Ep 1 | TikTok's Mr. Bus Driver: Safety, Fame & Bus Babies

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Once I pulled up to the school, they, oh my God, hey, he's back, he's back. The TikTok guy's back. Be good, be good. And I'm watching them come to the bus. And I bought my bus assistant that was on at the time, I told her, I said, now these kids are rowdy. Just to let you know, I need you to sit here. I need you to watch this and that one because I didn't remember the names, but the faces I remember. When I drove those kids, I don't know who they turned into, but those were not the same trouble kids I drove. They were excellent.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. Have you ever put your kid on the bus and wonder who you're entrusting the safety of your child to? I imagine an old leathery-looking woman rushing to finish her route so she can have her next smoke break. But enough about my childhood trauma. My next guest is the absolute opposite of that caricature. He's 30 years young, the kindest person you'll ever meet, and his bus is covered in positive affirmations. In addition to the 35 students he transports every day per route, he shares hilarious videos about his bus driver life with his 30,000 TikTok followers. Today, the Pensacola native is gonna share his origin story and why safety doesn't have to be serious. Joyful local Pine Forest graduate, Mr. Bus Driver Cordarius Jones. Thanks for having me. Thank you so much for being here. Listen, 30,000 TikTok followers. Yes. Brand new dad. Yes. Just turned 30. We're all gonna need you to be a little less epic so we feel better about ourselves, okay?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

It's just been a blessed year for me. It's it really has. And I couldn't do it without my support system. My support system has made me the joyful guy you guys see here today. So shout out to them. Thank you guys. I love y'all.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

We always we all need a support system. Yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Now, before becoming a bus driver, you said you hadn't driven anything larger than a U-Haul truck.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

That is correct.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

So, how did you become a bus driver?

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Well, you know, with with the way I deal with kids today, a lot of people may think, oh, you've always wanted to work with kids, you know, but actually my story is kind of unique. Um, I had um 2018, I unexpectedly lost my grandmother um back in April, um, excuse me, March, March 5th. And after the funeral and everything, you know, I kind of found myself, you know, falling into a you know a depression, you know. I didn't I really didn't know my next move. So I was out driving around one day and I saw a sign. Um, it said hiring school bus drivers. I did what a lot of people do, drive past it, you know, going to my next destination. Well, within 10 minutes, I saw that same sign across um excuse me, across town. So I told myself, and this was just a random thought, I said, if I see this sign one more time within 10 minutes, I will go in and apply. That was on a Tuesday, I saw it again, and Wednesday I went in and applied, and I've been loving it ever since then. I have no regrets. I I didn't think that it would be where I needed to be in my life at that time. Um, because again, going through that traumatic experience, I really didn't want company around me. I didn't want anyone around me, but not knowing that's exactly what I needed was the love and support of not just my family, but all of these smiling faces I see every morning, the hugs I get, it really turned me into a whole different person after that.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

That's amazing. I had no idea that it was so reciprocal.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

So tell me about your first day of driving the bus solo, set the stage. Like how many kids, what kind of kids, you know, calm, crazy.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Oh, wow. How'd that go? So the very first day, I um I was training with uh a trainer at the time. She's a swing driver, which isn't now a route manager, Miss Shanetta. And she kind of she kind of set the stage for me. She told the kids, hey, if y'all don't want me to come back, you're gonna be good. This is my son, so you're gonna be good for my son. And the kid, and I just kind of took to it. I said, you know what? Hey, if it's gonna work, it's gonna work.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

So we lied to the children, is what you're saying. I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

I just went along with it.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

It's all for the cause. All for the cause.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

But it it was so I I eventually ended up telling them, you know, hey, you know, this and that. But um, the very first day, they kind of I was kind of quiet, you know. I was, I just knew to get them to school. And I got lost and they were, hey, where are you going? Where are you? I was like, oh God, this may not be for me. I was like, what, you know, what do I say? Because the elementary, they kind of took to me just because I was a little younger. And they was like, hey, can you play some music? Hey, if that's what you want, I'll turn the music on. Um, but I did let them know, hey, this is how it's gonna be. You know, we're gonna be respectful, you know, you're gonna wear your seatbelt, you know, we're just gonna finish this year off because it was April and then May ended the school year. Well, the middle schoolers, they again took to me again um better because I was younger, but they got to a point where they tried to take advantage. You know, they saw that I wasn't the guy yelling in the mirror, hey, sit down, stop doing this, stop doing that. Because again, I just knew to get them home. Well, one day I pulled over the bus and I said, Hey, listen, you know, we're gonna show respect. You know, I don't get on here cursing at y'all, so you're not gonna curse at me, you're not gonna do this and that. And from that moment, they kind of respected me, and we had a very successful end of the year. Um but that the very first day, and this is for I feel for anybody, especially coming in, you're coming in a job to where you're driving and you have 60 to 70 bodies behind you just all over the place. My first day, I had about 60, 65 elementary. High school, I had about 50, and um, excuse me, middle school, I had probably about about 50. And this was um pre-COVID. So this is when the buses were packed. Yeah. Um, but again, it's all how you set the stage from day one.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

So that 30 that I quoted in the intro, that's on the low end.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

That 30 is actually post-COVID. That's what we're running about now.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Um, but we're actually starting to see our numbers uh build back up, you know, with students riding the buses. But um, yeah, that 30, that's what I'm looking like, probably about a high school run. Elementary, we're still 65, 70, middle school, just about the same.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

So, what inspired you to start doing the TikTok videos?

SPEAKER_00 6:48

It actually started on Facebook, uh, my Mr. Bus Driver Facebook. Um, I was driving practicing a route. This is after, this was about a year after I started. This um the video started in August 2019. And I was driving my dry run, is what we call it, whenever we're practicing the routes, and I pulled over an apartment complex that, you know, is known for you know troubled kids. So, and I knew these would be these were the kids I was going to be driving. So when I pulled over, I'm looking at my paperwork and I kind of look out my peripheral vision and I see kids, you know, they're trying they're trying to get my attention, you know, they're throwing up middle fingers at the bus. They're trying to get my attention, they're waving their hands. So I kind of, you know, just still just looking at my paperwork, ignoring them. So once I noticed more kids started coming out, I kind of started to just slowly drive off. I was like, well, let me go ahead and continue the route. Well, they threw popsicles at the bus. Orange popsicles, I'll never forget. They threw them at the bus. So once I got out of there, I pulled over and then I kind of took a selfie of myself with my hand in my head, and I um I posted a Facebook and I said, Oh, you know, I explained the whole thing. And I said, Oh, this is gonna be one of those years. And that was my first post that ever blew up. It everybody was commenting. Oh, please give us updates. Let us know how it goes. After the first day, let us know. And you know, a lot of people they'll comment that and then they'll forget, you know, they'll just brush it off. Well, after the first day of school, I got a few inboxes. They said, Hey, how did it go? Did the kids give you problems? So, what I was going to do is I was going to just post another status, a written status. Well, I said, you know what? Let me just post a video. I said, because this is way too much to tell. And the first video I posted, I posted what it's like driving elementary, middle, and high schools. And I kind of put these little memes in there, these uh gifts and everything, and that post blew up. I've never had a video. I think I want to say that first video was a little over 200,000 views, and that was within a week. And I'm like, what did I do? A bunch of people started messaging me, uh, sending me friend requests, and I was like, okay, I don't know these people. So, you know, so I started adding a few of them because a lot of them were bus drivers, and they were saying, Oh my God, we drive, we have to drive the same kids. You just you describe my kids so perfect. Well, the TikTok came about after my Facebook kind of got you know popular. My students actually told me, Mr. Jones, do you have a TikTok? I said, No, I don't do TikTok, you know. Oh, you should make a TikTok. My mom watches your videos on Facebook. You should make a TikTok. And I made a TikTok and that it actually overpowered my Facebook. My Facebook has about 20,000 TikTok. I'm almost at 31,000.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah, that is so funny. You know, every time I talk to students, um inevitably, no matter what the initial conversation is, somehow it always morphs into TikTok and YouTube. They're obsessed. Yeah. What do you want to be when you grow up? And they go on about naming specific TikTokers and YouTubers. And and my I my mind just turns to mush because I have no idea who I know who Mr. Beast is, and that's it, right? But uh, do you feel like being a TikToker has given you a special, you know, uh rapport with the kids?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Yes. And I'll give you an example. My route manager, this was about a uh about a month before school got let out. Um, there was this route that it ran every driver off. Every driver, even the route manager. He said, you know what, I can't deal with these kids, they're too much. So he called me. He said, Hey Jones, um, I need a huge favor. And I was like, Okay, what you got? What is it? He said, Remember those kids that uh you drove out of you know so-and-so school? And I said, Yeah, and these were middle schoolers. I said, Yeah, I said, he said, Well, can you um can you cover them this afternoon? Because they're running everybody off. I can't deal with them, and I know they take to you well. So once I pulled up to the school that afternoon, you know, I'm getting myself ready. I'm like, oh, okay, here we go, here we go. I know the first time I drove them, um, a couple of them recognized me and said, That's the famous guy, that's the famous guy. Y'all be good, be good. That's the famous guy. Oh my God. So they were a little rowdy because they kept trying to do TikToks with me. I'm like, listen, I'm trying to drive. I can't do a TikTok while I'm driving. So come on, come on. Hey, when we get off the bus, can you do a TikTok? I said, it don't work like that. I said, I can't do one with you, but you know, if you want to do your TikTok when you're getting off and kind of wave the camera at me, you know, I can do that. Well, once I started driving them um this um past time, this last time, they once I pulled up to the school, they, oh my God, hey, he's back, he's back. The TikTok guy's back. Be good, be good. And I'm watching them come to the bus. And I've my bus assistant that was on at the time, I told her, I said, now these kids are rowdy, just to let you know, I need you to sit here, I need you to watch this and that one because I didn't remember the names, but the faces I remember. When I drove those kids, I don't know who they turned into, but those were not the same trouble kids I drove. They were excellent. They sat down, they were quiet. They, hey, good, good afternoon, have a good afternoon. They I got on the radio immediately after I told my route manager, I said, I don't know what kids those were, but those weren't the same kids. And he said, Oh, did they give you problems too? I said, No. I said they recognized me again, and they were perfect. So having that little, I don't like to get big headed about it, but having that little internet fame and especially connecting to them on that level, it helps a lot with these kids.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Is it internet fame or is it just relatability?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

I would call it relatability. Um, they would say internet fame, but a lot of the videos I post, um, and this is when I first found out my students started watching my videos, I will hear them in the background, and you know, I would hear my voice, and I'm like, oh God, they found me.

unknown 12:37

They found me.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

So they'll say, Mr. Jones, I saw you on TikTok. I saw you on, and they'll watch the videos, and whenever I act out certain students, they'll say, you know, that's you. And then they'll, you know, they'll blame each other. He's he's talking about you. And I'm like, I can't tell you who I'm talking about, but if you know and the shoe fits, you know.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

So if it quacks like a duck, then you know. Well, I was just about to ask you how you handle discipline and safety because a lot of parents are hesitant to put their kids on the bus because of, you know, they cite safety concerns. Now, aside from your magical TikTok powers that you have, do you have any other special approaches that you use to address safety and discipline with the kids that you drive?

SPEAKER_00 13:17

Yes, my first, the first thing I I like to get with parents is that to make them get comfortable with knowing who they're putting their child on the bus with, you know, I'm not gonna be that driver that pulls up, hey, get on, sit down, blah. You know, I'm gonna give you a smile, I'm gonna give the parents a smile, and I'm gonna let them know, hey, my name is so-and-so, you know, your child will be seated here, you know. And of course, my bus, it's decorated. As soon as you step on the bus, you see stickers, you see pictures, not just of past um routes I've driven, but I show, I share my family, I share, you know, personal things because I want them to know I'm not just a bus driver, I'm a human being as well. I have a family. I have, you know, well, stepkids. Now they're your age, you know. I'm I'm just a normal guy. So I like to, again, give them that comfortability, let them know that everything's gonna be all right, you know, because again, putting a child on a bus and not knowing how that day is gonna go, especially that first day. That first day is crucial for us because again, we're the first faces they see in the morning. And you know, you don't want a lot of these kids, it they come from unstable homes. You know, they're they're getting yelled at, hey, get up in the morning, get up, get up, get up, and all they're doing is sending them to the bus. And then a child comes to you and they're getting that same thing with you, so it's constant, you know, just it's like you're beating them down constantly. Um so I I like to just make kids feel comfortable whenever they come to me. And then, of course, with safety, the biggest way I I do my students with safety is I let them know why I'm telling you to do this. A lot of times, um, the main thing is students crossing the roads when it comes to safety. You know, we have this thing to where we point at ourselves, we point at the student, and then we point across the road, letting them know it's safe. And you can tell a student, hey, watch my signal before you cross the road, watch my signal, watch my signal. But me, I take it a step further. I let them know this is why you watch my signal. I I even you know, sit some in the front to let them know, hey, this is the danger, this is what happened. I'll tell them, look, look, I'm pressing the amber lights and they'll watch the traffic. I say, watch the stop signs come out, and cars will still go past. And I say, This is y'all running out, you know, across the street, you know. So I try to give them an example of why they should do something, especially when it comes to safety versus just kind of telling them what to do, and it's because I say so.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

I like that a lot. I mean, safety is something that seems really important to you, not just from how you're sharing about it very passionately, but also you literally help protect an unconscious woman in the road by using your bus as like a giant safety cone, basically. And then you use your kit to treat her wound until EMT could get there. I mean, there's really no question here, Cordarius. I'm just bragging on you.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

I appreciate it. Yeah, that it was like a no-brainer for me, you know, because I I see my family, you know, out there. I see myself being in that situation. And what I saw from other motorists, I wouldn't want anybody to go through. You know, they're the this lady's literally laying out in the middle of the road and they're driving around her like she's a cone or something. Um, so once I approached it, I saw what was going on, and I immediately just kind of had my ambers flash and letting them know, hey, caution. And as they were trying to get the lady out the road, I immediately put out my stop signs and I'm getting on the radio to my dispatcher, letting them know, hey, I got an emergency at this and that location. They're already there on the phone with 911. And I made a decision that day. I told myself I can, you know, help is on the way. I can take them, take the kids to the school, get them dropped off. Well, thankfully I had an assistant on my bus, but again, it was a no-brainer. I pulled the bus over, grabbed my kit, and look, thankfully, she wasn't banged up, you know, bad, you know, a few scrapes and bruises. Um, but I immediately wrapped her up and, you know, just kind of comfort her, let her know, hey, everything's gonna be all right. You know, I got help on the way. Um, you know, just stay calm, just breathe. And she was very, very thankful. She called my supervisor later that day, and you know, she made sure she got my number. And I I let her know, you know, I know this is probably a one-time thing to where I'll ever see you. I said, but you have my number, anything you want to talk about if you need anything, you know, just call me.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

I love the way that you think outside the box with you know, that situation. Like you trust your instincts, it seems like, you know, like your instincts, you you know, even though you only recently became a father, I I consider kind of your instincts with the kids somewhat paternal, you know. Like you're you're not gonna just do the minimum. You're gonna make the bus uh a place that they look forward to. Yes. And you're gonna make the environment safe and you're gonna make it friendly. And I mean, you've even taken it to the next level of making it fun and you make everyone human. And that's what I I'm really excited about with this podcast project is just humanizing some of the faces behind the services that the kids are getting. Because when we all see each other as human, it brings it to an even playing field and it really does unify us, right? The kids are on board, they're unified with your mission of getting them to school without incident, right? And and I mean, I could see where you know that would help with their education in an obvious way that they're arriving to school. But from your perspective, being on the bus, do you see other any other benefits of uh for the kids' education?

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Yeah, again, it it starts with that very first contact, you know. Um one thing we've done, I haven't done it previously, but whenever I first started driving the first couple years, is I did this thing in the morning, what's called Wake Me Up. And I would put just some crazy music on, and I would get the kids up. They would be in the aisles, they would dance, you know, jump around. I get them hyped up because, you know, being on the bus, especially for so long, it can be boring, you know, you can tend to fall asleep, but I try to get them motivated, get them, you know, ready for the day. Um, and this past school year, um, what I started doing is um, of course, I give treats every Friday, everybody knows that. But um I would give, I would go above, I would give them a um, sorry, kind of like a trivia question. Oh. And I would let them know, hey, come to me at the um, you know, in the afternoon with the right answer. You know, if of course if there's more than one, I'll put their name in a hat. But I give them a trivia question to answer, and whoever comes with the right answer, you know, they'll get a special prize. Everyone's everyone gets treated, but they'll get a special prize. And even when I didn't do that, we would just do fun things in the morning, you know, math questions. I will have a certain kid come up and I would give them the little PA speaker we have on the bus. Oh my goodness. And they would talk to the other kids and, you know, hey, what's two plus two? And then, you know, they'll try to, whoever gets the answer right, they'll come up and ask the math question or, you know, science or anything. And a lot of it's funny because a lot of times they'll ask a question, especially when it comes to you know, science or um history or anything, and they'll say, Mr. Jones, is that right? And I'm sitting here trying to Google on my phone. I'm like, oh, hang on just a second. I said, if you learned it, I'm pretty sure it's right. But, you know, motivation in students, you know, is a big part, especially when they're going, they're going to be in the school for eight hours. And again, you being the bus driver, you know the personality you have. You don't know who they're getting sent off to. They can be getting sent off to that mean teacher, or they can be getting sent off to someone just like you. But again, they're there eight hours. So if I can make that 30 minutes just, you know, joyous for them, the best experience. I love when my students, I see them come into the bus in the afternoon and they run. They run to the bus because I know they're ready for Mr. Jones. They're ready to see what we're doing that afternoon. So I don't like to just give them a ride. I like to give them a joyful experience.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

I think you're nailing it. What perspective has your brand new fatherhood given you on bus driving? Wow.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

It's it's opened my eyes a lot, you know. Um I never knew I could love someone so much, you know, just just by looking at them. Um, and even before, you know, officially getting the father title, I've always called my students my bus babies. Oh, yeah. And I said, I'm bus dad, you know. So it's I've I've always seen myself as like that father figure, you know. I've helped raise my nieces and nephews, and my sisters and brothers always told me, Oh, you're gonna make a great dad, you know. And they when they found out we were having a baby, they were so excited. You know, um, my students were even excited. I posted pictures of um for my maternity shoot, and they said, Mr. Jones, you're having a baby. I said, Yeah, you guys are gonna have a little brother or sister at the time. So I welcome everybody in my family. And again, I I've been bus dad since I've been driving.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

So my gosh, I love that so much. Okay, as we wrap up, what would you want people to know about Escambia County schools?

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Well, I've done all my 12 years in Escambia County, and I've had nothing but the best experience, and I've had the a better experience working here. The people here are amazing, amazing, amazing. We have an amazing transportation department who deeply cares about this, not just the students, but the the staff as well. They take care of their drivers, they take care of everyone here. Um, whenever we get to the schools, I'm always greeted by a principal, a teacher with a smile. I don't think I've ever had a negative interaction with someone from the district, you know, from and this is from people that work in our downtown office up into our janitors. You know, everybody here works together. We all work as a team, you know, where you fall, I'll pick up and help you. So I've there's nothing negative I would ever say about Escambia County schools. And that's not just me work being an employee, you know. I would, if I was working somewhere else, I would still say the same thing because everything here is just so positive.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

That's amazing. And of course, people are gonna know where they can find you on Facebook and TikTok.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Yes, Facebook is Mr. Bus Driver, and TikTok is Mr. Bus Driver CJ because I think somebody took the other name. But yeah, Facebook, Mr. Bus Driver, and then TikTok, Mr. Bus Driver CJ.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

Thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County School District. Special thanks to Pine Forest High School for their recording studio facilities and hospitality.