Bus drivers are valued members of our Poly community but rarely do we get the time to speak with them about their personal daily lives, the issues that impact them, or to thank them for their hardworking commitment to safely getting us to and from school. We only see them on commutes and may overlook the fact that they are members of our community who have personal lives, families, and hobbies that we rarely get a glimpse of. Oscar, driver of Route 3 from Park Slope, spoke about his daily routine. “I wake up at 4:00 o’clock in the morning…and I get back, on a good day without traffic…about 7:20 a.m.,” he said. Prior to picking up Poly students at his first stop at 8:00 a.m., Oscar goes to the gym to get some exercise before the long day ahead. During his breaks throughout the day, in between shifts, he gets some rest before heading back to pick up students. Amid the pandemic, as schools return fully in-person once again, the demand for school bus drivers has increased, causing a nationwide bus driver shortage that still affects school transportation across the country today. Oscar states that neither COVID nor the shortage has noticeably impacted his job or hours: “The company still needs a lot of drivers but, no, it hasn’t impacted me at all.”

Another factor impacting the bus driver shortage is the New York State bus driver vaccine mandate, which declares that all school bus drivers must either be vaccinated or are required to be tested weekly. Reflecting on the mandate, Oscar said, “I’m pro-vaccine—I feel like everybody should get the vaccine.” He says his colleagues feel the same way as well.

Though we’re wearing masks and a bus driver can’t see a single friendly smile, hopefully, as a community, we are expressing our gratitude by greeting them in the morning and thanking them for their service. It was good news to hear that when asked whether he felt respected by the students on his bus, Oscar enthusiastically responded, “From this school, definitely yes!”