I HATE BUSSES!!!!! LONG!!!! CUSSING!!!

[fourmomma]

FIRST LET ME SAY I AM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LONG....I HAD TO GET IT OUT AND EXPLAIN THINGS AS EASILY AS I COULD...BUT IF YOU READ THE WHOLE THING I WOULD REALLY LIKE SOME FEEDBACK(please none of that dont ruin youre kids' life crap or any rude sarcastic remarks...this is a very sensitive subject for me so please be respectful) THANK YOU!!!!

 

i know hate is a strong word but i really do! my daughter who started kindergarten this year is riding the bus to and from school. its more convenient bc i have 3 other children who are not in school and do not wake up early like she does. it took a lot of convincing for me to let her ride the bus. and already(only 2 months into the school yr) there have been problems. Last week my daughter took the bus home like she does every day and i waited for her at the end of our drive way like i always do. the bus is supposed to drop her off at our driveway at 3:38pm give or take a few minutes. well i waited for 20 mins and still no sign of my daughter or the bus. i seen another bus down the road, and i always see this bus around the same time my daughter's bus comes by. so of course my instinct is to think something bad happen. i seen a state trooper drive down my road and i thought to myself...omg they got into an accident. the corner that the bus has to turn on is real bad...its a tight squeeze for regular cars and trucks and worse for bigger vehicles. so i thought someone might have hit the bus or they fell off the road..something! so i called the transportation service ppl who deal with the busses and asked why they were so late. they called the bus driver and she said she was just running late...i was still pissed! so finally she shows up... i learned that this was due to a mechanical error on the original bus. i understand that and i can accept that....everybody whether its a business or personal matter has vehicle problems at some point in their lives. ive had my fair share lol! but it just wasnt cool...i was still nervous and scared. that was the first incident.

the second...yesterday. this was the cherry on the icing on the damn cake! again she was supposed to be dropped off at our house, at 3:38pm! i waited outside for her and heard the bus coming down the road. next thing i see if the bus FLYING by our house...there wasnt even an attempt to stop! so im thinking she didnt get on the bus..maybe shes at the school still(why wouldnt they call me), maybe the bus driver forgot...idk...something. so i call the school asking where my daughter is. they call the bus ppl and while all of this is happening im crying and scared and nervous all to hell. i couldnt beleive it was happening. well after being on hold for nearly 10 fuckin minutes they finally get back with me and tell me she is on the bus and the bus driver is coming back around to drop her off. i was beyond pissed off! this is my child you have in your custody and part of your job as a driver is to be sure they get on and off the bus safely and on time. come to find out it was a sub driver. even though she wasnt familiar with the route i still expect my daughter home....especially if your driving on my damn street. so i called and bitched.

the third just happened today. the bus is suppose to pick up my daughter at 7:29am9again give or take a minute or so). i had my daughter out there with me waiting for the bus at 7:23am...the bus never showed. i waited until 745(thinking she was "running late" again). when i got tired of waiting...i called the transp. ppl again and asked what was going on. the bus driver had already made all of her stops and dropped the kids off at school. this driver has never been early like this before. and there are two other stops she makes on this very same block...and with them if they are not outside she will honk her horn to let them know she is waiting. i am wondering why in the hell did she not do it for us!?  

so needless to say im furious with this damn bus and the drivers. about the sub driver...on the bus they keep a log of all of the stops they are too make before and after school. the childrens name and address is also on this list(i know this bc i seen it and also after complaining to a manger he reassured me that is what i had seen).  this driver should have looked at the damn list when she got to the first stop on this road. she wouldve seen three stops all together...one right after the other. i would prefer her to do this with every child...i dont care if it slows down drop off time(i just need an updated drop off time thats all) as long as my child gets home to me safely!

i know i should be grateful my daughter made it home safely each time and i am...beleive me I AM! and i am grateful that it wasnt as bad as i suspected. but i also am still upset that i am beginning to lose more trust for these drivers after not having any in the first place. i honestly dont know what to do about the situation.

tomorrow she has a feild trip to go on and its about an hr away...they are taking the bus. i am going crazy at this point. parents cant ride on the bus bc there is no room, we have to fill out chaperone papers(with background checks, etc..), and we cannot take the student ourselves(its a liability thing)...as much as i want her to go and have fun and experience this i dont know if i could handle it. not only that but bc siblings are not allowed to go with i have to find a babysitter for my other 3 and if i dont then its a choice of letting her go by herself without me or not letting her go and her missing out on this first time experience. i honestly dont know what to do.

i have talked to dh about it all and he thinks i am overreacting. as a kid he rode busses...i didnt. i have never liked them and dont trust anyone who drives them no matter how many yrs they have under their belt. two of my best friends were in bus accidents(not at the same school or at the same age...not even in the same state) so thats one reason as well.

if anyone has any thing that might help me overcome this fear and paranoia please tell me something. i have 18 more years of this to go through and 3 other kids as well...i dont want to stop them from having fun bc i dont trust anyone and honestly think they shouldnt either(they dont know that)!

[tgooden45]

Oct. 9, 2008 at 3:25 PM

You poor thing! I have 2 kids who ride a separate bus, 1 for preschool, 1 for elementary kids (2nd grade). Busses will be late! Busses will miss your stop especially a sub... they constantly break down..Trust me I have been through this every year. If you fear the bus that much the best advice is to take her to school yourself so much so that it is worth waking the other kids up. We get snow here in Cleveland and those buses timing gets even worse then.

[MommaTasha1003]

Nov. 19, 2008 at 7:07 PM

Sorry your having such a hard time with the bus. Just relax and give them some slack.. I rode the bus alot as a kid & know their timing can be way off depending on ALOT of diffrent things. Just have her out there by the alloted time they say (isnt it 10min) give them a bit a slack for time variations and get out their a few minutes earlier.. I have passed my house a number of times on the bus, thats OK. Just teach your DD to always make sure she SEES YOU OR YOUR HOUSE BEFORE STEPPING OFF THE BUS! (or double check its HER STOP!) That is the biggest preventable accident that can happen..Most drivers do try to make sure each kid matches their bus stop but no one is perfect. Maybe you could ask the school about that since she is so young.

dont worry about your dd going on a field trip. they are very protective and where ever they go not only is the school watching out for those kids but so are the place they go will have eyes on all the lil' kiddos.. she will remember them for a long time because they are so much fun but they also teach her how to act in public without you, and so much more!. (i remember our first field trips in elementry)