Kayla Soliman was a second grader at Fifth Avenue Elementary School in the Northport/East Northport district when her younger sister, Kelsey, boarded the bus for the first time. Things didn’t go as planned.
Kelsey, then 5, got sick on the bus ride home.
A spooked Kayla, then 7, developed her own bus anxiety and began avoiding the ride from October through June of that 2022-2023 school year.
Her mother, Lindsey Soliman, tried unsuccessfully to ease Kayla back on the bus. "I stopped trying," Lindsey recalls.
Noticing Kayla's apprehension, her bus driver, Margaret Hall, known to students as Miss Margaret, started slowly offering her help, coaxing Kayla with a friendly seat in the front row and sharing strategies for dealing with bus anxiety. Hall, 63, of Commack, continued to be "very supportive" in trying to "encourage her to board the bus," Soliman says.
The experience led Hall to do something else: She wrote a children’s book about bus anxiety, inspired by Kayla, to help others overcome their fear.
The day Hall gave a draft of the book to Kayla and her mother, Kayla took a huge step. "She gave the book to me in the morning and that morning I decided to get back on the bus," Kayla says.
"I got emotional," Lindsey says of seeing her daughter board the bus again.
A bus ride to school can last only minutes but it can be the beginning of a journey that inspires anxiety for children, representing a challenge and a chance to manage nerves. Students who have never been on a bus, particularly kindergartners, can face fears. "They don’t know what to expect on a big bus," says Hall. "You have the anxiety of a whole new experience." That's where the bus drivers come in to help.
🚦Big step🚦
Bus driver Wing Hang Chiu, 57, of Forest Hills, Queens, has been driving in East Williston for Dell Transportation for five years. Credit: Dell Transportation
Shari Lurie, senior director of mental health services at Epic Long Island in East Meadow and South Shore Guidance Center in Freeport, says it’s not unusual for children to experience some fear related to school buses.
"It’s not uncommon for kids to not want to take the bus," Lurie says. "Maybe they’re having difficulty separating from the parents. It’s nice that they can feel they’re in safe, adult hands with somebody who’s friendly and warm."
She says a smile, a greeting and someone calling a child by their name can help transition to the short trip that’s a big step toward growing up. "It’s the first thing these kids have to negotiate in the morning after they leave the house," Lurie says. "Whether they have a good experience or a bad one really can carry them through the day."
Hall, who has been driving for Huntington Coach since 2017, the last three years in Northport, says bus drivers set the mood for the day. "We need to be proactive in having a good attitude, helping their day start off correctly," she explains.
Bus drivers say the pandemic increased anxiety as well, as leaving became a bigger deal. "The pandemic did not help our children deal with stress well," Hall says. "I think it did add to the anxiety kids face."
Bus driver Wing Hang Chiu, 57, of Forest Hills, Queens, who has been driving in East Williston for Dell Transportation for five years, says it’s wise for drivers to budget more time at first, slowing the route, but paying off in the long run.
"They might need to be with the parent longer, to say goodbye a little longer," Chiu says.
🚦A familiar face🚦
Bus driver Margaret Hall and Kayla Soliman, 9, of East Northport. Credit: Barry Sloan
Particularly for younger students, a driver, as the first and final face they see in the school day, can bridge the transition to school.
"When I was little, I knew the bus driver better. I knew her name and her life and how old she was," says Maxine Tian, 12, an eighth grader at South Woods Middle School in Syosset. "It made me feel more comfortable. She’s still driving the elementary bus in my neighborhood."
Many students like seeing the same bus driver, even if teachers change. Kayla has had Hall for three years. "All the kids got onto the bus and gave her a hug," Soliman says. "It makes the experience a lot better."
Knowing students’ names early can set them at ease and make it easier to get students to do what you tell them, Chiu says. "If you use the name, they will listen more effectively," he adds.
🚦Rules of engagement🚦
Drivers say they can help create a sense of security for students by setting a series of rules for students to follow, starting while waiting for buses. Hall says students and parents are expected to wait 6 to 10 feet off the side of the road, and students should board one at a time. But buses can be fun even when rules are followed.
"They will ask me personal questions," Chiu says, adding that he wears a costume on Halloween, which students seem to enjoy. "I try to dress up to show I’m not much different from them. I dressed up last year as a Formula 1 driver. They all had a good laugh."
Chiu also speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, which can give an added sense of security to Chinese American children. "They open up and talk to me a little more," he says.
Tian, who has a toasted bagel, fried egg and glass of milk before boarding the bus, says having the same seat adds security to her routine.
"Usually, everybody picks a seat when they get onto the new bus and they just sit there the whole year," Maxine explains. "That’s just the way it is, so nobody fights over the seats."
🚦Easing the journey🚦
During Kayla's period of bus apprehension, she sometimes came up to the door before stepping down, unable to board. "The story formed in my mind to help her," Hall says, of why she decided to self-publish a book for kids called "Why Does My Heart Go Thump When I See The Bus?" ($9.20). She says the picture book goes through all of the emotions of why "our heart goes bump" when the bus pulls up.
Since she graduated from Baptist Bible College in Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in developing children’s programs, she says writing a book made sense. Her son, David, 33, a graphic designer, illustrated the book, which was completed in spring 2023 and printed in May 2024.
"It’s just an examination of things that can make you anxious riding the bus," Hall says.
Margaret and Kayla look at Hall's self-published book, "Why Does My Heart Go Thump When I See The Bus?" Credit: Barry Sloan
Hall took Kayla on a journey not just down the block, but toward confidence, suggesting ways to defuse anxiety, such as counting down from 30. "My mind wouldn’t focus on being nervous," says Kayla, now 9. "I like how she always saves me a spot in the front of the bus."
Kayla now sits toward the back of the bus with two friends, sometimes helping other students who may be anxious.
Entering her first full school year since publishing the children's book, Hall says she has sold about 2,000 copies, including many bought by Huntington Coach to distribute free to districts. About 800 copies have been distributed to the Sachem Central School District with more slated to go out to other schools, according to Huntington Coach.
"It’s fun to be a bus driver. You get the opportunity to show people you care," says Hall.
