Pig Pen

Posted by Janice on March 5, 2009

Yesterday I was told that this morning I would substitute drive a particular bus that is kept at base.  They fax’d the directions to me and I spent about thirty minutes proofing them, making sure that I knew where I was supposed to be going.  So this morning I get up at 3:30 am and arrive at base with about twenty minutes to pre-trip the bus and start it up to let it start to warm up.  I could not believe my eyes when I got inside the bus!  The trash can was overflowing, the trash overflowed onto the floor behind the can, up onto the dash board, around the side of the driver’s seat!  And there was paper strewn down the aisle of the bus where the children have to walk to get to their seats!

I picked up the paper on the floor that went down the aisle because I didn’t want to risk having the children slip on the paper in the dark (yes, it is still dark when the high schoolers get on the bus) and fall down and hurt themselves.  It is the responsibility of the driver to keep the bus safe for the children.  After that I went into base to use the restroom, and when I got out of the restroom the regular driver for that bus was there!  She told me that they had given me the run in error; she was working after all!  Boy, was I ticked off!

I told her that her bus was a pig pen and that she should clean it up.  She told me that it was “her” bus and she would clean it when she feels like it.  I told her that it was dangerous to the kids to have paper strewn up and down the aisle; they could slip and fall.  She told me that “the kids put it there, THEY can pick it up!”  Un-freakin’-believable!

Well, I ended up being an aide on a handicapped bus instead of driving today, but that’s ok; I get paid the same and the work is easier!  But I am still very annoyed at how filthy and treacherous that bus was and the response of the driver to my telling her it needed to be cleaned up!