Stress
This is the other side of glory and bus drivers score off the chart on this one. See if you can make the pieces of this puzzle fit.
First piece: Drive safely, following traffic rules at all times while avoiding skateboarders, navigating around double-parked vehicles, and stopping on a dime for oblivious jaywalkers.
Second piece: Be on time to all stops even when you encounter major traffic jams/extreme weather/protesters making a point and blocking your route. Third piece: Be courteous to all riders...regardless. It's a hard one to put together and it's enough to make someone sick—literally.
Bus drivers have some of the highest rates of stress-related diseases and conditions. High blood pressure and musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal problems are some of the most common health issues that plague bus drivers. Oh, and let's not forget the possibility of developing bladder trouble because it's hard to make a bathroom stop and stay on schedule. Those are the physical ailments. Not surprisingly, trying to keep all the pieces of the puzzle together can also cause mental stress.
The drivers of the cheery yellow buses have their own stresses. School bus drivers make less than other commercial drivers and, because they work in half-day shifts, are considered part-time employees. This usually means that they do not qualify for benefits. If they are offered benefits, there's not a lot to take home after the deductions.
These brave transporters of children have to deal with complaining parents and all kinds of strife on the bus, often without the support of the bus companies or school administrations.