כ׳ אלול ה׳תשפ״ו | September 2, 2026
A Caring Bus Driver Made All the Difference
“You may not realize it, but you can make a tremendous difference in a child’s life, in a mother’s life, and in an entire family’s day. For a family with several kids, a calm school morning versus a stressful one can set the tone for everything that follows.”
By a mother
A few years ago, my son was being bullied in school. He had an extremely hard time. He would wake up in the middle of the night terrified from nightmares, and every morning was a struggle.
The one reason he agreed to go to school was his bus driver.
I still don’t know exactly what Naftali did, but just hearing the words, “Naftali is coming,” was enough to get him on the bus every single day until, baruch Hashem, things got better.
I want to say something to all the bus drivers out there.
You may not realize it, but you can make a tremendous difference in a child’s life, in a mother’s life, and in an entire family’s day. For a family with several kids, a calm school morning versus a stressful one can set the tone for everything that follows.
This morning I was standing behind the door in my tichel, watching for the bus. My daughter was sitting in the front yard. As soon as I saw the bus, she ran out. (Yes, we were there.) The bus drove right past our stop without even slowing down.
I called the driver, assuming he had skipped us by mistake. His response?
“No, on Monday mornings I don’t stop unless the door is already open.”
No apology. No concern.
Do you realize what a difference that one decision made to our whole family?
Then he said, “Meet me three blocks away.”
I have four children at home. I don’t have a car. How exactly am I supposed to do that?
This isn’t just about me.
It’s just some food for thought for every bus driver.
Take a moment. Realize how important your job is. You may be the reason a child feels safe going to school. You may be the bright spot in someone’s day.
We’re all trying our best. A little care and a little kindness can go a very long way.
Thank you.
COMMENTS
The first half of the article was beautiful!
Should people be pressured to only say beautiful things?
If we want to grow as a community, we need to welcome open discussion (of course within halachic parameters).
Agree
For those who were in OT Zal, you definitely know what Friday morning seder Chassidus looked like.
And yet, every Friday morning, R’ Moshe, the bus driver, would make the full round around Crown Heights, picking up any bachur who might want to go to seder. The bus was usually completely empty.
I was privileged to be on that bus a few times. R’ Moshe would stop right in front of my house, even though it wasn’t a bus stop. And every time, I was the only one on the bus.
One day, I asked him about it. Why was he making the entire round when there was hardly anyone, if anyone, riding the bus?
His answer stayed with me. He told me that he makes the full round because there might be a bachur somewhere who would be interested in going to seder Chassidus and would need the bus to get there.
And so, week after week, R’ Moshe kept making the full round.
Maybe there was a bachur waiting somewhere. Maybe there wasn’t.
He didn’t know.
But that didn’t matter. He was going to make the round anyway.
I don’t know if anyone else was ever on that Friday morning bus. But I’ll always remember R’ Moshe driving that mostly empty bus through Crown Heights, just in case there was one bachur who needed it.
ער זאל האבן א ליכטיגער ג”ע
This mother was rightfully frustrated, yet she decided to write something as positive as possible. What an example!!
As a bus driver, here are a few tips from the other side of the windshield:
Get to know your driver! And stay in touch with him. He’s much more likely to notice when something is different if he knows you.
If there’s a special situation, tell him! New baby, parent out of town, grandma watching the kids, kid sleeping over somewhere else — whatever it is. We’re not mind readers.
Going away for a few days? Let your driver know when you’ll be back. If nobody is at the stop for a few days in a row, eventually the driver may assume nobody is getting on and drive right past.
Be visible at the stop. Drivers really do their best, but with kids coming from different directions and multiple things happening at once, occasionally someone can be missed. A wave or standing somewhere clearly visible can make a big difference.
Also, communicate how you want your child picked up or dropped off. Don’t assume the driver knows exactly what you have in mind. A 10-second conversation can save a lot of frustration later.
And PLEASE make sure you’re in the bus WhatsApp chat and read the messages! If you’re not sure about something, just ask. It’s much easier to answer a question than to fix a misunderstanding later.
I’ve seen many times how a little communication — especially when there are special circumstances — can make the difference between everything working out smoothly and everyone getting frustrated.
And finally…
There is only ONE Naftulei. Don’t expect every bus driver to be Naftulei!