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She couldn't sleep — tossing and turning all night long in excitement for the first day of school.

Judy I. Williams is not an eager kindergartner or a seasoned high school student. She is a county public school bus driver.

"I felt good getting up this morning," Williams said on Monday. "I am excited, just like the children."

She has had a busy summer, driving buses for the Rockville Department of Recreation and the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. But she is looking forward to seeing familiar faces each morning as she began her 34th year of driving a county school bus.

Williams still enjoys her job just as much as when she started, she said.

"I love my job because I care about kids and I am a people person."

The first day

Williams, 54, left her Beltsville home and arrived at the bus depot on Randolph Road just after 5 a.m. She was eager to begin a new school year and to see supervisors, co-workers, students and parents that she had not seen all summer.

She also was excited about being assigned a brand new bus.

After performing safety checks, she is typically on the road to Olney by 5:50 a.m., allowing herself extra time for traffic. She transports students to Sherwood High School, Rosa Parks Middle School, Greenwood Elementary School and Sherwood Elementary School. She makes 22 stops, transporting181 students.

Her morning run concludes by 9:05 a.m., but the day doesn't end there. She runs high school students to mid-day work and educational programs three days per week.

The first morning ran relatively smoothly except for two minor snafus. At one point the bus wouldn't start, so she had to call in for help. It turned out to be a minor issue, a feature on the new bus that she was not familiar with, and it was quickly remedied, she said.

Then, Jerrold Perlet, principal of Sherwood Elementary School, asked her if she could take a child to Olney Elementary School, where he was supposed to be, she said. Williams said she gladly drove the student to the correct school and walked him into the office.

"Those are just the trials and tribulations of my job," she said before her afternoon shift began. "The morning went well and I am excited to pick my babies up this afternoon."

The afternoon run features her usual morning stops, but she also drives the William H. Farquhar Middle School activity bus three days per week. She typically returns to the bus depot by 5:15 p.m.

The perfect job

Williams became a bus driver when her two children were young.

"I wanted to be home with them when they were home," she said. "I liked it so much I kept doing it even after they grew up."

She has been assigned to the Olney area for the 20 or so years, she said. The area has changed and the growth has brought more traffic.

She knows the area well, so she can make detours if there is an accident or other traffic jam so she can try to keep on schedule.

In addition to congestion, she said she has to deal with aggressive drivers who always seem to be in a hurry and who aren't always courteous.

"I have to watch out for me and everyone else on the road," she said. "They need to do the same. They need to know that buses or other large vehicles cannot stop on a dime. They also need to stop for school buses."

She said she has seen drivers yell and make obscene gestures at her.

"Bus drivers are working hard to do the best we can to keep the children safe," she said.

Williams said her job requires a lot of patience and people skills. Throughout the years she has learned to be firm so students obey the rules, but she also provides them with encouragement.

"I've had kids who try me, but once they know the rules, we get the situation under control, and don't have any further problems," she said. "Our motto is, ‘Ride by the Rules.'"

She said the benefits of her job outweigh the challenges.

"I love the kids," she said. "I've gotten to know the families and watched so many of them grow up. I love seeing them at stores and restaurants, and they always remember me and are excited to see Miss Judy."

She always greets each child with a bright smile and a "good morning."

"I am usually their first contact and want to make their day start off good," she said. "In turn, I hope they will then greet and respect their classmates, their teachers and the administrators."

Williams said she thinks children need a lot of support, and she hopes she makes a difference in their lives.

"This job is not about the paycheck," she said. "It's about loving what I do."

Around the county

Todd Watkins, Montgomery County Public Schools director of transportation, said the county employs 1,135 bus drivers who carry 96,000 students daily. With 50 new drivers, the county is fully staffed.

"Some years we have a lot of turnover and bring in as many as 200 new drivers, but because of the economy, we don't have as many people leaving us," he said.

He said Williams is one of 31 drivers who have 30 or more years of service. Richard Gandy, a driver in Bethesda, has been driving the longest, with 43 years of service. Karen Burroughs, a driver in the Olney area, has driven for 42 years.

Requirements include a good driving record, more than five years of driving experience and passing a criminal background check. Watkins said they also look for people who love children and have good judgment and a positive attitude.

He said driving a bus used to be a second job for many people, but it is becoming more of a primary source of income. There is also more diversity in the ethnic origin of applicants, which Watkins said is good for the department.

The salary for MCPS bus drivers ranges from $16.36 per hour to $25.96 per hour, based on years of experience, he said.

Watkins said the school year got off to a good start."It was a great first day and there were very few problems to deal with."

He said there are always some issues, such as bus load balancing, but they are resolved quickly.

"Because of the economy, we are fully staffed, and that is the big key to a great opening and a great school year," he said.

thogan@gazette.net