Larry Blackburn School Bus Driver, Laidlaw

Personal: 59, married with four boys

Salary: Drivers earn $8 to $11.25 an hour

Experience: Ten years as a bus driver. Prior to that, 30 years in the Air Force. He was voted Laidlaw’s bus driver of the year in School District 81 by his peers last year.

Routes: North Central High School, Shaw Middle School, Whitman Elementary on bus No. 127. All three routes typically take two hours on both the morning and afternoon runs. Students call him Larry.

Other duties: Training new drivers and helping to solve troubles on problem routes. “We put the drivers through obstacles and cones at a lot behind the fairgrounds before we ever take them on the road.” Drivers also learn first aid and CPR.

Drivers’ guides: Rule No. 1: “Obey the driver.” Other rules include no eating or drinking, no profanity and remaining seated when the bus is moving. “The easiest way to handle kids is to treat them the way you want to be treated. You have to be fair, firm and consistent. Most of the kids are pretty good.”

Pet peeve: Drivers who don’t stop when the school bus has its flashing stop sign extended while children are loading and unloading.

Favorite part of job: “I always liked working with kids. The elementary school kids are the cutest.”