The Unexpected Rewards of School Bus Driving with Lori Robertson

Speaker 1: 0:29

Bobbi: 0:30

Welcome to another episode of the Fly Mom, fly podcast. Today I'm so thrilled to be talking with Lori Robertson, the supervisor at Lebanon City Schools Transportation. When I arrived in the US from Australia, I was captivated by those iconic yellow school buses that I once only saw on television and thought school bus driving was an adventurous way to embrace my new community. Now Lori joins us to reveal why bus driving can be an incredibly rewarding path for empty nesters seeking a fresh purpose in life. Hi, Lori, it's so good to have you here.

Lori: 1:09

Hi Bobbi, it's so good to be here. It is so good to see you. I miss you so much.

Bobbi: 1:14

Oh, I miss you guys too. And so, just for the listeners, I was driving around Lebanon, my new town or newish oldish town, because I've been here for five years from Australia. I was driving around town maybe about a month ago and I was thinking about empty nesters and the work that I'm doing, and I saw a bus, a school bus and I thought why do we not know more about it in this phase of life that it is such a good option for? And I work mainly with empty nest mums, so I'm going to use mums a lot in this conversation, but obviously mums, dads, uncles, aunts anyone can do this. But I was thinking to myself why is it the case that more mums and dads aren't doing this? And I remembered the feelings and the joy that I got from this job. So I thought it's a great way to connect with you today to share facts and other perceptions about school bus driving, because I know that there are perceptions out there. I think the greatest part for me was that I came with no idea, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas about what it was about. To me it was new, exciting, shiny, sparkling, and the greatest thing I got Laurie from doing this job was that I was able to bring who I was into the job.

Lori: 2:40

Yes.

Bobbi: 2:41

Yeah. So for those people who are thinking, okay, you're sort of trying to sell it here, bobby, can you just let us know from your perspective, because you've been in this gig for a number of years? Some people might think, oh my God, like, are you serious that I'm going to jump behind a 30-foot vehicle with 40 kids and just start driving? It's actually not the case at all. Can you let listeners know how the process evolves?

Lori: 3:09

Well, there is kind of a detailed process that you have to go through initially, but once that is done it is the best job in the world. I was in sales for 12 years. I wanted a job that, when my kids were off, I was off and substitute teaching didn't pay that much. So my best friend recommended her sister-in-law was a bus driver for 20 years and said you should drive. And I'm like, yeah, I'm going to drive a bus, like I'm going to drive a bus. But I looked into it and I've never looked back. It is the absolute best job and nobody can understand that until they actually do it. Because, you're right, it does have a negative kind of view of it. But the process is you apply, you come in for an interview. There are certain criteria that you do have to meet. You have to have a good, a decent, driving record. There's some things that if it's in your driving record we might not be able to hire you, and then also you have to have the background check. So there's certain things if you've had things in your past that can prevent you from being a driver, but for the most part it's got to be pretty severe to not be able to drive. And then you have your physical. So you have your fingerprints in your physical. Then you have to study for your CDL, for your temporary CDL, which is four tests that you have to take. It's general knowledge, school, bus passenger and air brake, so there. But there are apps, there are great apps that you can download on your phone to help you study. For that you get the CDL manual from the BMD. So once you get all that done, then we start the training process and so we pay. We just increased our pay. We pay $15 an hour to train. We have excellent we call them OBI's on-bus instructors that will work with you. They will teach you everything you need to know and it first. It's a little daunting. You know the pre-trip and things like that, but they take you through it step by step and the state is actually changing the pre-trip sum to make it a little bit easier and not have so much. And you're actually going to have to have a check sheet with you to like, you know, go down, which is great. But then you start. You know, once you get your your temps, then you start the behind-the-wheel training and you, you just they teach you everything and they build on everything. So you know, at first you think there's no way I can drive this big bus. And then you get behind the wheel and you realize it's not that hard it's. Actually I would prefer to drive my bus, a bus, than my car, as long as it's not 100 degrees like today, but it is. There's all the mirrors. You know you could see everything. It's so funny because I used to train and when I would train, the first thing somebody, a train, you would do is look over their shoulder. You know it's like you can't see anything. You have to, like, look forward in the mirrors. But it's not. It's not what everybody thinks it is. You know, once, once you get that CDL and you start your driving, I mean, are we? We always? We make sure that when we have a brand new driver, we are always sending them with people. We're never going to put them in a situation where they're uncomfortable, because we want them to succeed. So we are going to give them all the tools to help them succeed. You know, the the need for drivers is so great. It's just you know there's a lot that people have to go through to get it, but once you do it, it's so rewarding. Once you get that CDL. It is so rewarding.

Bobbi: 6:44

It was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and I remember being at the testing place and passing and calling my trainer teary-eyed. Because this is the thing. If someone in the US is thinking oh no, it's so hard, you know I can't do this. Okay, consider this. An often bamboozled Australian woman arrives in the US. She often doesn't have a clue about what's going on. She is nicknamed Lucy Ricardo by her husband because manner of things happened. So my point to explaining that is, if I, coming from Australia, where we drive on the left hand side of the road and our steering wheel is on the right, if I can come over and within a matter of months, be driving this 30-foot bus around town, then you can do it as well. Now, I wasn't the most academic person. I wasn't, you know, the sharpest tool in the shed, but the training is so much fun. It's a small group. We're not there with 50 other people. And two things I realized Facebook told me today that it was four years today since I got my TEPs for bus driving my CDL TEP, I know. So this is quite a coincidence. And secondly, you're right, because I did get a bit of fear when I started with oh my God, how am I going to do this? But it was drilled into me they will never let you out on the road unless they think you are absolutely qualified and you have all the knowledge and the tools. And then, once you're qualified, you will have like a buddy maybe who's there. And what I found with you guys at Lebanon and God love you, it was you're like a mother you treat. Sometimes I used to think you mollycoddled us too much because you're too nice, but you get the results that you need and sometimes I thought you know he needs to tell me to suck it up and get back out there when I was, you know, going a bit mental. But I love the training process. With my training it was six weeks. That's a long time. It was six weeks. It was fun and I got to know that bus inside out and I actually really enjoyed the challenge. Not that it was so much challenging, but I loved being in this midlife phase of life and achieving something totally new. That made me feel really good about myself.

Lori: 9:25

Yes, yes, that's great. That's great. Let's get it ahora. What a great job it is. There's so many benefits to it. It's so rewarding in so many ways other than monetarily. You're paid to watch the sunrise. It's incredible. You know, it's just, it is such. There's so much flexibility also within it, you know, with having that break in the middle of the day if you want.

Bobbi: 9:51

Yeah, no, I was going to say when I started. My ideal was to fit in with my schedule two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. So I know there are drivers doing eight hours a day, there are some doing six. I did four and that really suited me. So I think there's maybe a misconception that everyone has to do the same thing all the time. Can you explain the flexible nature in relation to hours and also the field trips and what they're about?

Lori: 10:23

We have different routes. We have some. We have some six tier routes, which are three routes in the morning, three routes in the afternoon. We have a few of those. We have majority four trip routes, which is two like a high score, junior high and then an elementary in the morning and the same in the afternoon. But we also have some two trip routes, which is just an elementary in the morning and an elementary in the afternoon, and that you know. We have drivers that have more seniority and could pick a bigger route, but they don't want that, they want a smaller route. They don't want to come in at, you know, 530 or six o'clock in the morning. They'd rather come in at seven and work till nine. So there is lots of flexibility with that you can. You know we've got drivers that choose just to be subs. One driver, jacob, he's our super sub and he doesn't work on Fridays. He does, you know he, he's fluent in Spanish and he does a lot of interpretation and works a lot for his church and stuff. So he chooses not to work on Fridays. So he chooses not pick to take a permanent route. So there are lots of options. You know you, as a sub, you don't have to. You know you tell us when you're going to work. We don't tell you. Now, if you take a route, then you know you are expected to be here to drive that route. But you know we have. We have attendance bonuses, you get sick days, you get personal days, you get insurance if you want it. You get paid snow days, which was when I became a driver. It was my absolute favorite. I'll never forget my first snow day. I was out sled riding with my kids. It was amazing and so. But when I started, when I started, my kids were in third grade and fifth grade and they loved me driving a bus until they got to junior high. And then they said don't come near me, mom, with your bus. But but yeah, there's so much more to it than than people ever realize. We just increased the sub rate to $21. Then there's also the field trips. There's tons of field trips that are easy peasy. I mean you take the kids somewhere, you drop them off and you watch the games if you want, and you're paid the entire time. And so they've just changed it in our district, where the field trip pay is your route pay. So once you get contracted, then your pay goes up from the 21. I think step zero is 21 86 this year. So you know, depending on where you're at will be what you would make If you're contracted. You go on spread pay where your your pay. You don't receive all of it. You know like the next, after two weeks they'll spread it out. So you're paid all summer long as a sub. You know you're an at will employee so you are paid, you're not. Your pay isn't spread out, it is. You know you get all of it, like on your next paycheck, everything that you've worked.

Bobbi: 13:26

Yeah, so the thing is the you know, one common theme throughout this is is the flexibility that the job does offer, and I was a sub before I was contracted and, look, I didn't really know the area of the town that we live in at all. That I survived, which makes it even better for longer term residents and locals of Lebanon because you know this area, so it's actually quite easy to get around. You've got your route sheet, you know where you're going. It's, it is absolutely doable and I love the fact that for those who, like that gentleman, who can't commit to a Friday with being a sub and I know you need subs as well and you're happy to invite subs in Do you have that flexibility to pick and choose, or are people able to drive just for field trips?

Lori: 14:19

Oh, yes, yes, we do have people that will only drive field trips. I have a sub that you know. He lets us know because if we have a lot of field trips that our drivers can't, our contracted drivers can't take because they'll go out especially the high school athletics they go out at like 245 or 3, 315. And everyone is still out on their routes, so the drivers can't take their routes off to do field trips. So there is lots of opportunity. You know, even if you just want to drive field trip, you still have to go through the whole process of getting licensed and all of that. But it is, you know, that is an option and I actually met with the coaches last night to go over some new things. We've got a new software and a new trip software and stuff and routing software. So, but I encourage them to get you know, come let us train you, get your CDL, because then you can drive your teams with bus driving you can make it your own.

Bobbi: 15:21

So, especially if you are a contracted driver, you really get to know the people you are driving. Do you have any stories or anything to share about how people have made it just a reflection of who they are?

Lori: 15:39

Well, when I started, when I started, I started in Lakota. That's where I lived at the time and so I I loved it. I loved getting to know my kids. I loved having fun with the kids. The biggest thing is just talking to the kids, telling them your expectations. You know my big thing with the little kids. I would always tell them you know the the the seats. You know the buses don't have seat belts, but the seats are designed to protect you. So I always made the comparison of an egg and an egg carton and I would tell them you know what would happen to an egg if it was not in its carton and it got bumped? It would get cracked, it would get broken. I said that's right, and you guys are my little eggs and I don't want you to get cracked, so you have to be in that seat. That seat is designed to protect you, but you, you can't be hanging out of it, you have to be in it. That is what's going to keep you safe. And I think when kids understand why they have to do something a certain way, you know why they can't eat on the bus, because if you start choking, I have to find a place to pull over to be able to help you, and it might be too late when they understand why there are rules or what you know, the reasons for the rules. You're more asked to get them to respect it and follow it. You know, and the thing is, if you respect your kids, you know they're gonna respect you back. Get to know them, get to know their name. I always did dumb joke Friday with my kids and when I was driving and I would just come up with a dumb joke every Friday and they loved it. As a matter of fact, I had a student that I always did it in the mornings, Like when I got to the junior high, before we would let out, I would tell him the dumb joke. And I had a boy that found out that I was doing that in the morning and he only wrote in the afternoon and he's like can you tell the joke in the afternoon instead of the morning? You know, and so you know that thing. He realized that that does they enjoy, that they enjoy. You know. Those types of things I would always do after spring break. I would do a thing with the kids that you know. Whoever knows the most about me by the end of the year will win a gift card of their choice. So it was so cute because I had kids that were writing down questions because they're like, well, if I ask you, that person's gonna hear and they're gonna know and they're gonna get the answer. And I said, okay, if you wanna write down questions I will answer them, and you know. But I said there are certain questions I will not answer. So you know, understand that. But the first year I did it, I had to give two gift cards because the two of them worked so hard and the girl ended up with the most. It knew 201 things about me. I mean the things that she came up with the question. I was like it was impressive. And then the boy had like 190, so I gave him, like you know, not as much of a gift card but I did give him a gift card too because he worked so hard to learn. But it was funny because that boy ended up in the front seat because he was bad. But I got to know him, you know, and we built a relationship and it really does, it makes a difference and some of these kids you know it's kind of sad because some of these kids in, you know, in any district, but in our district in particular, they might not, you know, have dinner when they go home, or they might go home to a parent not being there no one being there. So you know we're the first thing that they see with the district and the last thing during the day. So you know, you, the driver, can do so much to make it a great start to the day, or take a bad day and make it turn it around and make it not so bad.

Bobbi: 19:27

Yeah, now you're making me teary because I'm just remembering. I'm remembering all the good times, but you're right, a lot of them really rely on us for connection and it's funny how we come to build relationships with these children. And for me, I loved the fact that I was able to carry over the love of nurturing kids because my girls had grown up. One at the time was living here in the US but she's now gone back to Australia and the other one was already in Australia. So I really missed the opportunity to connect I had for the listeners. I had two, two years. No, I had one year of driving the elementary kids in my own neighborhood here and it was the best experience of my life. And you're right with the kids who may have some behavioral issues, because I too brought those kids up the front and what I realized was that what turned them around was I gave them a job, they had connection, they had purpose, they had a feeling of belonging and their personalities and their behaviors just totally changed and they really became and they both live in this neighborhood and they just, oh, touched my heart something chronic. And it's funny because one boy I made him into railroad monitor, because I remember. See, it's all about American television and what I saw growing up. I remember Bobby Brady being the hall monitor. So I thought, okay, boy who lives around the corner, you're going to be railroad monitor, because he was a bit vocal and he had lots of energy and he was just one of those boys and I actually ordered a badge that said safety monitor or something like that and for him, and it got delivered to his house and his mum loved that. And so we would come to the railroad track and he would turn around in his chair and say quiet please, railroad, railroad. And then he had to tell on all the kids that were talking, and I didn't care, because they're not supposed to talk. Everyone has to be quiet so I can hear and listen and make sure we're safe. And they knew the drill. So if he said their name, it's like well, sorry, keep your mouth shut, we won't have this problem, but it was good. And then another girl I gave a job to as well, and they just grew from that experience I had just a couple of days ago. I had one of the boys on the bus knocking on the door because his older brother looks after our dogs when we're away and they wanted to play with the dogs. And we're sitting out the back and he goes Mrs Bobby, are you driving our bus this year? And oh my God, laurie, that's a dagger to the heart. And then I said oh, elliot, no, I'm sorry. And he's saying you know, you just were such a good bus driver. And look, I just made it. I made it a good experience for us all. I couldn't have made it a great experience for them if it wasn't a good experience for me. And I think one of the best ways to come at it was I was scared, stiff before I started, and then a friend of mine in the neighborhood said you know what, sometimes, when I get too focused on myself, I remember that I'm being of service. So if you come from a place of being of service, that will do the trick. And she turned my whole perspective on bus driving around because I thought, hey, yes, I might sometimes be a couple of minutes late or I might have to pull over if there's an issue I need to address on the bus, or I might take the wrong street, but at the end of the day, these parents in this community relies on us. Sometimes they can't drive themselves. They're at work. They rely on you to get their kids to school in a safe manner. It doesn't matter if you're a couple of minutes late. You've got so much support. Be of service. And that really turned the whole issue of concentrating on my own fear into something else.

Lori: 23:35

Well, and we have a unique opportunity here in our district because I don't know of any other district that allows their students or their children to ride with them. If our drivers or bus monitors and aids, if their student is enrolled in the district and is a 11-in-city school student, they are permitted to bring their kids with them to work and let them ride on the bus with them. And it really it has done an amazing thing, for I would lose several drivers if that changed, because they might not be able to afford daycare, and so this allows them to bring them along and then a lot of times they'll pick a route that goes to the school that their child goes to, so that they can ride along with them on their route. And it really has worked out well. I mean, we've got a system down where there's a spot in the back where they pull up to pick their student up and there's a little waiting area in the back hallway for the students to sit and wait for their parents to go out and pre-trip the bus and then bring it down to where they can go out and safely board the bus. But it has really made a difference for several of my drivers, because when I first came around, I'm like they do what. I was shocked, you know, but as I, you know it'd been a year longer. I see the benefit to it and it really does benefit a lot of parents in that aspect.

Bobbi: 25:02

Yeah, I think that's so good for, as you said, the parents who may not be able to, for one reason or another, find alternate care for their kids. And can I just mention Lebanon, is what I know a shout out to the family of bus drivers that you have at Lebanon, because if there are three words that I would use to describe my experience with you and the other drivers, it would be connection, belonging and purpose. It really filled those three needs. It's like a big family that you have there. I'm still, in fact, I saw Gloria the other day and I saw Dave and I am friends with a lot of them on Facebook and it really, for me, I didn't have a large extended family here that I'm so used to back home in Australia. So you guys became my family and what I loved about it it's very salt of the earth, grounded people, very kind, very caring, very supportive, and then it's easy to embrace that family mentality when you go to work.

Lori: 26:09

Well and that's one thing that my, our drivers are excellent at helping out, especially new drivers If they've made a wrong turn or they're lost or they're running behind which is very common when you're new you are gonna run behind and that's okay because your goal is just to get the kids, the school, safe, because they're a little bit late, it's. We can live with that. So. But if you make a wrong turn or you're running late, the drivers are listening on the radio and they're always willing to jump in and help. Oh, I can stop and get this pickup for you, or you need to go down here and turn around, and they're just. It is a family. It is a family. I mean, we've got a great, great group of drivers here. We, we do lots of fun stuff. We're always trying to do carry-ins and chili cook-offs and just all kinds of fun things. I instituted like two employee of the month, parking spaces up front. So that is, the employees actually nominate their coworkers. So it's not me picking, it's the employees. That in. What I want is I want, I want to share good things, I want to hear you know what other drivers are doing for each other, and and that has brought that out and so I do a weekly or a monthly newsletter and then a weekly Monday memos, and you know I'm able to do shout outs to people and the things I hear. And then we also started like two parking spaces up front, cause that's a big thing, everyone wants to park up front. So it's just our nature, I guess. But I did like exceptional attendance parking spaces. So so every month if the, if the drivers had perfect attendance, then their name goes into the you know the pool for us to pull, and we pull two names every month of the somebody that's had perfect attendance the month before and then they get that parking spot up front parking spot for the month. But you know that by doing it by the month it really helps because you might have somebody that doesn't normally get perfect attendance, bonuses and things like that, but they got perfect attendance and then they have a chance to and they get the park parking spot, you know, and then they think, wow, you know, it just does something to you know, it just does something to you know. Encourage them, because when we don't ever get the acknowledgement, then you know it's. It's all about encouraging people, I think.

Bobbi: 29:15

Yeah, and you know what, and this really leads beautifully into the fact that life is what you make it Life and how you choose to experience it begins and ends with self. So that is absolutely true when it comes to this job. If someone views life at more, as something that's difficult to depressing and the world is a sorry state of affairs, and that's how you probably experience bus driving. But if you look at it as something that you can make it your own, that you are surrounded by an extraordinary support network of people that do become your extended family and your close friends, that you are giving back to your community and you were able to help nurture children for that nearly hour in the morning and hour in the afternoon you are having a great impact on their lives. So it's all about perception, but there is so much more than what is often talked about in relation to bus driving, so I am going to put the links. If someone's interested in contacting you or contacting you transportation, I'll put all the links at the bottom of this podcast description where they can maybe fill out an application form getting contact to have some questions answered, and we will go from there. Is there anything else that I haven't covered today, laurie, that you'd like to say before we go.

Lori: 30:44

Well, one thing that we started doing when we interview someone is Kim, my assistant. She will take them out and let them drive the bus around the parking lot, and it really has been a great thing because they think I've even had people that have applied to be an aide because they're thinking I can't be a bus driver and I'm like let's go drive the bus. If we're in the back parking lot it's not a problem. We pull it out of the parking spot and everything, and then they realize maybe I can do this. So that's something, too, that people, if you think that there's no way you could do it, apply. If it's something that you're interested in that you think you might want to do, apply. Come down, we'll let you drive the bus around the parking lot at your interview.

Bobbi: 31:31

And I forgot to just mention how much fun driving these things are. This for me all the buttons and the levers and everything in the flashing lights. It really appeals to someone with squirrel mentality, so I loved it.

Lori: 31:44

There's more to it than what anybody could ever imagine in a good way. It can be taxing to get your license originally, but it's just like anything else it's worth the hard work, is worth the reward, because it is. I'll never forget my first paycheck when I became a bus driver. I was getting ready for work and I was getting because I'm like I'm getting paid today for something I've had so much fun doing. I mean nobody. You know I sold wedding advertising. You know I was in sales and I would run into people that are like you're doing what I said. Let me just tell you it's the best job in the world. You know. I know somebody else that's a bus driver. They say the same thing. What is it? I said you cannot understand it until you do it. You can't understand until you do it.

Bobbi: 32:37

And for locals. You can't understand how beautiful this town is until you were driving around. As the sun is rising or setting, you get to witness all the seasons of the years. You see fields, you see deer we've got those alpacas up the road. What I found? You have these massive windows that you're looking out of. There are windows obviously all down the side of the bus driving where, concentrating what's ahead of it, on what's ahead of us. But there is so much beauty so it becomes habitual to feel this appreciation and gratitude about where you live. It is just stunning. It's like being in an IMAX theater and someone has filmed just the beautiful locations. And I know there'll be some listening to this, thinking oh my God, this is Lebanon. Well, I'm sorry. I come from one of the most beautiful cities in the world, sydney, and you have a gorgeous, gorgeous town here and there is so much to see as a bus driver, if we are open to witnessing its beauty. So to that I wanted to say thank you so much for joining me today and letting us know just what the benefits are, not only working with Lebanon, but also for people who aren't from this area, who are listening and thinking. You know what I might contact my local school transportation department and just suss out what's happening in our area. I think it's really beneficial. Bus drivers are needed all over this country and I do hope this conversation today has served in the sense that it will allow people to see the job from a different perspective.

Lori: 34:25

Well, I appreciate you inviting me to do this and I don't know if it does, I hope it does perk someone's interest, or a few people's interest to check it out. And because it is a, you know, it's also an excellent retirement job. I have lots of men that have retired from, you know, a business or a company and they come and they drive and they absolutely love it. So it's, you know, it is a fabulous, fabulous empty nester job, retirement job, or mom, you know, because you're all when your kids are up.

Bobbi: 35:02

Exactly, exactly Well. Thank you, laurie, and to all our listeners, thank you so much for joining us today and we will see you next time on Fly, mum Fly.