A dozen brown paper bags holding breakfast pastries and cans of Coke in Mary Bryant cozies lined up at the front desk at Bryant Elementary.

Principal Karen Bass and art teacher Chan Bliss greeted bus drivers who rolled up to the northwestern Hillsborough school at 7:30 a.m. with the care packages. Bryant had nine of its 10 buses today; one did a double-run to make up the difference.

“I cannot tell you how much we appreciate that you showed up today,” Bass told driver Rigoberto Vega, who said it never occurred to him to call off from work.

Andrea Hydes, a driver for six years, had taken personal days recently for family medical problems and needed to work. She also wanted to see how the day would go. She noticed fewer elementary students but a big drop on her high school route. She had five students on her bus instead of the usual 60.

Curiosity partly drew Myra Williams, who has driven a bus for eight years.

“I wanted to see how the county was going to run today,” she said. But she also couldn’t afford to take any additional time off, she said, with summer nearing.

Jamarcus Hamilton had taken 25 children to school as of 7:45 a.m. instead of the 127 he usually brings. A driver for four years, he felt obligated to report for work. It’s about dedication, he said.

“It’s mainly teamwork,” said Hamilton, who knew that if he called off, it would mean more work for his friends and coworkers. He also didn’t want to put parents in a bind by making them find their own transportation.

“It’s less hassle on the parents,” Hamilton said.

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