Stranger Claims to Be the School Bus Driver to Mother, Regular Driver Arrives Later

A mom frantically rushed home in fear minutes after an unfamiliar man showed up at her doorstep claiming to be her child's substitute school bus driver.

A Redditor recalled a frightening ordeal in Reddit's "Let's Not Meet" forum where people share their spine-tingling, terrifying true stories.

Although the person's mom preferred not to tell them what happened at the time, nothing could've been more terrorizing than when she revealed the gruesome truth a few years later.

The Original Poster (OP) was in elementary school at the time, probably in the 3rd or 4th grade, when the mom woke up her child. Upon closer gaze at the clock, OP realized it was late because the mom had overslept.

OP recalled school usually started at 8 a.m. while the school bus halted precisely at 7 a.m. outside the house for pick-up. It was already 6:40 a.m., and OP barely had any time to get ready.

The Redditor's mom acknowledged that there was not enough time for her child to get ready and catch the bus. Breakfast wasn't served yet, and OP was still in pajamas. At 6:50 a.m. sharp, the mom heard a bus pull up outside the house. She thought it was weird because the bus often showed up promptly at 7 a.m.

Despite the bus arriving earlier than scheduled, the mother decided to take her child to school as she still had more work to do to prepare. She peeped outside the door and waved off the empty bus on that foggy morning then closed the door. But the bus didn't pull away.

A few years later, the mom told OP the truth about that day, startling OP who couldn't thank her enough for waking up late that morning.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. OP's mom hurriedly opened it and saw a man in a bus driver's uniform at the doorstep. He wasn't the driver they knew, and before she could even question, he told her he was a substitute on the route as the regular driver had called in sick.

The man explained he arrived a few minutes early as he was unfamiliar with the route. When the mom told him she would take OP to school since they'd woken up late, the driver looked annoyed and insisted he would for a few minutes since he was ahead of schedule.

However, OP's mom sternly refused and said a few minutes wouldn't be enough for them to get ready. At this point, the driver angrily turned around and stormed off with the bus.

A few minutes later, another bus pulled up at 7:00 a.m. sharp. OP's mom thought it was weird and hurried outside to talk to the driver again. Moments later, OP saw her rushing home, petrified and pale. She never uttered a word and hurried OP to school.

A few years later, the mom told OP the truth about that day, startling OP who couldn't thank her enough for waking up late that morning. It turned out that when OP's mother went outside to talk to the second bus driver, she noticed the man was their regular driver and the bus was filled with other school kids.

"I never called in sick," the driver told her when she mentioned the proxy driver. "There is no substitute driver on my route," he proclaimed, sending shivers down her spine. She hurried inside and called the cops upon the driver's insistence.

Even though OP's mom only disclosed the truth years later, OP was alarmed after realizing no proxy driver was on their route that day. Whoever the man was, was likely a kidnapper who'd targeted them.

Although OP claimed never to have heard about the mysterious driver again, the narrative on Reddit left readers terrified. Some feared the guy may have targetted others elsewhere.

"That is horrific. He prepared himself as far as getting a uniform and a bus, and seemingly targeting one particular person, and was smart enough to never return," Redditor lt__ asserted.

"This is scary! I send my son on the bus every morning by himself," another user said. Since she had a 3-month-old baby, she said she couldn't walk her son to the bus stop. However, OP's story probably alerted the mother on bus safety as she further added:

"But the bus stop is only across the street, just not visible from my apartment window. I need to have a talk with him about bus safety now."

Conclusively, OP claimed they'd never heard of the driver again and weren't sure if he'd picked up any other kid in his make-believe school bus. "But chances are, had I gotten on that bus, I would have never made it to school or back home," the Redditor proclaimed.

Questions to Ponder:

Should parents set the alarm bells ringing when it comes to trusting their children with strangers?

OP's mom decided to take her child to school herself because she wanted more time to get ready. If she had woken up early, it's possible she would've trusted OP with the mysterious driver. What precautions would you suggest parents take when it comes to unusual circumstances involving a child's school bus?

If you were OP's mother, what would you have done after learning the first bus driver was a fake?

OP's mom realized the guy who claimed to be the substitute driver was fake only after the real driver showed up minutes later. If she decided to trust OP with the stranger, the consequences could've been adverse. If you were OP's mother, what steps would you take following the incident?

If you liked this story, here's another nightmare a mom was compelled to deal with when her 5-year-old son's school bus driver told her the boy was never on the bus.

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