With the start of the 2021-2022 school year, a shortage of school bus drivers is affecting the country.
COVID-19 has caused severe damage to the extended hiring of bus drivers-but this is not the only problem that has caused widespread problems, as millions of students have resumed face-to-face courses. A bigger problem is the lack of people who want to fill these positions.
Steve Burnett, Operations Manager of the Oak Park City School District in Michigan, spoke with WDIV about the current bus shortage in his area.
“Too many people stay at home and we need someone to do this work. I have been to Hawaii, and every state I visit has a signature,” Burnett said.
Dave Meeuwsen, executive director of the Michigan Student Transportation Association, also spoke to WDIV about widespread shortages. Meeuwsen said the “long hiring process” is the culprit for many bus shortages in Michigan.
“It takes a month for a person to receive training. So, I can’t post an advertisement for a bus driver today and then let you go to work tomorrow,” Meeuwsen said.
He also said that the part-time jobs offered were not enough for some Michigan residents.
“This is a difficult time because this is not a full-time job,” Meeuwsen said. “There are a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. It may be a field trip here or there. Maybe a run at noon, but you can’t support a family to drive a bus.”
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Other states in the United States are using cash rewards as a motivation for potential new bus drivers.
According to the Associated Press, a school district in Montana offered a $4,000 bonus and allowed people to test drive buses, hoping they would be competent for the job at hand.
Another school district in Delaware offered to pay $700 to parents to handle their own transportation. In Pittsburgh, due to a shortage of buses, a school district had to postpone school hours.
Joanna McFarland is the co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive, a school ride-hailing company that tracks school bus problems. McFarlane, who is based in Los Angeles, told the Associated Press that in March, “nearly 80% of the responding areas had difficulty finding enough bus drivers.”
“This is really at a turning point,” McFarlane said.
On August 18th, the President Joe Biden Orders his Minister of Education to take possible legal action against states that prevent school wearing mask regulations and other health measures designed to protect students from COVID-19.
Weekly newspaper The US Department of Transportation has been contacted for further comments.
