Amphitheater school district bus drivers broke a record back in February by going 250 consecutive days — it's up to more than 270 days now — without a moving violation.
Amphi's 120 drivers travel about 9,500 miles each day on 110 bus routes, as well as field trips and athletic trips.
Elaine Williamson is a first-year relief bus driver and transportation clerk for Amphitheater Public Schools. Williamson works a 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift Mondays and noon to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. We asked her about her day.
Question: What is a typical day like for you?
Answer: When people go to lunch, I cover their desk. Then I go out and drive. When I get back, they're ready to leave for the day and I can start working on all the paperwork that comes in for the day — route changes and stuff like that.
People are also reading…
There's not a lot of radio activity in the evening and that's when I can actually — we have schedules for athletic trips for all the middle schools and high schools — enter those (schedules) into the book and system so that we try to stay at least three weeks to a month ahead of schedule because there is so many changes going on.
Q: What was it like the first time you got behind the wheel of the bus?
A: I was a little scared, I have to admit. I've driven a 14-foot truck for one of my previous positions — I worked for Canyon State Courier — and occasionally if they needed a big truck to go to Phoenix and no one else could drive it (I would), but the biggest was 14-foot. These buses are 40-foot, so they are quite a bit larger. You have to do quite a bit more pre-trip inspection than you do on a courier vehicle.
I was a little worried at first it would be too big of a vehicle for me. I had a couple of friends that drove school buses. People I would have never imagined drove school buses. Ladies in the church choir basically. I thought, well, surely I could do this. It was a little intimidating. The first couple of times just moving the bus was like, 'Oh, I hope I don't hit something.'
Q: What's the pre-trip inspection like?
A: First off, you have to make sure the bus is safe to drive and all of the safety features that the bus has are operating properly. Of course, the school buses have a primary and secondary brake system and that has to be checked each and every time you go out on the bus. If one system is not working properly, you cannot move the bus.
You have to check all of your equipment, your signals, your warning lights, your stop arms. There's a lot of safety features you have to check. On top of that, you have a post-trip, too.
Q: Why did you decide you wanted to work for the transportation department after auditing mortgages for the last eight years?
A: The company folded. That's why I was looking for another position. I thought, now's my chance because I was starting to get bored with that type of work.
I actually was looking in the paper, and I saw there was a job fair, and I thought I would go and see what's available to do in the school district. It was actually for the transportation department.
Q: What is it like working for transportation?
A: I love it. It really gives you a sense of accomplishing something, of serving the public. The people that I work with, for the most part, are really, really great people. They're people who love kids, who want to serve as well. I really enjoy working here. I hope I can stay and retire.
