School bus drivers have one of the most difficult jobs in a school district. They have to successfully navigate long routes while wrangling a large number of kids who may not be well-behaved. They also frequently have to do this alone!
However difficult it is, rider behavior management is necessary to maintain student safety. Disruptive students can distract the driver, or even create unsafe conditions within the bus itself. The better-behaved the riders are, the safer the ride will be overall.
BusBoss has extensive experience helping improve bus operations - including practical student management. Here are a few strategies we've learned and passed on, over the years.
Maintaining Rider Behavior On School Buses
1) Drivers should be friendly and approachable, but still authoritative
This is a tricky balance to maintain, but it's true for nearly all the well-run buses we've seen. On one hand, the bus driver must be fundamentally friendly to the kids. Learn their names, and greet them when they board the bus. Make sure they know the driver is available if they have trouble. Don't allow an adversarial relationship to develop.
At the same time, safety is paramount on the bus. The driver must still maintain authority, and make it clear that their commands must be followed. Emphasize the safety aspect, and explain decisions when possible. These aren't arbitrary rules. The rules exist to keep the students safe, and most students will understand that if explained.
2) Get students involved
A driver will quickly get a sense of which students are more reliable and trustworthy than others. If there is no other assistance, try recruiting students to help maintain order. In particular, older students can be better at keeping younger ones in line, on buses with a mixed ridership.
On smaller buses, it might also be possible to assign roles to all the students, such as making some responsible for keeping the windows up/down, or ensuring everyone is wearing their seatbelts (if available). If everyone has a role, it can foster a sense of community on the bus.
3) Use assigned seating for problem students
If particular students tend to cause problems, don't let them hide in the back of the bus. Make them sit in assigned seats up front. On one hand, this serves as punishment. On the other, it's easier to keep an eye on them.
Plus, if the driver can arrange the seating so there's a full empty row separating problem riders from everyone else, their opportunities to cause trouble will be reduced.
4) Put cameras on your buses
Student surveillance is a controversial topic, but it shouldn't be when it comes to buses. Having cameras onboard serves several purposes. First, it tells students they are being observed, even if the driver isn't looking at them. They also provide necessary evidence of wrongdoing, if the student or their parent denies a particular accusation.
Plus, cameras can also increase student safety. Incidents where drivers harm their riders are rare, but they do happen. Cameras protect everyone from abuse or false accusations.
5) Link school privileges/punishments to bus behavior
Students can sometimes feel like bus-riding is “outside” school, and that school rules don't matter onboard. This can be alleviated by having rewards or punishments that extend into regular school life.
Offer extra privileges for well-behaved riders, or let bad behavior carry over into school punishments such as detention.
If you need help improving student safety or streamlining your bus operations, BusBoss is here to help! Contact us to learn about our products and consulting services.
Tracking is good for districts, it’s good for students, and it’s good for parents. That makes it a real win-win investment for districts. What arguments do you find compelling, when talking about bus tracking?