LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Students in Nelson County, Clarksville Community, and New Albany/Floyd County headed back to school on August 6. And it won't be long until JCPS students return to class. In this School Smarts report, I found out what it takes to become a JCPS bus driver.
With 23 years of experience under her belt, Cindy Guldenschuh shares her rules of the road with bus driver in training Jimmy Penner.
"It's easy driving an empty bus," Guldenschuh said. "It's not easy driving a full loaded bus. Believe me."
With starting pay at $16 an hour, the JCPS Transportation Department weeds through stacks of applications.
But about 50 percent of all applicants fail the background check.
"We go through a thorough driving records [check], and your background," said Caple. "So it is a pretty strenuous background check to be a bus driver."
After drivers pass the background check, some are selected for the next step: an 80-hour training course.
When we asked Penn how he'll deal with a bus full of rowdy kids, he told us he's hoping to learn some tips from his trainers.
"I'm going to learn more about that in class and then we'll see," Penner said.
For the first time this year, GPS tracking devices will be installed on all buses, enabling administrators to pinpoint the location of any bus at any given time.
"It will help us on routing, help us probably be more efficient, it will tell us where our buses are at all times, Caple said.
Caple says the new GPS will help in finding buses that break down on the road as well.
And all drivers -- old and new -- will attend a course on bullying.
"You've got to look at the children that you are transporting as your own children," Guldenschuh said, "because they like to play tricks on you just like they do their mothers."
And Guldenschuh says she's not shy about calling parents at home.
"I usually call around supper time because that embarrasses the kids," Guldenschuh said.
A few transportation problems are always expected on the first day back to school.
"We'll have 1,000 children on the first day of school who will not know where they need to go home," Caple said.
Even though students will be asked to wear lanyard tags with their address and phone number, new drivers are told to expect... the unexpected. And to remember just how important their job is.
After all they'll be hauling the city's most precious cargo.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
Rick Caple
