Front seat of the bus.

Hot off the wires. Stop the presses. Believe it or not, there was a, (Are you ready?), fight on a school bus !! OMG!!!

I can't believe that this made it into a news paper. We pull kids off of kids all the time. It's as news worthy as a flat tire. Still. Mine is not to reason why. Mine is but to blogify. (sure. use it.)

Bus Driver Calls Police After School Bus FightWHIOtv.com - Dayton,Ohio,USAFAIRBORN, Ohio -- A bus driver called Fairborn police after a fight broke out on her bus. The fight happened Tuesday afternoon around ...

Yesterday was a killer. I turned the ignition key at 6:00Am, and got home at 8:30Pm. Most of the time was in the seat, with a couple of little naps while sitting bolt upright. Sure would be nice if the seat reclined a little.

A couple of feel-good links today. Some school districts have figured out that we could use a pat on the back now and then. This is a damned lonely job with a lot of risk. Sure, you talk to a lot of kids during the day, but that's not adult human contact. You can use the radio to talk to base, but without casual conversation. It's all business, and the people in dispatch frequently sound irritated. Ok, I'm done bitching. Here are the links.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER DAYPalo Verde Valley Times - Blythe,CA,USAThe School Pupil Transportation Industry has recognized April 26, 2005 as "School Bus Driver Day." As part of the celebration, the Blythe Area California ...

Driver Wins His Second County School Bus Road-eoSouthern Pines Pilot - Southern Pines,NC,USALeo Williams didn't know what to expect last year, but this time around the school bus driver said he's going to go for it all. ...

Monday and already 4 charters in the chute fot this week. That's going to be an awful lot of hours in the front seat. Sigh. I should be in bed already.

Here's an aritcle that seems to makes sense.

New device speeds AJ bus checksEast Valley Tribune - Mesa,AZ,USASchool bus drivers in Apache Junction no longer circle their buses with clipboards, checklists and pens to perform bus inspections. ...

School bus drivers write kids up for breaking the rules. We have to. Joyce Gregory wrote a kid up and died for her efforts. A moment of silence for Joyce...........................................

Teen accused in bus shooting quoted as disliking driver's attitudeWATE.com - Knoxville,TN,USADOVER (AP) -- A 15-year-old boy is quoted as saying he didn't like the attitude of the school bus driver he is charged with shooting to death in Stewart County ...

Good old 749 is back on the road. She's had an oil change, and whatever else they do on a regular basis. It would have been nice if they had latched the hood down. Luckily, I caught that on the pre-trip.

Something else is new. It's "The Button". 749 was one of the last to have it. "The Button" is next to the rear door. You have to push it before shutting down the bus. If you fail to do it the horn starts blowing. It makes you walk to the back of the bus. Why is this a good idea? Here's why:

Kindergartner Left On Bus, Driver FiredWFMY News 2 - Greensboro,NC,USAHigh Point, NC -- A Guilford County school bus driver lost his job Wednesday after leaving a 7-year-old on the bus Tuesday afternoon. ...

All good things must end. Back in the harness again today. Mechanics snatched my ride again, but the loaner was OK. 822 was clean, full of fuel, and in pretty good shape. The stereo even works and the speakers weren't blown out. She sure was short on power though. Getting on the freeway was like a short field takeoff. Still, not so bad.

One link today, but it may be the bone head move of the year. Caution: Contains extreme stupidity. Open at your own risk.

Bus Driver Fired After Students Raise Rail Crossing ArmWTOC - Savannah,GA,USAFour children were put in harm's way by their school bus driver today. It happened on bus 996 on the way to Southwest Middle School this morning. ...

Here's what happens when a bus driver goes nuts. It could have been so much worse.

Bus Driver Accused Of Taking Children For A Wild Ride WJZ - Salisbury, MD. (AP) The Wicomico County Sheriff's office and the school board are investigating reports of a scary bus ride for some Salisbury students. Students aboard a bus headed yesterday to Salisbury ...