HELENA — As families get ready for school to start up again, so are bus drivers. School bus drivers have one of the most important jobs for safety, and Helena Public Schools is always looking for help.
As any bus driver will tell you, it may not be the most glamorous job, but it’s an important one.
“Well, we've got almost 500 kids that we bus in now over here,” said Nick Turner, bus supervisor for East Helena School District. “And of course, a lot of times parents work, both parents work, and it's really helpful for the family.”
Bus drivers aim to make a difference for the kids they drive around and have a real impact on their lives in a positive way.
“The students are the number one priority,” said Gary Herseim, a bus driver and trainer for Helena Public Schools. “Their safety, they come first, and the safer our drivers are, the better it's going to be for those kids.”
First Student serves all Helena Public Schools. With more than a dozen schools, there are just over 60 drivers for various routes.
Safety Manager Dan Redford says it’s a great job for retirees or parents with children. It's a part-time job, with drivers working a split shift, and parents can take their own kids on the bus, reducing or eliminating daycare costs. And they're always hiring.
The process of becoming a driver is fairly simple. Drivers must be 21 years old, have 5 years of driving experience, have no felony convictions, and have a clean driving record. If you don't have a CDL, they do all training in-house. Training is projected to take around 2 weeks total, with drivers needing 16 hours behind the wheel before testing.
“One reason why we do that is that then if we have an overabundance of drivers,” said Dan Redford, safety manager for First Student. “Then we can send them to other locations to help with their shortages.”
If anyone is interested, more information can be found here.
