| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
largebus
Advanced Member
USA
468 Posts |
 Posted - 04/05/2002 : 6:22:31 PM
|
Have you ever had to deal with a lack of seats when you drive a spare bus? In our district many of the spares (which are older) seat fewer students than the newer models. Do any of you deal with this situation at all? Has this ever caused problems?
Getting them there is the first-and the easiest/hardest-part. |
|
|
thomasvista2012
Top Member
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2002 : 6:52:02 PM
|
In our district, it's happened plenty of times before. In elementary school once, we had to use two spares to pick up our route, cause both spares were lift buses with lack of seats. We used those beasts as spares plenty of time, they were 1982 Thomas/IHCs, our last gasoline buses, 65 pax with lifts. The lifts were up front, so there were not much seats in the bus.
There were also times when a driver of a 65 pax bus attempted to pick up her route in a 29 pax Blue Bird. That was a very dangerous scenario, the bus was shaking and wobbling due to the excess weight.
Only our district would put students in a dangerous situation like that, overloading a small bus is a potential for an accident. In a fleet of 1,800 buses you can't tell me there are NO suitable spares for a specific route?
|
 |
|
|
1983WardFord
Top Member
USA
1395 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2002 : 10:16:53 PM
|
Thankfully I've never dealt with the problem thomasvista2012 described, but there have been instances where I've driven a 65 passenger spare on a route where a 77 passenger bus is used normally. If I get any complaints, I just tell the kids it's a shorter bus and there are a few less seats. Problem solved. The bus wasn't overcrowded, by the way. I just thought I'd throw that out there. 
Superior--built tough, built to last! |
|
|
|
Bus Boy 39
Top Member
USA
1315 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2002 : 04:09:23 AM
|
quote:
Thankfully I've never dealt with the problem thomasvista2012 described, but there have been instances where I've driven a 65 passenger spare on a route where a 77 passenger bus is used normally. If I get any complaints, I just tell the kids it's a shorter bus and there are a few less seats. Problem solved. The bus wasn't overcrowded, by the way. I just thought I'd throw that out there.
Superior--built tough, built to last!
Same thing has happend to me! About two or three weeks ago, we had bus 31, which is a 65 passenger, and my 215 is a 72 passenger. You could tell that it was a smaller bus, just because many students had to sit two to a seat.
 "What can your bus do?" |
|
|
|
cowlitzcoach
Advanced Member
USA
325 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2002 : 04:30:09 AM
|
A few years ago I had a route with an 84-pax BB AA RE. At the time, the only spares were 65-pax conventionals. When the 84-pax went down for a long term absence they added another route so there wouldn't be overcrowding problems.
When the bus was finally back on route they couldn't get rid of the extra bus. It seems that once the bus wasn't always so full, more kids chose to ride the bus. Instead of about 80 kids on the one bus the two buses were regularly transporting 100+ kids.
It was bad enough trying to load and transport 80+ kids everyday into an 84-pax bus. When we had to use a spare I would not even attempt to load 80+ kids onto it. I would make a second run rather than try to overload the bus by 20%.
Although the posted seating capacity can be interpreted very differently, the bottom line is if all of the kids are not 100% in the seating compartment they are not seated in a safe manner.
If you as a driver choose to drive a bus that is overloaded, guess whose tail is going to be in a crack if someone should get hurt?
In the final analysis, the most important safety equipment on a school bus is the bus driver. If that gets messed up, the ride is not going to be a safe ride.
We have an awesome responibility when we are out on the road. Don't compromise that for the expediency of saying, "Today is an exception." If you choose to do that, pretty soon the exception becomes the rule.
Mark O.
|
|
|
|
largebus
Advanced Member
USA
468 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2002 : 05:52:43 AM
|
I remember on elementary buses many kids hated sharing seats on spare buses (same thing is still a problem on secondary buses). Hey...if you are gonna talk to your friends SIT WITH THEM. There isn't time for to deal with this from kids.
Getting them there is the first-and the easiest/hardest-part. |
|
|
|
Blake913
Senior Member
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2002 : 3:24:28 PM
|
I have had to drop from my 89 pass to a 72 pass spare. Right now, we do not have any transit spares, but we will when the new buses get here. It is a pain to have to seat 99 students on a 72 pass bus. It's not safe either.
913 is the next best thing to a Caddilac! |
|
|
|
tidesinn2
Senior Member
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2002 : 7:12:55 PM
|
My driver has a 78 passenger bus and she has one elementary run that many times has 78 kids on it. That bus is FULL to the max and you can feel the weight and engine labors extensively to push that sucker! Almost all of the spares here are 64/66 passenger buses. So she normally has to call for another bus to take some of the kids that can't fit on the 66 passenger. She has a feild trip next week that says it will have 8 adults and 50 students. Her bus will be in for service that day so she will be in a 66 passenger spare. I feel bad for those people! She might switch buses with a fellow driver for that feild trip though.
|
|
|
|
BusBoy
Top Member
USA
2042 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2002 : 08:26:42 AM
|
A District that I used to work for had this same problem and at times we had to get another bus to help out! They had always had 66 pass. conventional and change to 84 pass transits! Sometimes when you make changes you have to really plan it out before you make any big changes to you fleet!
|
|
|
|
1042
Senior Member
USA
156 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2002 : 08:55:01 AM
|
I suspect this kind of dilemma is happening a lot. If it's an everyday thing the system better get on top of it and correct it pronto by adding buses or adjusting routes!
In the instances we frequently encounter when having to sub with a smaller capacity bus temporarily, I like being able to check with other drivers I know are working nearby routes. Some of these are even passing down the same streets. It's not uncommon to ask another driver for some help if they have a little extra room.
It's sort of a teamwork approach to the problem, but it sure helps out!
1042 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Capacity Dilemma
