School Bus Drivers Take it Slow

(ABC 6 NEWS) - Many schools released early Monday and of course road conditions played a big part in that decision.

School bus drivers took it slow on the trip home.

The fleet of more than one hundred Rochester buses headed out in full force after school let out Monday.

Drivers had a lot of precious cargo on board.

In fact, they had more than usual.

"Normally when it's bad weather out, our parents don't let us drive as much," said Mayo High School Junior Jake Andrist.

"I normally have hockey practice but it got cancelled so my mom didn't trust me to ride home with other people so I had to ride the bus," said Mayo High School Sophomore Samantha Carlson.

Several districts sent students home early with snow blanketing the region.

But Rochester students stayed in school, forcing bus drivers to take on the slippery conditions.

"This snow is very light and fluffy as long as you take your time and not be in a hurry to go anywhere, these buses will actually handle a lot of snow," said Bus Driver and First Student Bus Company Contract Manager Jon Goetz.

Drivers ventured down winding roads where the pavement wasn't even visible.

But according to Goetz, the buses are built for these situations.

"These buses go anywhere from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds and when you have kids on there, it does help also. So in this particular bus we rode on this afternoon, the engine is over the drive axel and it helps and all afternoon I didn't slip," Goetz said.

Drivers don't just have to watch the roads; they also have to keep an eye on what's going on behind them.

"It’s very important to tell the kids, it's bad weather today, you've got to behave," Goetz said.

While it did take longer to make the rounds, in the end everyone made it home safe and sound and according to plan.

"With a big district like this, we really need to have our ducks in a row so nothing really catches up to us and catches us off guard," Goetz said.

Officials said they would be out as early as 4 a.m., testing roads to make the final decision on if school will be delayed, canceled or running on time.