reminded that failing to stop when meeting or overtaking a school bus is dangerous and could have dire consequences. When driving on a road without a median:
• Drivers travelling in both directions must stop for a stopped school bus with its upper red lights flashing and stop arm out
• When approaching a school bus from the front, stop at a safe distance to let children get on or off the bus and allow them to cross the road
• When following a school bus, stop 20 meters behind the bus
• Do not move forward until the red lights have stopped flashing or the bus begins to move
Drivers and vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus. Fines range from $490 to $2,000 plus six demerit points for a first offence and from $1,000 to $4,000, six demerit points and possible jail time up to six months for each subsequent offence.
Bonnie MacPherson photo: Bus driver Sandie Golfetto at the wheel.
