First Student Bus Unsafe drivers

[Markymark]

Hello all, I decided to write something on the blog to address a disturbing fact. I was parked in my truck sitting in the drivers seat on S.W. Belvedere ave on Oct 1st in the afternoon around 3:30-4pm cannot remember the exact time but Police report will show. Anyhow a First Student bus heads southbound on Belevedere ave and clips my truck mirror off and breaks it off. I’m surprised and stunned and then I start my truck and try to chase down the bus with lights flashing and horn honking I get about 5-8 blocks chasing this bus down and it keeps going so I take a photo of the back of the bus to identify it later with my camera phone and call the police who come out and make a report. after this I decide to call First Student cause at this point I’m wondering what kind of a crazy driver of students have they employed and to let them know they are going to have to pay for the damage their bus did to my truck. I talk to the “safety Supervisor” she says she will investigate and I ask her why the driver did not stop she cited that this is their policy to not stop citing safety to students etc… I say ok and wait. Then a few days later an insurance agent from out of state representing First Student calls and tells me to get estimates I send him an email back with info and the bodyshop sends him the photos of the damage etc.
fast forward to the 10/10/18 the insurance adjuster calls me and says that First Student has a video of them not hitting my truck mirror… I’m stunned and say are you kidding me? Did the supposed video show my truck chasing down the bus after you tore open my mirror and following the bus to get the driver to stop? First Student says the video didn’t have the footage of my truck at all.. at this point I’m being gamed the damages to the truck are less than 500.00 and it will cost me more in time than to deal with it thus I will fix it myself at this point but the real alarm in my head is that a driver like this hitting parked cars and trucks etc down a residential street in Admiral is frightening to me as I think of the kids on the bus and their safety. I guess they are trying to game me but I want everyone to know that if that is who is driving your kids around to school I would be super worried. My daughter is grown up but if she were to be riding on those First Student buses I would be way more vocal. Funny thing is I live just a couple blocks away in Admiral neighborhood and for me to stop pull over park and check a phone message that close to my home is a fluke and I get hit by the bus? Yikes… My deductible is more than the damage incurred so I guess that is my loss from the games First Student is playing here but I want to make sure parents of all the students know what type of outfit and drivers are transporting their children. Hit and Run is a crime and with children in the bus I am shocked and upset. Another note to prior conversation I had with the First Student Safety supervisor. She told me they are instructed not to stop and the insurance adjuster who is assigned to all First Student claims tells me that they should have stopped and the policy is if they hit someone or are in an accident that they are to stop. Hmmm sounds like the Safety Supervisor told me a lie? Mark M

Share This

[newnative]

My ex-husband was runover by a First Student school bus. He was waiting at a stop light and the bus turned left right over him. he realized she wasn’t stopping as he saw the tire rolling towards him and he injured himself getting out of the car. After dragging the car some feet, she stopped. After the cop arrived and took down their information, the driver wanted to finish her route. The cop looked at her and told her, “uh, no, we’ve called the child’s parents and you will not be driving this child home.” While they admitted fault to the accident, they denied his injury claim.

Share This

[anonyme]

Just the other day a neighbor was telling me about issues she is having with school buses pulling out of 104th from AHE onto 35th. Two weeks in a row, a particular driver has run up over the curb hitting her garbage cans, then dragged the cans several blocks. The sidewalk project has contributed to the problem; there have been multiple accidents/sideswipes/vehicles running up over the curbs as the street has been narrowed to a dangerous degree. If Metro is having trouble finding good drivers, I can’t imagine that First Student is doing any better. I would think that your insurance company would demand to see the video that FS is using as “evidence”.

Share This

[KBear]

Mark, I wonder if you could take this to small claims court? It would take up more of your time, but you might even be reimbursed for that if they find in your favor.

Share This

[Ponderosa]

I live across from a school and have been cut off repeatedly by bus drivers, some on their phones. I am home during the day and also see a lot of driving busses and texting down our street.

If there are on-board cameras, shouldn’t they be used to deal with driver safety and performance issues?

Share This

[hightide]

I live near a school and observe hundreds of safe trips by First Student bus drivers.

We live in a city and accidents happen. A bus driver who clips the mirror off of a pick-up truck (probably stopped in the traffic lane) or a garbage truck grazing the side of an obstacle does NOT mean the drivers are unsafe. These are things that happen and the drivers are good people, most likely with much better averages than folks in this thread.

I’m grateful for commercial drivers willing to put up with needless and careless judgement by folks in this thread.

Share This

[newnative]

Needless and careless judgement by folks in this thread.

Excuse me? Do you know my driving record? My ex-husband’s? He was run over at a stop light! The driver attempted to leave the scene! His car was totaled.

Share This

[CarDriver]

newnative. Why are you defending bad school bus drivers?? Traffic laws apply to EVERYONE. I too have seen plenty of unsafe driving by school bus(and Metro)drivers. People are happy(and correct) to call out bad car drivers-bus drivers aren’t exempt.

Share This

[buttercup]

Cardiff it doesn’t sound like New Native is defending bus drivers, her husband was hit by one at a cross walk then attempted to leave.Its high tide defendinding them. It’s not right that they damage someone’s car then leave. They are required by law to stick around and report it. Otherwise it’s hit and run. I would think parents of children on the bus would appreciate knowing their child’s driver is careless.Afterall the driving is carrying their precious cargo. Shame on those driver, Thank you to the drivers who are responsible, it’s not an easy job.

Share This

[newnative]

Yes, it’s pretty easy to see that I was not defending bad school bus drivers. I’m surprised anyone would.

Share This

[Greystreet]

Anonyme thanks for saying that about 104th and 35th. I live at the bottom of 104th, on 31st and I turn down this street regularly. I don’t know who designed those sidewalks, but it has become all but impossible to turn right on 35th heading northing off of 104th if there is a vehicle approaching in the southbound lane. It’s wildly unsafe how narrow they made a VERY heavily traveled road, just think there are two schools within 200 yards of each other on 104th and they narrowed the street so 2 cars care BARELY pass each other. I wouldn’t know the first person to complain about it to or else I would have.

Share This

[Author]

Posts