On Wednesday, Collier County Public Schools held a transportation training day to ensure everything runs smoothly for the new school year, which is just about two weeks away.
Rick Ramsey, a dedicated school bus driver with CCPS for 18 years, is reviewing the same route he’s driven all these years. This route covers the Palm River neighborhood, where Ramsey has built long-standing relationships with students, picking them up and dropping them off safely while greeting each one by name.
“We got bus 953 — it’s an oldie but a goodie!” Ramsey said, letting us onto the bus. “Obviously, on the first day of school, I’m not going to know everyone since there will be some new faces, but I’ve been on this route a very long time, so I know most of them anyway.”
This year, the district anticipates 20,000 students will be riding the bus. There are more than 350 buses in the fleet.
Ramsey dropped us back off at headquarters, where Karl Nicolas was busy inspecting a bus. Nicolas trains new drivers, with 11 joining the team this year.
“Before every morning shift, drivers must perform a pre-trip inspection,” Nicolas explained. “If they don’t complete it, we can find out because they have to upload the information into the system, which is stored in a database. We have a great system with all the technology on the buses.”
Nicolas walked us through the inspection process, which included checking lights, leaks, tires, stop signs, batteries and more. Safety is his top priority, not only for students but also for other drivers on the road.
“We love our kids. This isn’t just a job,” Nicolas said. “I have two kids of my own and I love them to death just like I love all the kids that I transport every single day. So we want to make sure that bus is safe for the drivers, for the kids, and also for all the road users because we have to keep them in mind too."
Our training day concluded at the mechanic shop, where we met John Lambcke, the director of transportation. Lambcke highlighted that while federal law mandates annual inspections, CCPS goes above and beyond by inspecting buses every thirty days.
“I'm speaking as the director, but more importantly, I'm always speaking as a parent [...] As a parent, I’m ensuring these buses are safe,” Lambcke said. “That’s why we have a fleet and why we follow federal law. We also conduct pre- and post-inspections of each bus. I feel very comfortable."
If you're still unsure about putting your kids on a school bus, you can download the app Where's the Bus, which allows you to track your child's bus in real time so you can see exactly where they are and where they're headed.
The first day of school is Aug. 13.