Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Students contribute art for school bus
Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Little Old Lady.
Little Old Lady who?
I didn’t know you could yodel.
That’s just one of the corny jokes that Krapf bus driver Tim Streeter “Mr. Tim” tells his student bus passengers.
Mr. Tim then told me he yodels after finishing that joke, much to the delight of the kids on bus #74.
Mr. Tim owns a graphic arts company and works a side gig as a school bus driver in the Downingtown Area School District.
He greets every student by name and on the first runs of the day he announces, “GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING!”
And the kids shout, “GOOD MORNING, MR. TIM,” right back at him.
This is Mr. Tim’s first year driving a big yellow bus. Early on, a couple of kids handed him some handmade art. He hung those pictures up on the ceiling of the bus, as like he did with his own children’s art on the refrigerator, years aog.
The current art gallery has expanded. Since then, dozens more drawings have been hung, with easy to remove painter’s tape.
“Everybody wants to have a piece of art on the bus,” Mr. Tim told me about the colorful Bus #74 Art Gallery. “It’s not your typical school bus.”
Most drivers decorate for the holidays, and for Halloween, Mr. Tim hung a huge spider.
With three kids to each of 24 seats, the bus could hold up to 72 students. Everybody has an assigned seat to facilitate loading. Sixty eight elementary school students and 50 high and middle schoolers ride to and from school daily.
Mr. Tim’s full daily trip is 58 miles.
Children are dropped off at Downingtown West High School and Downingtown Middle School. The older students are quiet and polite until they wake up.
“Nobody wants to say anything,” Mr. Tim said. “When they wake up, they are much more animated.”
The elementary school students are crazy loud and make the trip to Bradford Heights Elementary School.
The first afternoon pick up is at 2 p.m. and Mr. Tim’s driving day is complete at 4:45 p.m. Mr. Tim noted that he is always on time.
A layoff for the professional creative director and marketing consultant occurred during the pandemic. Businesses were cutting back. Marketing and art were the first fields to go. Now Mr. Tim works at home on his own art, between bus shifts, and on nights and weekends.
“I needed to fill the gap,” he said. “I like to help out the community and there is a desperate need for bus drivers.”
Krapf School Bus trained him during the summer and he earned his CDL license, a requirement for a bus driver.
In Chester County, Krapf employs over 600 drivers and operates 585 school buses. The company also provides transportation services in York, Dauphin and Bucks counties, and in the states of Delaware, New Jersey and New York.
“It is important that the drivers get to know their students,” Sue Kramer, Krapf Area General Manager said. “They receive regular training on student management and the importance of building a rapport with their students, as well as with students’ parents.”
Mr. Tim told me that the safety of the young riders is the #1 priority.
He makes sure the riders are sitting properly in their seats, while noting that the bus was designed for the safety of the students.
“I’m highly aware of the surroundings and things happening 200 yards ahead on the road,” he said. “I’m constantly looking at the mirrors every 10 seconds.
“I’m looking at the students, the side view mirror and the front mirrors. You’ve got to really focus on the hills and curves.”
Mr. Tim loves hearing the stories and often repeats them for his wife’s benefit. He especially enjoys the fifth graders “who will say anything” and prefer to sit in the back.
‘They will tell you anything,” he said. “The kids are great. They are funny.”
Mr. Tim often runs out of jokes and the kids often write them down for him.
He told me a favored riddle: Q: “What do you call cheese that’s not yours? A: Nacho cheese.
If only commuting to work and getting caught in traffic was as interesting. Next time I’ll have to catch a bus.
Bill Rettew is a weekly columnist and Chester County resident. If only he could get the time back he’s spent waiting for buses. The best way to contact him is at brettew@dailylocal.com