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Nell65
Senior Member
USA
74 Posts |
 Posted - 01/08/2002 : 5:13:00 PM
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Hi all,
Again my kids district had to cancel all after school activites due to the fact too many drivers called in for the afternoon. The fair weather driver syndome in full force once again.
How do your districts handle this? Do they get drivers from other districts to cover runs if they haven't got anyone else to pull out of other areas in the district( maintence, mechanics, etc).
I find it amazing that they had 34 drivers out of 187 missing this afteroon, they already have a defict of 17 open runs daily for a grand total of 51 runs down. It's a disgrace in my book. It's funny, when I call they beg me to drive for them, I "retired" to stay home with the kids and now they want me back anyway they can. :)
I think if this hit the newspapers, that the transportation department would be under fire for sure. No one is accountable it seems, and when you look at the minutes from a school board meeting, the amount of drivers missing and out at any given time is a joke.
How have these problems been solved in your area? Is there any reprecusions for habitual "fair weather" call ins? Just curious.
Nell
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2002 : 03:14:19 AM
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If more than 5 drivers are missing, we may have to start doubling up on routes. My driver has done it twice if the driver was in an accident or there wasn't a sub to cover the route.
Stop at: http://www.buses.cjb.net
Forums: http://thebusboy.proboards2.com |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
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BusFreak
Top Member
USA
798 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2002 : 05:35:14 AM
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The problem of there being too few drivers has gotten so bad in Fairfax County, we are having to pay local charter bus companies to take kids to and from afterschool activities. We always joke about kids being taken to school in a prevost, however here, its happening. I was at a high school basketball game the other night, where the visiting team from about ten miles away pulled up in two Prevost H3-45 buses. Talk about a waste of money for desperate measures.
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Debusguy
Senior Member
USA
114 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2002 : 05:52:13 AM
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Your afternoons are a lot like ours. Between 2:15P and 3:45P, usually everybody is out on the road running something..either a school or a field or sport trip. Even our mechanic's days are structured so that they drive in the afternoon, then have a short return to their original tasks. We have never defaulted on a route yet, thankfully,(where is there some wood to knock on..?) although we have done the same things you have..combined routes, split up field trips into d/o and p/u combinations, and worked with the athletic office to get teams to their locations early. As far as substitutes are concerned, it is hard to keep someone committed to this task for the small amount of hours we can offer them. We have been further constrained in this task by being prevented from using Building & Grounds personnel, even though their shifts end around the time that we could use them. The one thing I am exploring right now is to see if sports personnel..coaches, managers, chaparones, etc., might be interested in acquiring a license for this purpose..anything to take the heat off of this crucial hour of assignments. As far as 'marking off' problems go, however, our drivers are saints. Many of them will reach the end of the school year with the two personal days alloted to them intact. They are very conscientious in that regard.
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MongoKen
Senior Member
USA
147 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2002 : 3:07:57 PM
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Hey Busfreak -
We have the SAME problem here in Prince William County...our driver shortage is so bad we have to constantly double runs and figure out ways to combine runs together..it's extremely nerve racking! We have to pull office staff to drive in the PM just to keep our heads above water.
"Superior Buses..A Legend of the Past" |
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tidesinn2
Senior Member
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2002 : 4:45:13 PM
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Bus freak yea you are right Fairfax doubles triples, splits up runs get drivers to do one run for the school come back and do another. Anyway they can do it they do it. Everyone complains about it but I don't see none of them coming in to start driving the bus.
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Not enough drivers for afternoons?
