I hope some people can help!
This is disgusting that transportation won't play ball?! Why won't they, are these drivers not trained at all with ASD training? Is your child on a bus with typical kids going to a typical mainstream school? I'm annoyed for you.
My son praise God and pray God is for special needs nursery September and the yellow bus comes directly from his school and I guess the drivers will have saw it all before, possibly be trained too.
How anyone can go through this marigmarole daily astounds me. If be broken and dreading the exchange.
The only thibg popping into my head is verbal and visual clues, can you tell and show yiur child what comes next...it in a series..breakfast brush teeth coat on walk to school bus, bus goes to school ....
Maybe you have?
I hope to see some answers here, great question.

I’m really out of options I feel

They finally changed the aid, but not the driver. He is struggling so much, and it hurts to see the struggle.
Today they drove 25 minutes with him not in a seat or seatbelt!
I don’t get it. Their answer is they are doing their best.
Right now it is hell! Thank god we have an IEP meeting tomorrow!
I’ll be addressing everything, and not leaving without an answer.
He deserves the best regardless of what they think!
It is so frustrating!

why doesn't the aide at least work with you? I would have a meeting for an IEP to change to include a personal aide for the ride on the bus so that your child can transition from home to school and from school to home and the rides in between properly with as little trauma as possible. They should be trained to help with this and it's disgusting to me that they either aren't or don't care. I would raise holy hell until they did something to help my child. Thankfully, I don't have to as my son loves the van ride to and from school and loves his van driver and the sub van driver. Plus the school bends over backwards to help not only my son but all the special needs kids plus all the other kids in the school district. (we are lucky) and it's a public school not a charter or private school.

That is a great idea to use visuals! I am thinking of making a social story too!
Thank you for your reply!
I am hoping for answers too!