***Original published in South Mountain Press, Oct 19, 2018***
The Wheels on the Bus go Round & Round
Now that the school year is well into October, everyone including the Rolling River School Division (RRSD) Transportation Department has gotten back into their regular school routine.
Getting approximately 920 RRSD students safely back and forth each day throughout the school year falls to Transportation Supervisor, Cam Woodcock and his team at the District’s Transport Department. Cam is in charge of the process that smoothly ensures bus students are picked up and delivered home safe and sound each school day.
Here are some numbers associated with the RRSD Transport Department:
- RRSD buses about 920 students of the total 1760 student population
- The SD has 29 buses plus 8 spares for their 29 routes
- There are 29 regular bus drivers plus 26 spares
- Each day, the District’s buses travel 4154 km
- The longest run is for Lake Audy high school students who transfer in Onanole on their way to Erickson
Each bus driver has a Class 2 drivers license or higher plus a special school bus endorsement certification.
Ed Zatylny is one of the SD’s long time drivers and a regular driver on the Lake Audy to Onanole route. Ed described his daily routine as, “I leave the yard at 7:05 then make my first pick-up at 7:30 in Lake Audy for the trip to Onanole. Then in the afternoon, I do a short trip with 7-8 students from Onanole and back to the school for the return trip. After driving 200 km for the day, I return to the yard by 5.”
When asked what he appreciates the most about the job, Ed really enjoys seeing many of his riders grow up from Kindergarteners to High School graduates. Over a couple of decades of service, he has had the pleasure of transporting hundreds of great local kids.
As to his greatest challenges associated with driving the bus, it has been poor weather that causes Ed the most problems. The Lake Audy run usually receives more snow and ice compared to the rest of the SD, so Ed plans accordingly. “I leave early and take my time. Safety of the students is my first priority”.
Safety and forward looking at the weather forecast are also uppermost on the Transport Supervisor’s mind. Snowfall events like the early fall storms that passed through the area recently are carefully monitored for severity. As Cam explained, he and the Superintendent keep a close eye on the weather in order to decide if the buses will be cancelled.
To begin with, each driver always has the option of not driving their route if they feel the road conditions are not safe. Cam regularly makes calls to drivers like Ed to determine local conditions.
Then by 7:15 in the morning, if inclement weather warrants bus cancellation or school closure, the word will go out via radio stations, the SD’s website, and an automated call out system to parent’s phones.
But the weather can be tricky and although Cam said it has not happened under his watch, there is a plan in place on the off chance that students end up storm stayed in town. On the annual school registration form, parents can designate a ‘Storm Billet’ who is able to take a student in during a severe weather event.
The professionals of the SD Transport Department enjoy keeping the ‘wheels of the bus going round and round’ and work hard to ensure the safety of their charges.
Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.