There is a shortage of school bus drivers. The National Association for the Transport of Students (NAPT) has expressed warning and concern that this will complicate kids' return to class this week.
The problem has existed for years and is growing, Molly McGee, executive director of the NAPT, told The Hill. "It is more acute now than it was prior to the pandemic, but there has been steadily this issue growing across the country. And I think there are a lot of things that contribute to it," McGee says.
A message and apology from @JCPSSuper to JCPS students, families, and staff regarding the busing issues we experienced yesterday and how we will work to fix them. #WeAreJCPShttps://t.co/OlUXUCM8X4
— JCPS (@JCPSKY) August 10, 2023
A public school administrator in Jefferson County, Ky., helped raise the alert when he shared a video last week addressing the situation. According to the administrator, Marty Pollio, the lack of bus drivers caused some students to return home as late as 10 p.m. due to a route change so all students could be accounted for.
According to the NAPT leadership, the problem lies in the changing situation for the workforce. There are no longer as many people interested in a part-time driver position, as is the case for many school bus drivers.
According to the union, the workforce of school bus drivers was composed of a large majority of women between 25 and 50 years of age. A good number of elderly people, retired, filled the rest of the spots. "We also had a group of retirees that were using this as kind of their retirement job to keep them busy getting out of work," says Don DeVivo, former president of the American Bus Association.
Replacing the women and retirees came with many young men from ethnic minorities. According to DeVivo, many of them come to work as school bus drivers to gain the necessary experience and earn the necessary licenses to qualify for other jobs. As such, they do not last long in these positions. The average salary of a bus driver is also not very high for someone looking to support themselves exclusively with that salary. According to the union, pay is around $40,000 annually.
Working with children is also not easy, and it is difficult for school districts to find people who are willing to work in that environment.
