I am not a bus driver and I don't personally know any bus drivers. However I am incredibly empathic, and perhaps even transcendentally perceptive. My experience with bus drivers comes from years of riding the bus to a wide variety of schools and homes in cities from Atlanta to San Francisco. I feel I have some measure of expertise in the psyches of bus drivers and I wish to help you better understand the lives of bus drivers so that you might treat them with more respect and tolerance.
If your bus is late, please please please don't get upset about it. First of all, bus drivers have to eat and excrete just like you and I do. Furthermore, bus drivers do not control traffic. When your bus driver is five minutes late because there was road construction, there is nothing he can do. That's why I ask everyone to be tolerant. Your bus driver is dealing with a lot and is doing his or her best to try to pick you up and drop you off on time. But life isn't perfect and sometimes you just have to wait.
Bus drivers can be a bit churlish. We have all met bus drivers who didn't smile at us or who were a bit terse. But you have to understand--bus drivers have been dealing with angry people all day because everyone expects the bus to come exactly when it's scheduled even though that's impossible. If your bus driver isn't being friendly, think about it this way--are you in a friendly, outgoing mood every minute of your life? You probably just met this bus driver for the first time and you are forming an opinion based on limited experience. It is best to assume the best about your bus driver. And this applies not only to bus drivers but to everyone in life. Why not assume the best about everyone?
Bus drivers usually have an incredible amount of driving experience. Still we have all met bus drivers who are less-than-perfect drivers. You have to realize that bus drivers have a lot of pressure. Sometimes they have to urinate very badly. Sometimes they have been harassed by bus riders because the bus is late and they are hurrying to try to get back on schedule. The best thing to do if your bus driver isn't driving perfectly is to look for the bus number at the front of the bus. When you've had time to reflect on what happened, consider giving the bus company a phone call and let them know that the bus driver was overworked or overstressed.
Always remember that bus drivers are people just like you and I. Though they seem to be in a position of power, we forget that they have normal human emotions and, like everyone, have good days and bad days. It is fine to expect excellence from your bus driver. Just don't expect miracles!