Hampden bus drivers prepare for upcoming school year

HAMPDEN, Maine (WABI) - Parents are eager to send their kids back to school.

But there’s a lot that goes into driving students to and from school.

Preparedness is key when it comes to heading back to school for the new year, especially for those in charge of making sure your kids arrive safely to the classroom.

Bus drivers in RSU 22 spent Tuesday morning in training gearing up for the first day of school. When it comes to making sure students get to class every day, there’s a lot that goes into preparing bus routes and pick-ups for the school year.

“So in this district, we have 2,400 kids, So, we’ll go through, and we have to check and make sure every one of those kids based on where they’re living, you know, we’ve got them on the right buses to the school, knows which ones they’re going to. So, the drivers can know which bus they go on because we’ll print off a list for the drivers here at the start-up meeting so they can know who to expect on their buses so that it’s not a surprise or they don’t take kids with the wrong places,” said Dustin Ireland, Cyr Bus Lines.

The main priority is safety, especially when it comes picking up or dropping off students. When the stop sign is out with flashing lights, bus drivers want other drivers to be patient and be alert.

“You know, one of the biggest things that every bus driver will complain about is people going through red lights,” Ireland said.

“Watch for the red lights. Watch for the yellow lights coming on because kids get excited when they see the school bus, and so, you never know what a child is going to do,” said Lorie Hart, Hampden bus driver.

“When the buses are out there, keep an eye on them because they might have your kid on the bus, right? So, if the lights are on, pay attention,” said Ireland.

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