bus driver

truck technician

automotive mechanic

shop assistant

office administrator

Sharp Bus Lines Limited

The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing my students everyday and when they aren't there I miss them. When they return, I always say "Welcome Back" which puts a big smile on their faces!!

The hardest part of my job would be getting the students to listen which within time, they do! Be consistent and persistent and within time everyone does what they should be doing on the bus for example sitting down and facing the front! When they leave the bus for the day always remember to say something positive even if it was a rough ride home. Lead by example!! Have a good night, see you tomorrow!  
Also, look closely at your student list for students that have allergies and an epi-pen. It is extremely important that you know where they keep this in their backpacks! This applies to high school students as well!

It is always good to interact with your coworkers and ask their opinions about different situations that may arise on your bus because they may just have an idea you can implement that could make it a more enjoyable bus ride.

My management team are very supportive and helpful, I never ever hesitate to talk to them about any situation that comes up. That's what they are their for is to help us if need be, we are all in this together as a team so use your resources!! There is no I in team!!

I have learned throughout the years is to lead by example!! Using Manners and showing respect to the students leads to less problems and they will respect you back. Always have a smile on your face and say Good Morning because we might be the first person they see in the morning with so many working parents today. It certainly can make a difference on how their day will be.

I was chosen for Driver of the Year 2014/2015!! Totally unexpected and I was thrilled to pieces. It is such an honour to be recognized for just doing my job! I saved one of my students that had an allergy to bug spray which was accidently sprayed on my bus. I remembered this and immediately addressed the situation  and evacuated that student off my bus. Then followed protocol.

Typical day at work: Up before the birds. Circle check your bus inside & out. Fill out inspection log. Report 10-8 (on the move) to dispatch. Receive (usually) cheery good morning from dispatcher. Pickup students for one school, deliver them to school, move onto next, depending on route. Go home for six hours. Return to drive kids home. Finish usually around 4:30-5pm. Go home. Rinse & repeat. 

What I learned: In the interest of incriminating myself, I won’t speak to my former role within the company. That said, I learned that safety is an illusion with school bus companies. Sharp does not meaningfully ensure that safety standards are being met by drivers, to include such things as: No distracted driving, actually circle checking the bus to ensure maximum safety during transportation of students, appropriate footwear for drivers, etc. Combine this with the fact that Sharp hires anyone with a G license that is willing to work for penny’s, your children aren’t being transported by anybody’s idea of the safest drivers out there. 

Management: Branch management is great. Wonderful human beings that care about one another & make it feel like a homey place to work. Upper management is disconnected from reality & incapable of accepting responsibility for implementing terrible policies, or understanding why Sharp became the most unsafe school bus operator in the Region of Waterloo with collisions almost daily. 

Workplace culture: Depending on who you speak with, it runs the gamut from fun & whimsical to dark & terrible. You’re paid peanuts & asked to fill a difficult role, playing both the driver of a massive machine & a babysitter for dozens of kids. 

The hardest part of the job: Dealing with bad motorists, lack of support due to employee shortages & altogether poor pay. 

Most enjoyable part of the job: Great work/life balance, tons of free time between routes, weekends off. Great coworkers for the most part & working with kids is always a delight.


Sharp

I have worked with sharp for (almost) one school year now. We have had a lot of changes with office staff this year which has made the environment less cohesive but I have to say that everyone is trying 100% to make it a more positive experience to work under. I understand the issue with benefits however when I was at the prehire meeting, I heard they would try to bring in a benefit package-I didn’t leave thinking there would definitely be one. Through this covid time, I have had office staff phone me , text me or email me checking to make sure my family and I were doing well. This says a lot in my book, feeling like someone cares enough to check on you in tough times and taking that extra step to stay in touch
 I like that sharp has enough spare drivers to cover your run if need be. This is an important issue to consider when choosing a company to work for and if I really needed time off I had no issues with request. 
I find everyone in the office approachable friendly and quick to resolve any issues. I think charter work could be improved to make it more fair but with all the changes in the front office I’m guessing it is to be expected and will improve once we are back. The  service technicians are fabulous, always courteous  and helpful no matter what issue and have always treated me with respect. I have really enjoyed working for sharp and would highly encourage others to join this family!

I’ve worked for Sharp for 3 years now. It is certainly the most rewarding and most frustrating job I have ever done in my entire life!  The kids on my run are wonderful (once tweeked). We are like a little family once those doors are closed. It’s a good thing I like my kids and drive for THEM because you certainly arnt in it for the paycheque. This job definitely would not support a family. This to me seems wrong for the only reason that we have great responsibility for lousy pay. Management is...meh. At my division if it weren’t for the girls in dispatch the place would fall apart. Manager is less than useful at their job. Is definitely a “yes-person”. Covers their own behind before employees. The shop guys are wonderful aswell again manager is lax in keeping up on small issues with bus. Tip:  find a mechanic you are comfortable with and go directly to them as apposed to working thru shop manager. In my area there are two main bus lines that are continuously in competition for routes and employees. The one thing that annoys me is Sharp needs many many NEW busses. The competing line has a fleet of new buses and it would certainly look better on Sharp to follow suit.

The pay for the work is pethetic, you make barely above minimum wage for driving the students, then you make an even lower wage when there are no students on board.

December January and March are horrible months due to each of them having a week off work with no pay.

The work is rewarding but again, for.the amount you need to do, the pay just isnt enough.

They will attempt to keep drivers on as a "Spare" driver as long as possible dispite working you 5 days a week on the same route for months. (Which isn't spare driver work)

The kids are free to walk all over drivers, with the only thing you can do as a driver is write them up, which then goes to the school, and most of the time it results in a warning for the students with no actual consequences.

This is not a family company its a major corporation, and thus should have a union.


Their rate of pay is within the norm of school bus companies. However, especially now with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not paid enough and should have some benefits. School bus drivers are responsible to make sure students get to school safely and on time. I would say that precious cargo should be taken more seriously as a very important job that requires many skills. Not only to make sure your driving safely and following all the rules of the road but to also handle it with the distractions of happy, noisy and sometimes not very well behaved kids. It can be stressful which requires a great deal of patience and focus. Not everyone could do this job. We need more recognition and to give us more reason to wanna stay employed as a school bus driver. There is always a great need for school bus drivers. And its because it's not a job you can do as your main source of income whatsoever. I am a single mom. I will not be able to remain an employee because I cannot survive with these wages and without benefits. Sharp is a great company to work for other than that. 

Why would anybody want to work for a company that told their employees that they were going to keep 15% of their pay for themselves during the COVOID layoff? A week later they reversed their policy because the Ontario government said they couldn't, otherwise they would have been happy to pocket their employees money for themselves. This is the whole attitude at Sharp, money first, everybody & everything else second, including safety. They pay lip service to safety, but are more concerned about cutting corners to protect their vehicles from damage. They say they will discuss the matter with a manager and get back to you but they never do. They have different pay scales for drivers despite everybody having the same license requirements and training regime. I used to enjoy my job but working for these clowns has taken all the joy out of it. Not to mention the pay and hours are not worth getting out of bed in the morning for. They have the contract for the next eight years in this area, what a shame as the good companies to work for have left town.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great people to work and train with.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not enough hours to make an impact on your finances (Bills).

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great, fun, friendly and socialble.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Morning routine circle oil and engine checks first thing in the morning.  In winter cold weather it takes a full hour for the bus to warm and mirrors and windows to defrost where you can open them up for safety checks as they sometimes freeze shut.  In the spring and summer, it takes only half an hour to warm up the bus. It's a good idea to let the engine run for at least 15 minutes before turning on the defroster and heat. Then after that, it's good to go to pick up the bus monitor and children and drop them off at school. Then drop off the monitor at her place and continue to your place till the afternoon run.

The admin and other drivers are reasonably friendly and create a positive work environment. The issue I have is parking my bus close to my place so I don't have to spend the time and kms driving back to the yard twice a day. I did the math and showed SBL how they would save over $150/mth on fuel alone by parking off-site. I checked a variety of locations where the bus could be parked and give the admin that list. They finally phoned several of them but only offered $50/mth so no takers. I was told that it was a "privilege" to park off-site and if I didn't like that I could leave. Given the investment they had already made in my "B" license training, and the savings to them in fuel to park off-site, I was surprised by the administrator's negative response; I thought he could he could have given a more respectful response that would have been an economic benefit to the company. Then again it could also have been a bad day for that particular administrator.

A typical day starts with safety checking the bus to ensure a vehicle which operates in a safe manner. Staying on schedule with the route provided, and adhering to safety measures while loading and unloading children at bus stops and schools in city and rural areas. Management of children's safety on the bus, and noise level. Obeying traffic laws and speed limits.

Management is organized to keep us up to date on new changes, road conditions, closures and traffic slow-downs. 

Training for a 'B' class license is free, and after the individual obtains the license, many are offered a position with the company.

The downfall to the job is the rate of pay, and the break in employment because it's a seasonal position, but this is bittersweet because...
The most enjoyable/benefit of the job is that I am allowed to take my children on the bus with me, which saves in daycare costs, and I am off during the holidays, school breaks and summer to avoid daycare costs.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Bus driver 198 salaries reported	$20.55 per hour
Truck technician 11 salaries reported	$57,273 per year
Automotive mechanic 6 salaries reported	$78,750 per year
Shop assistant 2 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour
Office administrator 6 salaries reported	$46,167 per year

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