I'm so mad I could spit fire...
By devilsangel
@devilsangel (1817)
United States
October 16, 2008 6:50pm CST
Ok this is somewhat of a rant. Today started off like any other day, I got the kids up, got them dressed and fed and sent them off to school. I then go about my day and normal activity while I wait for their return. So at 3:40 I walk down to the bus stop to pick them up from the bus and what do I find... my daughter is not on the bus. So of course I freak out, I ask my son, where's your sister and his response, the driver left her and wouldn't wait.
Oh yea so now I'm livid, I ask him why the hell he left my daughter, and his response " I'm on a time schedule and I don't have time to wait for people." Are you freaking serious, they are Elementary kids, what the hell do you mean you don't have time to wait. So I let him have it, I ripped him a new one right then and there. I called the school to make sure my daughter was still there and safe, went and picked her up, made a formal complaint with the school, called the bus company and told them what happened too.
Given just 3 days ago their bus was an hour late because a little girl got lost and they wanted to make sure she was on the right bus.. so why is it he couldn't wait for my daughter to finish going to the bathroom? She ran out to see the bus pulling away. Not only did he know she was missing but several kids on the bus told them she was on her way out and begged him to wait.
This isn't the first time the driver has done something like that, he's also had several reports of being rude to the children, yelling and swearing at them. If I have my way he's so fired.
Has this ever happened to anyone else? Do you think I'm overeacting? How would you have acted if it happened to you?
8 people like this
26 responses
@mercuryman3a (2477)
• India
17 Oct 08
This is downright deplorable. how can a bus company employ such a driver for children? A driver has to have a lot of patience when dealing with children. I had a similar problem with a driver when i was Principal of a school. I gave hm a warning ontwo occasions and there after i just fired him. We can't have children being left off anywhere. Once we spent teh whole afternoon searching for a child. The 5 year old having missed the bus had started walking back home and was found on the highway all alone. it gave me a few tense moments.
2 people like this
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
17 Oct 08
OMG a 5 y/o. I would have been livid if that was my child. I think they would still be finding pieces of his body still. I'm just really glad my daughter had the good sense to tell a teacher that she was left benhind and not try to walk home.
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
16 Oct 08
With the strange thing that happen to kids today I don't think you are over reacting at all...OMG that situation is just what some starnge people are waiting fo, a little kid left alone, that is a perfect opportunity for funny business, I think he should be sacked, they should only have people who really care in those sorts of jobs..
2 people like this
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
17 Oct 08
That's all that was going through my mind when she didn't get off the bus. I mean she's only 7 and the school is about a 10 min drive from here so it's at least a 30-45 min walk for a 7 year old. I'm so glad she had the good sense to find a teacher and tell them what happened.
I swear I was ready to pull that driver out of his seat and beat the crap out of him.
@tessah (6617)
• United States
17 Oct 08
it has happened to me.. and various other busdriver nightmares. either my daughters (both of them at one point or another) have been put on the wrong bus and dropped off on the other side of town.. never got on the bus and were left behind at the school.. or the driver completely forgot they were even ON the damned bus and drove right past out house oblivious that they had to make a stop, even with my daughter crying her eyes out and the rest of the kids screaming for him to stop and let her off. there was even an instance long ago where the kids were crossing in front of the bus after being let off.. and the driver absentmindedly closed the door and put the bus in gear and nearly ran them all over. ive managed to get three halfwitted shouldnt be driving a golfcart drivers fired and a couple more suspended for being rude, cussing out, and even hitting the kids in the different places ive lived in. thankfully.. the driver we have now is wonderful.. she even organizes the kids to help them all study their spelling words for their tests on fridays. the children all love her, and so do i.
dont sit back on yer hands on this one.. if you get no where with the bus company, skip past them and go straight to the superindentant and scream until you get results. these people are in charge of our childrens safety and well-being.. they should do their job, or find other employment more suited to their talents.
2 people like this
@Emotionalfist (85)
• China
17 Oct 08
I have aslo run aross this situation. The driver left without paying attention to me. I shouted and scolded at the driver. Today, I hope that the drivers could improve their quality and change their attitudes to passengers.
2 people like this
@ndaniel229 (419)
• United States
17 Oct 08
OMG I do not think youre overeacting one bit! I would have done the same thing!!!! How dare he! My daughter isn't school age yet but omigod if that were to happen to her I think I would have slapped him for saying that. I hope he loses his job! If you don't hear anything keep going higher on the chain!
2 people like this
@Lazers (152)
•
17 Oct 08
You are NOT overreacting. They are kids, and this bus driver is certainly not the right man to be working with them.
Specifically, if he couldn't wait 5 minutes for a Kid who will be right along, and then drives off leaving them possibly with no way of getting home, that man should indeed be fired.
He is definitely not responsible enough to work with Kids, and i hope you do get your way. ;)
2 people like this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
17 Oct 08
OMG!!! no, you are not over-reacting at all... i will be livid as well if i were in your position... i can never imagine what i will do if that happens to my child... i think i will shout at the bus driver non-stop and make sure that he is fired... also, i will make him look for my child and bring her back safely to me... take care and have a nice day...
1 person likes this
@cindy2003 (196)
• Australia
17 Oct 08
I'd be fuming also, and i would've put the complaint in aswell. You are definately not over reacting at all devilsangel, not in the slightest. This happened to my nephew once as back then we all lived in a small country town and the bus driver did the exact same thing, and my brother wasn't impressed at all, and he blasted everyone that was suppose to get a blasting and they got a new bus driver a week later. It was very upsetting for my nephew and we were all very annoyed
2 people like this
@betsyraeduke (2670)
• United States
17 Oct 08
Hell no I don't think that you are over re-acting at all! That jerk doesn't even sound like he should be a school bus driver. I certainly hope he gets fired. If some school bus driver yelled and swore at my kids and other kids on the bus and I heard them, I swear I'd rip them out of their dang seat and cram a bar of soap in his mouth for all the kids see just teach him or her a lesson and humiliate them in front of all the poor kids that he or she was mistreating!
1 person likes this
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
17 Oct 08
Had my son not been standing there and the bus still having children on it, I would have kicked his sorry a$$. I was ready to rip him out of his seat and beat the living hell out of him. I swear God saved his life today cause I was ready to kill him.
@betsyraeduke (2670)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I understand. I thought about that, but of course that would not be a good sight for the kids to see. That's why I like the idea of cramming the soap in his mouth. It's something that the kids could see and it would totally humiliate him in front of them. It would serve him right to be humiliated in front of those he is so awful too.
1 person likes this
@maidangela7349 (1191)
•
17 Oct 08
As the father of 4 children I can understand your anger and worry. We are all different and sometimes we get into situations or jobs which we are not capable or ready to handle. Clearly this driver has not got the right character for this particular job. It is quite right and understandable that you were angry with him but that will not stop him from doing it again and the correct course of action now it the company either dismiss him or find him a job that does not require the judgement and understand you need when dealing with the public particulary children
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
17 Oct 08
devilsangel you are not overeacting at all;here in Ca several' children have been hurt or even killed because a bus driver
did not want to wait. there are always predators around in bigger
cities just waiting to p rey on little kids.They are not under
any circumstances supposed to leave a child, even if the child is a few minutes late. they are supposed to not leave any child stranded.I would have acted the same way if thathad happened to my little girl.
1 person likes this
@yuna15 (2706)
• Philippines
17 Oct 08
I don't have a child who's in school, but I would definitely be furious with that bus driver if I were in your place. He should find another job. He's just lucky nothing happened to your daughter (not that I want something bad to happen to her) because if something happened, If I were you I would have that guy fired for sure.
2 people like this
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
17 Oct 08
Hey my niece was staying with me while her parents were tying up some loose ends before relocating here. I went to school had them set up a bus stop for her. Mind you this child has no idea where she is or how to get anywhere in this town. She was 12, in the seventh grade. So I walk her out to the bus in the morning, no problem. She came home fine. Three days no problems. The fourth day they have a substitute driver. He drops her off about two miles away! You see where I live it's quite open. All the streets are numbers with NE, SE NW SW and/or St Rd Place etc. It's very confusing. Anyway I keep looking out there at the bus stop and no bus! I drive to the school. No kids there. I start driving around the neighborhood based on the supposed bus route, nothing! Finally my cell rings. She knocked on someone's door and asked to use the phone after walking for about half an hour. I was furious, called the principal, wrote a formal complaint and told the bus driver off!
1 person likes this
@belk89 (1103)
• Philippines
17 Oct 08
I dont think your overeacting. Anyone who is a mother would freak out to find out that the driver left your daughter and you dont know where she is. If shes fine or not. So getting mad at the driver for being irresponsible to just leave a kid is just unforgivable. Lucky for you that your daughter is safe and still inside the school. What if someone will take your daughter and that is a scary thing to happen. I think you made the right move to make a formal complain against the driver.
1 person likes this
@MissGia (955)
• United States
17 Oct 08
Your not overreacting at all. That bus drivers job is to make sure everyone has boarded the bus and that they reach their stop safely. Mistakes happen and children have been left behind at school before; myself included when i was in high school. Sometimes the bus driver doesn't realize that one of the many students that ride his but haven't boarded.
I think it's kinda of messed up however that he knew there was a child who still needed to board the bus and he left anyways. he should be suspended or fired for doing that. It showed a huge irresponsibility on his part and the lack thereof to perform his job correctly.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
17 Oct 08
No you aren't over-reacting at all. What if you didn't have a vehicle to pick your child up or what if she was being dropped at a sitter's who could not just go get her? This only happened to me once and I really didn't know who to place the blame with...school or bus co. I was worried as my daughter did not get off the bus and none of her friends seemed to know where she was. I called the school and yes, they had her. When I picked her up, the teacher at first tried to blame my daughter for not having her stuff all together when the bell rang and that was what resulted in her missing the bus. She was in first grade and the teachers are responsible to see to it that each student is ready and lined up for the right bus. It was up to the teacher to hold the bus until each and every student was on. In your case it sounds as if the teacher was not doing her part and the bus driver was a jerk. I think the bus driver should lose his job and the teacher should definitely be reprimanded.
@Amberina (1541)
• United States
17 Oct 08
This is every parents nightmare!! I have gone thru this one time and my youngest son was the one, he got left behind his two older siblings didn't pay attention to see if he got on the bus (they went to a small school) and here the kids come bouncing off the bus and no Justin! I asked my older kids in a panic where is your little brother? and they say Uh I don't know he must have missed the bus...well no &^%* lol. Anway I call the school and the teacher has him and is bringing him home I say thank God and told her I would meet her at Walmart so she calls me when she gets there and Says to me The Eagle has landed I laughed so hard I said ok and we went and got him. Ever since that day I always use that line whenever I drop my son off at someone's house lol.
I'm so glad your child got home safe, that bus driver needs to have the pee scared out of them and see how they like it! I also think that bus driver needs to change jobs it's apparent that he doesn't have what it takes to be one.
1 person likes this
@cbreeze (1205)
• United States
17 Oct 08
I think that is unacceptable and you should raise h_ll about it with the school. How are we to protect our children from preditors unless the school system is participating as well. I personally think the buses should take elementary school children to their doors. The safety of the children should be paramount.
1 person likes this
@mjmlagat (3170)
• Philippines
17 Oct 08
You have done just the right thing, you're not overacting simply because you are a parent in agony because of your child's absence in the schoolbus. It was his duty to wait for every child, to hell with those company rules! We are talking about lives of children here. He's just so incompetent and he deserves to be sanctioned.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159318)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 08
You did fine. Your child comes first and being a mother we defend, we rescue, we nurture. Our life changes when a child comes ino it. And when they are mistreated we jump up and become she-bears in their defense. If an adult abuses the responsibility he is given we tend to lose it. I don't blame you a bit. You are to be commended for not knocking him to the ground and jumping up and down on his chest.
