MERIDIAN, Idaho — It’s 6 a.m. on a frosty school morning and dozens of bus drivers are fueling up to drive West Ada students to class.
“Every morning, I leave my house at about 4:30,” said Annette Cole, a school bus driver for West Ada, “We basically carry our futures.”
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While February is National ‘Love the Bus’ month, Cole is one of the many drivers who puts passion behind the wheel all school-year long.
“We’re kinda the ‘boots on the ground’,” said Cole.
Before hitting the road, drivers grab their keys, warm up their buses, plug in their GSP routing systems and check that every part of their vehicle is ready for students.
“Make sure there’s nothing broken or cracked here. You want to make sure there’s nothing between the dooley and you want to take a look at the driveline from here because it’s very difficult to check anything here. You want to make sure that all things are handled, and check your mud flaps,” said Cole.
Checking tires, brake lights, signals and seats - the list to create a safe environment for students and drivers - goes on.
“They’re dependent on us, you know?” It’s all worth it to drivers like Annette, and the several staff members at the district's facility.
“We wanna make sure that we do what we’re supposed to do to keep those kids safe and get them to their locations,” said Cole.
