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VAdriver
Senior Member
USA
135 Posts |
 Posted - 02/28/2003 : 11:46:45 AM
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Has anyone else had trouble with substiture drivers who drive your bus? I've been off work for a few weeks with a broken foot and have had several of my friends call me and tell me that the driver is repeatedly late. It has gotten to the point that my supervisor called and asked if I could come and ride my bus one morning to see what the problem was. Normally that would be the supervisor's job, but we have so few sub drivers that the supervisors have been driving almost every day. I found the problem almost immediately the day I went to ride with the sub. The sub driver was showing up only 5 minutes before he was to leave the bus lot, not giving himself time to properly pre-trip and get to the first stop on time. He apparently had not been told that I would be riding with him that morning, and was incredibly rude when he arrived and found that I had started to pre-trip the bus. I was also very discouraged to find that he had not bothered to sweep the bus since the day I went on leave and that my bus was filthy. Hopefully I will be back to work next week (barring MORE snow) and things will be back to normal.
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PHW
Top Member
USA
1345 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2003 : 1:09:24 PM
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Let your supervisor know your sub is starting late and your bus is a mess. Your supervisor should resolve the problem I would think. 
PHW
Child Check For Life |
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rltinkey
Senior Member
USA
140 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2003 : 5:29:25 PM
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A sub-driver just like a trip driver needs to arrive and give themselves adequate time to perform a proper CDL Pre-trip. The need to study and be thoroughly familiar with the route that they will be driving. The they need to be on time at each established stop. Once they arrive back at the depot they need to do a post-trip, sweep, look for sleepers, things left behind, vandalism, walk around the bus looking for any body damage.
It seems that your supervisor already knows that there is a problem with the sub-driver. It is now a management problem and that is what they get paid for, taking care of problems...Good Luck...
Ray The Bus Guy...
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american busing 2
Advanced Member
322 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2003 : 7:27:19 PM
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that happens alot a our company and they get yelled at and then go back and do the bad habits agian
thomas are the ones who rule  |
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AmTran9442
Senior Member
87 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2003 : 11:57:52 AM
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I know this will sound strange but we only have that problem with one of our bus routs. When the driver of 9807 is not working and it has a sub, evryone that has ever seen that bus or rides it knows it. See in the morning we have two buses that take 9th and highschoolers to school. bus # 0344 takes the ninth graders to grove, and bus # 9807 takes the high schoolers to the high school. so 9807 has to be there on time.
Well when it has a sub, id say about 80% of the time we all have to pile up on 0344 with a bus load of 9th graders over the bus capasity. and the subs hit evrything in the book with that bus. one sub caused $5,000.00 worth of damage to the bus after hitting a oak tree (backed into it).
So yes I know exactly how you feel.
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busdrver4jesus
Top Member
USA
802 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2003 : 2:06:25 PM
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We have had subs here in our district that are the very same way. Of course some of our regular drivers are like that. They fly in at the last minute and crank the bus and take off - NEVER pretripping. Thankful that most drivers, even subs, who do their jobs properlly.
"With God behind us and His arms beneath us, we can face whatever lies before us." |
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whe8913
Advanced Member
United States
301 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2003 : 6:56:10 PM
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I am a substitute bus driver, and am sorry to hear of your situation in which the substitute did not do things properly. However, concerning being a little late, give the guy a break. At our school, the regular drivers are supposed to keep on their bus a map of their route and a TYPED description of their stops, in detail. This is a sub's lifeline. However, oftentimes, I have to go by a highly inaccurate map and the HANDWRITTEN description is barely legible. Substitutes, in my opinion, and it is biased, are a cut above the rest, because not only do they have to drive an unfamiliar bus, (or a junky spare if the driver takes their normal bus home),they have to deal with unfamilar roads and children that often times pull every imaginable stunt on the bus, AND the sub is expected to get them to school safely and ON TIME. Would I quit subbing- never, I LOVE it. 99% of the time, the kids are GREAT and very helpful with the route directions, but people need to give sub drivers a little more credit. They are not the "wannabe" drivers! In my opinion, they take a lot more hassle than the regular drivers!
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ZZTalon
Senior Member
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2003 : 8:59:42 PM
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Ok I can see the crappy situation here, but what's with all the negativity towards subs? A substitute driver is no differant from any other driver. Everything you say you see subs do wrong I can tell you "regular" drivers do exactly the same things.
It's not easy finding out you're on some run that you were supposed to start five minutes ago at a school you've never heard of with a route sheet that hasn't been updated in months, the whole time knowing that everything will be blamed on you regardless.
Around here there are no designated "subs", there are just a handful of drivers who work the same hours everybody else does but don't refuse a run, bus, or random 300 mile charters on a friday night.
http://www.nyschoolbus.com |
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Peter
Top Member
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2003 : 9:02:38 PM
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Amen, Whe8913!
The subs at my company can pass 90% of the blame for running late or missing kids on to the regular drivers. Policy is that you don't make changes to your route; you submit changes to the district so they can update the route in the computer and print a new copy. When the regular drivers decide to "move" a bus stop without requesting a change or pick lazy kids up at their front doors, THAT'S when substitute drivers have problems.
It doesn't help that we're usually sent out ten minutes late because the regular driver didn't show up or call.
Then there are those little angels that tell you they know the route and try to take you to their stop first, even though they're near the end of the afternoon route. And it's always great to hear, "It's a sub driver, we can do anything we want." Precious, aren't they?
Edited by - Peter on 03/01/2003 9:03:35 PM |
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VAdriver
Senior Member
USA
135 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2003 : 09:00:21 AM
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I agree that a majority of the time sub drivers are put on a bus at the last minute, in my case I have been out for over 3 weeks and the same driver has driven the bus EVERY day. There is absolutely no reason for him to be late on the average of 15 minutes every day. As for the route sheet, I make sure it up to date and correct. I started as sub driver myself, and I know how frustrating it is to not have a correct and current route sheet. I just have a hard time understanding how someone can consistently be late on what is admittedly a very simple route...4 elementary stops, 3 of which are on the same road and 3 middle school stops, all of which are on the same road. I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow and have things get back to normal!!
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2003 : 09:36:08 AM
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quote:
I agree that a majority of the time sub drivers are put on a bus at the last minute, in my case I have been out for over 3 weeks and the same driver has driven the bus EVERY day. There is absolutely no reason for him to be late on the average of 15 minutes every day. As for the route sheet, I make sure it up to date and correct. I started as sub driver myself, and I know how frustrating it is to not have a correct and current route sheet. I just have a hard time understanding how someone can consistently be late on what is admittedly a very simple route...4 elementary stops, 3 of which are on the same road and 3 middle school stops, all of which are on the same road. I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow and have things get back to normal!!
woah what an easy route you have! My route is without a doubt very long and "confusing" due to the way the roads intercept with each other. You can't do my route backwards becasue the roads don't all agree, even though they connect, if that makes sense?
And there is deff. something wrong with that sub, is there a prob with why he is coming late? Is he not available that early or something? Managment should correct it asap. The kids must miss you!
I love my Amtran RE ;-) |
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Substitute Bus Drivers
