On November 1, a video showing a bus being driven down a flooded street in Shaler, Pennsylvania, surfaced on Facebook and Twitter. The town had recently been hit with a rainstorm that left Seavey Rd flooded, and when faced with the decision to either take a different route or forge ahead, the bus driver in the video clearly decided to take their chances on the flooded road.
The video of the bus fording through fender-deep water made the rounds on the internet, and soon some parents were outraged. According to the local news station in Shaler, there were three children inside the bus, and that prompted the bus company, ABC Transit, to fire the bus driver. If your kid was on that bus, you might have been upset with the way the bus driver handled the situation, until, to your amazement, you realize the bus was being driven as safely as possible.
That’s right, according to our experts, this bus driver has impeccable water fording technique. Sean Holman, content director for MotorTrend Group’s Truck & Off-Road Group and co-host of The Truck Show podcast, said the bus driver’s technique “looks perfect—the water is still, not running, it’s below the air box, and the driver kept up perfect speed. I see no issues as a parent or observer. Well done!”
Fred Williams of Dirt Every Day said, “The school managers who fired this driver are idiots and the parents should be proud. This driver is a reincarnate pony express rider! He got his packages delivered without worry come hell or (tire-) high water. Quit being a bunch of whiney namby-pambies!”
MotorTrend contributor Mark Williams had this to say:
“Have to admit on first viewing it looks sketchy but when looking at it more closely the driver seems to move into deeper water quite slowly and maintains a perfect, even speed to stay behind the bow wave to ensure water doesn’t get into the air intake, which should be right above the driver headlight (if it’s the V-8). The driver doesn’t speed up until the vehicle moves out of the deepest section, and as someone who’s probably driven that route quite a few times (assuming it’s not a brand-new driver), he/she is probably quite familiar with what lies beneath the surface. I’m more likely to give credit to this driver for good judgment and subtle driving technique. Might not give an award for this but also might want to emphasize caution. I’m guessing they also own a pickup truck.”
You get the point by now. That bus driver shouldn’t have lost their job. At the end of the day, they didn’t put anyone in danger. On top of that, the kids got to see some proper off-roading technique in action.