There are two radios on my bus, one is your basic AM/FM Cassette find ( yes we are in 2011) and the other is a CB radio. The district has paid for about 14 mile radius of air rights. Therefore, anyone and everyone in that radius that has a CB radio can possible hear whatever we are saying. So you have to watch what you say and make sure you don’t use any foul or profanity...not that us bus drivers would anyway. :)
The CB radio is used for when we back out of our bus stalls and to communicate with base and other drivers. When I was in training to be a school bus driver they taught us how to use this CB radio properly with the correct terminology list 104 - received the information,108 - this bus in service and clear- the next person can talk now. I was scared to death when I was a rookie to use the radio. What if I choked and said something wrong and absolutely hilarious? No worries there, because what I learned after my first week I was there that not everyone went by protocol. I learned that some people would use it like a phone and not a CB radio where hundreds of people were listening in. It is like when you had one to those old baby monitors that picked up your neighbors wireless phone conversations. You know the ones, were all you heard was was talk, talk, talk about nothing really important from your neighbors. I also realized really quick who were the people that must love the sound of there own voice. They are the ones that I swear have the wheel in one hand the radio in the other. These people are the ones that are just to helpful!! The ones that mother the other drivers to death! Like where to park the bus, there is a dog in the road, your kids are doing _____! They are constantly on the radio telling others how to do the job. It isn’t like we all didn’t go through the same training and have the same licenses plus we are considered professional drivers. So to those people that think I am writing about them ( which I probably am) stay off the radio, stop being so helpful and let others figure it out themselves! Next we have to drivers that feel like they have to paint a picture for the other person on the radio by describing the whole scenario in great detail before getting to the point! again this is going on while the rest of the district is saying to themselves “ spit it out already!!”. Most of us already know what you are going to say. Then you have base.....we love base. Some of the drivers find them every entertaining. You see some of them are not from the area or haven’t driven a school bus, and if they have I think that at times they have forgotten what it is really like out in what we call “in the field” or “on the road”. they will say to us over the radio, “ I have your card, so come see me when you get in. I have to tell you..blah blah blah.” and they go into great detail. Question...isn’t that why you pulled their card was so you could talk to them when they get into base and that rest of us don’t need to hear or have anything to do with us? Base can be such a comedy show at times. Like when a new/sub driver is lost on a route due to the route sheet not being correct ( for whatever reason). So here is base who can’t see where the driver is and I mean direction they may be facing or what street they are on and where on that street are they located. Then they continue to tell them where they need to go or turn around at. When you have other drivers that are in that area and know the route which could be of better help. So we just sit back and listen to the whole thing shaking our heads because there is no way we could get a word in edge wise if we tried! I know they are there to help and when we do need them they are there...well sometimes. There are times when a driver calls into base and there is no response. So the driver will say “hello...can anyone hear me?” or “is this thing working?” and other drivers will speak up and let that driver know yes their radio is working. Of course base was just on the phone or in the restroom when that happens..lol. Now let’s talk about those who think the radio is a nuisance. These are the people that get called on the radio and when they respond they sound like they are being bothered. You can hear it in their tone...”Whhhhaat?!” or have that “ are you kidding me, why you are bothering me for that?”...LOL! Then you have those drivers that I swear have a brain fart in the middle of talking! they start the sentence and forget half way through what they are saying or what route they are on or where they are. don’t get me wrong, many of us do it and I am not judging, just laughing when they do it! then there is when they run out of fuel....note to others...when this happens don’t call on the radio, use your cell. Don’t get me wrong, this will be get back to all of us and we will tease you! we also like to make comments to each other over the radio that nobody else know what we are talking about, like inside jokes. One of my favorite things that happens on a daily basis is that someone will leave their Hazard lights on flashing while they driving down the road. When this occurs someone else will be helpful and not to point out who it is they will just plainly say “FLASHERS” ...we all look down and check ours to see if it is us. Do you know how many times I just want to get back on the radio and say “ where and are they fully naked?”
Now I know I have talked about all the funny stuff but when one of our drivers gets into trouble we all are quiet and listening carefully on how we can help or hope that they are ok. like when there is a fight on the bus or an accident. because those things do happen and we are a bus family and we care about our other drivers even when they annoy us at other times just like a really family. So we tease each other about things that have happened on a route over the radio all the time..of course it is with love :)
