Bus Drivers

Buses li ed up for routine maintenance at the district garage on Cumberland Road. Photo courtesy of Zach McKinney.

Everyday, Monday through Friday, the Hamilton Southeastern Schools (HSE) transportation service sets o on a seemingly impossible task: to transport 21,000 students to and from school safely and e ciently. For HSE’s director of transportation Zach McKinney, each morning starts at 6 a.m., coordinating the bus routes of the day, adjusting for any changes in weather, tra c or driver attendance. “We have 295 buses that are on the road, so there’s a lot to coordinate,” McKinney said. “ ere’s a lot going on, but it’s fun.” With the buses needing constant repairs, most service is completed in-house. is requires the full time employment of 10 mechanics who work diligently, keeping the transportation service running smoothly. “It takes a team of folks to be able to pull it o ,”

McKinney said. “ ere’s much more to it than just us pulling up to pick [the students] up.” Many students, especially those in elementary and middle school, rely upon the busing services. As one of the thousands of students who depend on a bus ride to and from school each day, junior Cassie Maurer deems busing services essential. “Busing services are very important,” Maurer said. “Not only for kids who simply don’t have their license yet, but also for those who don’t have a car or do not have access to a car.” For many students, riding the bus may simply be just that - getting to and from school - but many view it in an entirely di erent light. Bus driver Amy Metz sees it as her chance to make a di erence in the community. “ e majority of [the students on my bus] will be on my bus for seven years, from kindergarten to sixth [grade],” Metz said. “I pray that even a er they’ve been on my bus one year, that I make some sort of an impact, even if it is just that I said ‘good morning’ to them every day.” Beyond even those in the transportation service, McKinney believes that other non-certi ed school workers deserve more credit. “At the end of the day, if you don’t have bus drivers, the building doesn’t have students,” McKinney said. “From a custodial standpoint, if you don’t have a clean and healthy learning environment,…you aren’t going to have students that are equipped and ready to learn.” Metz emphasized that for many bus drivers, having a connection with the students is incredibly important. “[I love] the interaction with the kids,” Metz said. “For the little ones that smile, who are afraid to get on the bus...I think a friendly smile eases things.” According to McKinney, although being a bus driver is incredibly rewarding, it is o en a very ‘thankless’ job. Both he and Metz stressed that a simple ‘thanks’ can be incredibly impactful. “I love when a student will say, ‘have a great day,’” McKinney said. “You have no idea what that means to [a bus driver].”

Driving impact

Hidden e orts of bus drivers

Jakob Polly pollyjak000@hsestudents.org