Bluebird school bus driver seat drivers#

“Maybe I want to start to travel or maybe I want to do something other than driving a school bus but I can’t imagine what it would be,” Davidson said.įor the time being Davidson plans to take it one year at a time and just enjoy her new wheels.Blue Bird All American Rear Engine (2010-2014) She says maybe one day she’ll want to but that day is not here yet.

Bluebird school bus driver seat drivers#

Davidson is so orientated to safety that she helps train other drivers in Alaska for the State.Īlthough Davidson is in her 60s she’s not ready to retire just yet. The new bus adds about five minutes to her prep time. She checks all the lights and for any air leaks. She checks all the fluids and belts under the hood. She has to prep the bus or what’s called “pre-trip”. because I’m not only driving the bus in the snow and what not but I have to get to the bus in my own vehicle,” Davidson said.

“My day in the wintertime starts at 4 a.m. “You don’t have to get down and get all wet and dirty because I used to put chains on and I hated it but it was either do or die,” she said.ĭavidson lives her life for the bus route routine, going to bed early so she’s alert while most people are still in bed. Davidson will no longer have to manually put on chains around the tires. They spin under the tires as they roll along creating traction. Some of the newness is less obvious like the chains that drop down from under the bus with the push of a button. It’s so much better than having that horn case up among the kids and let’s say we have an accident, those horn cases will become dangerous.” “We just lay them back here,” Davidson said. Davidson said it’s not only handicap accessible, the extra room also comes in handy for the kids’ musical instruments. We head to the back of the bus where there is space for a wheelchair lift and wheelchair. While the average person might not notice all the bells and whistles Davidson has been through the vehicle with a fine toothed comb. So I just buckled up and buckled down and took this bus out and just experimented with it and now I absolutely love it. It was air break, I hadn’t driven air break for a while. “Well if you would have asked me this question when I first stepped on it, I was terrified,” Davidson said. “So overall, what do you think about the new bus?” I asked her. The seat backs are high complying with new industry standards. It was purchased on the East Coast and holds 66 passengers. But Davidson says you can’t get any newer. The outside of the bus looks pretty normal. “I’m still grabbing for it and every once in a while and thinking, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I don’t have a door handle’.” “I have a button and it’s operated by air and the doors will open automatically.” Every day on the job she’d sit in the driver’s seat greeting children, reaching out her right arm to open and close the door. She’s driven a school bus in Petersburg for 34 years. “You know, we all have our purpose on Earth and I think I was supposed to be a bus driver,” Davidson said. Hoopie Davidson believes she’s answered her calling in life. KFSK’s Angela Denning got to tour the new vehicle with a veteran driver who says it’s safer and more efficient than the older models. Photo/Angela DenningThe Petersburg School District is operating a new school bus. Hoopie Davidson stands near the Petersburg School District’s new 2016 Bluebird school bus.