how do school bus drivers close the door

There's a whole turning-over ceremony for the new driver. Most people never think of that. We call it balancing the doors. There is an air pressure relief valve that is beside the driver. Manual bus doors can be shut simply by pushing them closed. No school buses, except twinkie school buses, (the small gasoline engine buses) have a drivers side door. The door handle on the full size buses, actually a knob to open and close the door with air pressure is pulled out to the open position and a lever above the door is pushed to the open (vs closed) position then the door can be moved manually. The MTA is investigating one of its bus drivers who witnesses say closed the bus doors on a middle school student's arm and didn't stop the vehicle or release the door… That's a great question ! The driver will have a control in the cab that will apply air to one or the other side of the piston to either open or close the door. The doors are controlled by air pressure. On most buses, the doors are air operated, with one or two pistons above the doors to open and close them. It's very emotional. On the last day of high school, one student gets on, doesn't get off. Pneumatic doors will have an outside button/switch that they can use to close them.

The previous bus driver retires, steps off for the first time in decades, goes home to family, who, in slow-motion, run to him saying "We thought you were gone forever!" Some buses do have a separate door for the driver, and on those he'd simply close the doors, then exit out the driver's door. There are two ways to get into a bus.