School bus drivers are an important part of all communities, and for many children, they are among the first and last people they see each day as they travel to and from school. These drivers can have a large impact on the lives of students as they interact and help create memories with them. 

Susan Moorehead, area safety and training manager for Zum Services, has driven school buses for over 50 years and joined Zum in 2021. Previously, she drove for First Student. In 2013, she won a Golden Merit award from the National School Transportation Association’s (NSTA). 

With experience in both school districts and contractors, Moorehead has turned her focus to training the next generation of school bus drivers.

Getting Started in Student Transportation

After arriving in San Francisco in the 1970s, Moorehead got her start driving buses after her roommate suggested taking a driver position for a local school district.

“My roommate was a school bus driver, and he said it’s a great job,” Moorehead said. “I had been in college for three years at that point and mainly moved to California to enjoy the outdoor life. I was very, very involved in basketball, softball, and surfing, so it seemed like a job that would fit with that schedule.”

In addition to schedule synergy, Moorehead’s previous experience working with children helped her decide to take the job.

Just starting out, the first challenges she had to overcome were dealing with parents and getting the students to cooperate. Driving a transit bus with a maximum capacity of 84 students made communicating with them a challenge.

Another problem that many districts face to this day is a shortage of drivers, which meant Moorehead needed to learn how to handle multiple combined routes. As she became more acquainted with the job, she learned the importance of being in early and how to help out in dispatch when needed. 

“As I got more experience, I learned to appreciate all of the children and their various backgrounds, and also learn the business,” she said. “I was very interested since I was going to do this job, in what would help me become a better driver.”

Impacting the Community

School bus drivers play a major role in the life of many passengers. As Moorehead continued to drive buses in San Francisco, she developed relationships with the students and got to know their personalities.

One memorable group was the kindergarten students she drove.

“I used to have a singing contest with this group of girls, and they loved Whitney Houston, and I had this one little boy who was just in love with them,” said Moorehead. “When they got on the bus I said ‘OK, I’m going to play the music, but everybody’s got to sit down,’ and they’d get in their seats right away and the girls would just belt it out. It was precious. It was really fun.”

Being able to provide consistent and enjoyable experiences can have a large impact on students. Moorehead’s interaction with students even lead some of them to become bus drivers themselves!

“I was at a conference recently, the CASTO conference, and there were six women there that I hired,” said Moorehead. “I knew that I drove them to school, and three of them became managers, and the other three I hired as drivers a very long time ago. Now they’ve also accelerated to management positions, so that’s a good feeling.” 

Moorehead also is working with a student she had known since third grade who has become an instructor.

When Nelson Mandela came to the Oakland Coliseum, Moorehead had an opportunity to impact the lives of a group of middle schoolers. She volunteered to take them to the event as they had shown interest in attending. Being able to bring the students there allowed them to see a significant global figure and role model in person. 

Another memory that Moorehead shared with us involved helping organize a trip to see the Giants play. With three buses full of kids, the students were able to arrive early and head down to the dugout to meet the team.

The school bus is considered to be one of the safest vehicles on the road, and it is one of the only places parents will turn their child over to somebody they don’t know well because of its safety. Because of tthis, community engagement becomes vital to the success of transportation providers.

“I think the bus driver plays a very vital role in the community, in the child’s life. There’s a lot of times when the driver is the first person a student sees,” said Moorehead. “When you open the door of the bus, you’re opening the door to their educational process.”

Passing on Her Knowledge

Even though Moorehead has spent the last 31 years of her career in management leadership, she has retained her bus driver credentials in order to teach new instructors, trainers, and drivers.

Moorehead currently focuses on training the next generation of bus drivers and emphasizes the importance of being involved in the students' lives. However, some drivers need to start with the basics of handling such a large vehicle.

“From the beginning, I really emphasize the physical part of driving the bus,” she said. “It is really important to learn how to be comfortable using the mirrors, knowing what the mirrors show you and also what they don’t show you. You have a 40-foot bus; it’s very different from driving a car.” 

Beyond the basics, she also emphasizes some of the fine details to pay attention to, such as mechanical nuances and how to multitask between driving, paying attention to the communication equipment, and keeping students calm. 

Looking to the Future of Driving School Buses

From the new electric buses to camera systems that provide metrics on the buses and their performance, there are many new tools that help drivers improve at their job. 

But even with all of these technological advancements, the No. 1 thing Moorehead wants to see in transportation has been a desire from the beginning. 

“What I would like to see for the future is more funding for transportation, for home-to-school transportation especially,” Moorehead said. “I know special needs transportation is funded, we get federal funds. I think it would be helpful because the safest thing that a child can be going to school in is a bus.” 

At a higher industry level, Moorehead is optimistic about the technological advancements that are making the school bus safer and more reliable. According to Moorehead, moving to alternative fuels is also positive, as it protects the environment and children’s health. 

Regardless of who you are, driving school buses can be a rewarding experience for many, and provides a good opportunity for people in a variety of situations or those looking for a career shift. 

“We’ve hired retirees that are retired public service people that have their pension but they’re still in their 50s. I remember hiring a couple of retired policemen in San Francisco, and they were great to work with. It really gave them extra money and they were also really good with the kids.” 

With a major role in any community and lots of opportunities for a variety of people, becoming a school bus driver can provide a rewarding career. Regardless of how the technology changes going forward, being able to form connections with the students will always allow bus drivers like Moorehead to leave a lasting impression. 

For Moorehead, she plans to continue working at Zum and stay involved in the school bus industry.

“My vision for the future is to continue to support Zum’s growth as the leader in technology and safety,” said Moorehead. “As well as develop a world-class safety culture across our entire team.”