I absolutely fluked myself a job as a school bus driver only two weeks before shutdown. It is still possible in Australia to drop your CV, in person, somewhere and get a job. Within a week I am fully trained and was let loose on an unsuspected town. If you sat behind me, I must apologise for the slowest, snail pace and the hold up of traffic. I was studying the map. The new turning circle a nightmare as I flattened many a kerb.
Seeing the world shut down around me, I expected to be laid off from a job I only just started, but after a staff meeting the big boss explained to us that our jobs provide an essential service to the community.
The kids were a handful at first, but we soon got to know each other. We were singing songs, playing "I spy" and I challenged them to count backwards from 60 to blast off at the start of every trip – great fun.
After our prime minister, Scott Morrison allowed parents to keep their children home due to 'the virus', numbers started dwindling. From 20+ little creatures to the odd few, to a completely empty bus within a week.
At times it was simply spooky during my school round. The broad streets of Hervey Bay mainly deserted – not a school kid in sight. The low-bottom vehicle I was driving made creaky, breathing and groaning-like flying Dutchman noises. A broom, stuck in behind the driver’s seat, dislodged itself and fell forward – tapping me on the shoulder. I nearly jumped through the emergency hatch.
This is not how the bus driver life is supposed to be. I am sure of it. Creepy noises are supposed to be drowned out by happy excited kids’. The broom handle on my shoulder should have been dislodged by a naughty child and not appear suddenly like a 'Freddy Kruger' tap on the shoulder.
Where's Freddy?
I could hear the same feelings reflected in the crackling chatter on the hand-held radio. A lot of silent periods mixed with subdued voices when low numbers were announced to the depot. Zero a common number.
Some days driving this ghost bus put me in such a lone bubble, locked in my own head space – surviving! I wonder if I may or may not have driven past some kids waiting to board.
The bus company encouraged social-distancing and did a great job disinfecting the vehicle. They kindly provided wipes and hand sani. Management stayed away from the drivers as much as they could using the CB or phone to make contact. At first my colleagues wanted to shake my hand to welcome a new driver as normally would be the custom. It was hard to reject the warm handshakes offered, but times had changed to Covid times. Within days everyone kept their distance, circling around the oncoming co-worker with room to spare.
During those early days of lock down, I felt like I was in some hyper panic mode, while gliding through an apocalyptic, infected world. It made my skin crawl.
But things change…..
Recent research found that children have a very low rate of spreading Covid-19 to others. In fact, they described children as the "dead ends" of Corona. It probably is the only appropriate time to refer to children as "dead ends". Isn’t this one of the inadvertent, little gems of this Covid world? Reading this article was a massive relief to me and I felt a lot less 'at risk'.
The children started to return to the buses. At first it was mainly the kids of essential workers, but then others. The happy chitter-chatter sounding once more through the empty cabin.
Voices on the radio waves started changing too. The banter came back among the drivers and an unofficial competition erupted to see who 'took the chocolates' for the most number of kids on board the bus.
After having time to think about the unusual 'essential worker' situation I found myself in during these crazy times, I can't help feeling just a little bit of pride.
Here ends this story of the unusual that became the normal.
As for the ghosts, I am still in therapy.
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| The End |
Ghostly bits
Please keep on social distancing and continue washing those hands.
The article
I read about children vs COVID-19 can be found on the following link www.sbs.com
A heartfelt thankyou to all the essential workers around the world who put their lives at risk every day for us.
A heartfelt thankyou to all the people who are not in essential jobs, but are doing their bit by staying home. Don't underestimate your importance.
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