How school bus transportation has changed during the pandemic

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Workdays are looking very different for school bus driver Teresa Strahan.

"We do temperature checks before (the students) enter the bus and hand sanitizer on the way, and when they get to the school site they do another temperature check and hand sanitizer," she says.

Mornings start with temperature checks and what's considered a full bus now is quite the departure.

"We have about 8 students and sometimes less depending on the day," says Strahan.

To maintain 6 feet of distance between the students seating looks very different.

"We usually go 2-3 seats apart and they zig zag across the bus so they're social distancing which has not been a problem," she says.

And once kids are dropped off at school, the work isn't over.

"We disinfect the seats once the students are off so it's ready for the next students on board. It only takes a minimal amount to dry and then it will be ready for the next students," she says.

It's all part of the new normal bus drivers are getting used to.

Clovis Unified has roughly 90 buses in service transporting 500 students to class.

"Those are all different times of day. Every site has its own bell times so we keep track of everything on a spreadsheet. It's very different than what we've done in the past," says Sheryl Bow, the director of transportation.

Right now extra routes aren't needed, but that could change.

"We may find, as more students come back, as regulations are lifted, that we may end up with more buses than normal on the road due to seating arrangements," says Boe.

As for Strahan, she's grateful to be back on the road with her little passengers.