I think it was 3 summmers ago before anyone even used VIA, they wanted to test it out but we never did that summer BUT they did say in time there was going to be part where students would be swiping their ID on the black box in the bus AND if they didn't have their ID on them, lost their ID, or wasn't working it would be up to the driver to manually put the student on the bus. Drivers then brought up how it shouldn't be up to the driver because who is then watching the stop signs as students cross to not get hit by cars running the stop signs as we are entering in students information to be on the bus in VIA as well as other valid points to the response of the person running the session said "cars run stop signs out here?" They don't even have a clue as to what goes on and it's clearly a safety issue but I guess they don't care if they are planning to run a test session on this because it was explained then that students would have to swipe their IDs getting on and off at their stops. Just another thing to add to our list of things of driving as a school bus driver.

Quote from: PROUD MEMBER on Today at 05:00:59 PMI heard the 3 Pioneer routes will be with drivers of 30 years or more Seniority.
Specifically any driver that has a tenure date in the month of September. LMAO

Yes ... but they must be under the age of 70 because they won't be able to handle it!!     

I heard the 3 Pioneer routes will be with drivers of 30 years or more Seniority.
Specifically any driver that has a tenure date in the month of September. LMAO

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I've been informed that the DOE is doubling down on their fucked up Via phone system. A pilot program is scheduled to begin Dec. 8  whereby several runs in each borough will be chosen to participate, including 3 yet undisclosed runs at Pioneer Staten Island, that will test students swiping their I.D. cards on the Via scanner when boarding and leaving the bus. 

The "I.D." cards were described to me as "A QR code on a piece of paper." I'm not sure if that ws to be taken literally but one thing is certain: Via will soon be an even bigger fiasco than it already is. I pity the drivers of the  runs that are selected.

What a nice guy
RIP

Just heard retired driver and Vietnam vet, Louie Ferraco, passed today. (A.K.A. "Agent Orange") Great guy, Louie was. Condolences to his family and friends.
Details when I get them.

Plus isn't Labor Day a paid holiday?
So if we didn't get the first week as a guaranteed week the company would have had to pay us for a day and a half anyway

Thank you to all who served!!

Quote from: PROUD MEMBER on November 10, 2025, 09:22:10 PMPlus if the company can hold onto a $100,000 for an extra week, I think they would.

Yes, but then again you have to wonder why Pioneer ... and Consolidated ... were the only companies to make the first 2 days of school the first guaranteed week when all other companies are saving it for the last week of school. Could have held on to that money for 10 months. 

(But then we would have had to get 4 hours for dry runs.)