School Transportation, no doubt is the safest means to transport your kids. School bus drivers do a great job. They are skilled, capable and enjoy working with children. But there are some drivers, who engage in risky behaviour while driving.
Driving needs a lot of concentration and care, especially when you are dealing with children. A reckless school bus driver is a black mark for school transportation service.
While some school bus drivers drive carelessly, speeding and skipping stop signs or red lights, others might lose their temper with misbehaving kids on the bus. Some are unreliable, arriving late or forgetting to pick up a child. You're entitled to safe, reliable school transportation service, so it's essential to take immediate action if your child happens to encounter a bad driver.
Read Also: 5 Ways to Hire the Right School Bus Driver for Your School
Here are the useful tips:-
- Call the authorities
As soon as possible contact the principal or the school authorities. Calmly explain the reason for the complaint. Provide details about the complaint along with sufficient proof. If you are unaware about the name of the driver, explain his physical description
- GPS
School administration can use GPS for tracking school bus in real time. There are a lot of additional advantages that comes with GPS. From unwanted idling of the bus to scheduling the right route, GPS is the best.
- Install CCTV
It’s the key to reality. Installing a CCTV inside the bus gives footage of the happening inside the bus and how children are treated inside the bus. Nothing goes unnoticed.
- Organise
Call other parents and discuss about the relevance of the issue. Don’t wait until PTA meeting to raise the issue. It’s better to start early.
- School Details
Attaching school details in the bus can help the passengers to inform the school if anything happens. If the driver doesn’t follow the instruction and drives harshly, any passenger can contact the school number provided in the bus.
Warning:
Under any circumstances no dangerous driver must be employed for the transportation of children.
You may also like: Is School Bus Safety The Responsibility of Drivers Alone?
Things Parents Should Never Say To Your Kids’ School Bus Driver
- “My child won't depend on the school bus, its really dangerous”
A school bus is designed to be safe. Parents should evaluate the school bus before judging it. School bus has got all necessary school bus safety measures.
- “My child was being bullied and you did nothing?”
Sadly parents think that school bus drivers do nothing to prevent bullying. But that’s not true. Students are given instruction to follow the school bus driver but they don’t.
- “Are you sure it was my kid?”
Some parents have got blind faith upon their children but that’s the greatest mistake you can do to a child. Denying their mistakes is not the right way to raise them.
- “I am sure, the other kid hit him first”
Even if the kid punched your child, he should report it to the concerned authority. You just cannot walk away and blame other children.
- Oh yes! I know he is a trouble maker
This simply means, “I know my kid is a trouble maker but I cannot do anything about it”. Be the responsible parent.
- What do you mean you can’t come to our house?
There are limitations for a school bus driver. He cannot make it to every house door. Drivers need a safe place to turn around their vehicle and as you know it’s not that easy to turn a bus.
- Sorry! I am late
Whatever the reason is, being late affects other children as well.
