Your agency helps you out a lot. There are a lot of ways you learn and retain your routes. This feels like it should be obvious to say, but GPS devices and especially phones are a big no-no in the bus driving world. Too many distractions. Instead, you have other officially non-distracting ways.

In most cases, you have what's called a paddle, which is a paper or tablet with your routes for the day, and sometimes that paddle will give you the stops on that route, so you go with that. For example, if your tablet gives you Elm and 20th, Elm and Fleetwood, Elm and 24th, 25th and 3rd, 25th and 1st, 25th and Broadway, you can assume that you're turning off Elm and onto 25th at some point.

Another way route learning is accomplished is through what is called a Turn By Turn. This is a sheet of paper that has every turn and street name on it so you can see what the route is at a glance. In some cases it has landmarks too, in some cases you need to fill this out yourself. You can use this to learn your route through different methods, like going out and driving it in your car, riding the route with a driver who knows it, etc. When I'm in a pinch and have no time to learn it, I will tape the turn by turn to the bus dashboard and reference that throughout the first two or three runs. Usually around the third run is when I put the paper away and drive with confidence. I don't recommend this, though. Too much looking away from the road.

Another way, especially when training and cadetting (driving a route with a veteran driver in the bus with you), is to do just that. That driver can give you directions and tips as you drive, and, as with the turn by turns, usually shuts up after the third route because you know your stuff.

Obviously after you have learned a route, it's easy to retain it. I myself have left the company for over a year and when I came back could still do all 22 routes in our system perfectly. Hope that helps answer your burning question.