Not a loud roar, but a deep, diesel-powered vibration that rolled across the sprawling Northside Independent School District—from the Hill Country edges near Helotes to the steady blocks of Leon Valley. It was the sound of 475 buses waking up.
"Northside Transportation, this is Mendez, rolling out on Route 27," he said into the radio. northside isd transportation
He walked into the drivers' lounge, poured a cup of coffee, and sat next to , a 20-year veteran who drove the special-needs route. Her bus had a lift, harnesses, and a CD player for calming music. Not a loud roar, but a deep, diesel-powered
For , a 14-year driver for Northside ISD Transportation, this was the sacred hour. His bus, Unit 407, was spotless. The seats were aligned. The heater was already chasing away the February chill. On his clipboard was the route he could run blindfolded: a loop through the wooded subdivisions near O.P. Schnabel Park, then a tight turn onto Bandera Road, ending at Stinson Middle School. He walked into the drivers' lounge, poured a
Outside, the sun was fully up now. The first bell was ringing across the district—at Clark High, at Rudder Middle, at Leon Valley Elementary. The buses were done for the morning.
The dispatcher, , replied from the central depot off Culebra Road. Her voice was calm steel. "Copy, 407. Watch the fog near Braun."