District need for bus drivers continues
It’s National School Bus Safety Week.
And while the district occasionally acknowledges it, this week
has been business as usual. But the district did acknowledge it this year, just earlier.
“A couple Fridays ago, the superintendent (Aaron Rex) and Mr. [Mike] Watt handed out
coffee mugs and such to the drivers to recognize them,” Dave Tangeman, transportation supervisor for Wapakoneta City Schools, said.
Being a bus driver isn’t easy, as it takes a minimum of a fourhour/day, four-day pre-service classes of training. After that,
potential drivers have to pass a written test, and once they pass that they’re assigned an onboard instructor and have to complete a minimum of 12 hours of driving on an empty bus, although on average it takes 30-35 hours of driving.
After the driving they have to pass a CDL test before driving with children onboard. In total, the whole process can take over a month to complete.
Bus drivers are also required to pass an annual physical.
Like districts around the country, the district is experiencing a driver shortage. Currently WCS
has 23 full-time drivers for 24 routes. They also have six substitute drivers. Tangeman has two theories for why that is: the split days don’t provide full-time jobs and the responsibilities the job entails.
“It seems like there are fewer of those people out there,” he said. “More people are working fulltime, eight-hour jobs.”
That leaves them with older people who were already retired from one job and looking for an
additional income, which means the turnover is higher.
The life of a driver isn’t easy either. They have to get up early and drive in the dark, but by 8 a.m. work is done. By 2:30 p.m.,
it’s back to the buses where 50-60
more-awake students get on each one.
Some drivers go to Cridersville Elementary twice/daily while others do double routes and transport children of every age.
Tangeman described the biggest challenge his drivers face as distracted drivers on the road.
Drivers also need to have a take-charge personality and have the ability to control students.
Melanie Musselman has been driving buses since 1993, full-time for more than 20 years. Originally a hair dresser, after having children
she wanted to supplement her income. The job also kept her close to her kids.
Being a driver, she learned children liked boundaries and consistency.
Paul Regula has been a driver for over 20 years as well after retiring from the Wapakoneta Police Department at 48 years-old.
“I still wanted to work, and for some reason I always wanted to be a bus driver,” he said.
And because he knew WCS was looking for drivers, he decided to apply, passed all the tests and was hired.
He said being a driver requires patience in dealing with different children and their different personalities.
Bus drivers also have to love what they do.