solo.

I was surprised yesterday afternoon when they said, "we think you can drive it yourself".

I had thought that they would have someone go along with me the first time I drove this 26 year old bus since I’ve seen the afternoon route twice and didn’t really know it.  But no, it was solo SOLO.

The other drivers there are, for the most part, exceedingly encouraging and positive, so I had lots of support – and all I needed to do was follow three or four other buses to my first school, an elementary school.

But, we got separated by a signal.

I don’t think it’s overly dramatic to tell you that my deoderant failed.

I let another bus, who was supposed to be behind me at the school pass me, an older guy who I told, I’m not sure where I’m going, I want to follow you.

The other drivers are, for the most part, very supportive, but here was one that wasn’t.  He looked digusted, in fact, but, oh well, I thought, and I did follow him for a bit until he pulled over and I passed him again before the school yard.

That run went… ok.  Even the elementary kids are helpful, I found.  At my third and last drop-off, the driveway was exceedingly narrow, so to avoid brushing another bus, I ended up, umm, brushing a stop sign.

Re adjusted my passenger side mirror in fact.  Since I had been going like 0.2 miles an hour, I didn’t see that I had, like, excessively wasted the stop sign, so I pulled over and re-adjusted my mirror bracket as best I could, then drove over to the next pick-up point, a elective skills center to pick up high schoolers to take back to their high school.

"oh, just follow us" another (lady) bus driver told me when I got there, but on the way out, I (stupidly?) let cars get in front of me and lost the other buses for a few blocks.  This part of the route was pretty straight forward, so I caught up to them and got the the high school, no problem.

However, on the way back, with a bus full of kids to drop off here and there, I had to be reminded (yelled at, more like it)  – "hey, this is a stop!" Once or twice.

Well, umm, three times, actually.

And I completely blew my last stop and missed a turn.

Girls are MUCH more helpful than boys. They gave me the right directions, the boys didn’t.  But, still, I missed that last turn and ended up dropping my kids off a block away from their usual drop-off point.

Could be worse, but still…

Got back to the bus barn OK, and told them that I woulda really appreciated someone going with me – "not the brightest coin in the fountain" I told ’em.

Hey. it’s true.

So they will send someone with me, they said, today.

I still want to do this job, yo. Just need to learn a routine.  I’ll be ok, but I am maybe a bit slow to pick up on street names – I am a more visual kind of guy anyway.  If I see the turns- make them myself, I mean, with a guide, I will remember them.

By myself – well, the students were helpful.

Today is another day, so it’s a new day.  I can do this.

I really can…. just need a little more coaching.

Onwards.

*****