After retiring from 35 years of UPS experience, Michael Avery never expected to be a bus driver. In fact, a running joke in his family is how he still does bus driving even though they never saw it coming. According to Avery, his decision to become a bus driver was based on his wife being a teacher.
As a bus driver, Avery has to work hard for his bus, as there is little to no maintenance other than what the drivers do themselves. After his shift, Avery has to clean out his bus, which for him means using a leaf blower to blow away trash. Avery’s hard work and leaf blowing antics make bus riding students like Nicholas Hagen appreciative of him.
“He’s great, he’s an awesome bus driver and definitely better than my last one,” Hagen said.
For Avery, the most rewarding part of being a bus driver is doing routes for the younger students. Even though it’s the hardest part of his job, as they make fun of his baldness by calling him names like, “Mr. Clean,” it’s bringing them to their families that’s one of his favorite parts of bus driving.
“When they see their mom and dads at the bus stop, it’s very rewarding,” Avery said. “I can see the excitement in their eyes, and I got them there safely.”
As a bus driver, the hardest part of Avery’s job is delivering students to their stops. Due to traffic, Avery often worries about the protection of the students he’s ‘hauling.’ He feels strongly about protecting each student from any dangers on the road when they’re on his bus.
“You have to be extra precautionary and [have] extra care, because of what you’re hauling, and you’re dealing with the public,” Avery said.
According to Avery, about 70% of students are respectful compared to the 30% that aren’t, which he says makes it far easier. Even so, students who ride his bus have found him to be an exceptional bus driver.
“I haven’t witnessed him have much problems with turns unless there was heavy road construction on the side of the road, which is actually pretty impressive with how long buses are,” CKHS senior Jesse Draxler said.
With an easier job, Avery is able to focus on one of his favorite parts of bus driving, bringing athletes to sports games. Even though Avery is most often delivering students to their stops, he enjoys sport runs most of all. He also likes a quiet bus, when the high schoolers are silent.
“Everybody has earbuds, phones, and I really appreciate that,” Avery said. “I love a quiet bus.”
Avery has been a bus driver at Central Kitsap for four years now, but he plans to continue for another two until he gets social security. Even though Avery gets criticized via comments about his hair, he has kept good ties with students. He often gives students responsibility, as he trusts they will willingly comply with his rules, making him a friendly and easy to work with driver.
