Bus Complications

HopSkipDrive, a school ride service company, has found that 88% of schools in the nation are dealing with a bus driver shortage, and Bryant High School is one of them.

Keith Matthews, the Legacy’s band director, is one of three substitute bus drivers for the district, picking up bus routes that involve the high school and Bryant Middle School.

“It’s been every day almost [that I drive a bus],” Matthews said. “I mean, very, very, very infrequent are the days that I don’t drive.”

The reason he drives so often is due to the lack of long term bus drivers for the school district.

“We don’t have enough drivers,” Matthews said. “The last time we had [bus drivers] hired, they just didn’t make it very long. They might be here three or four days, and then we have to take them back over.”

Scott Curtis, the district’s transportation director, has found that Bryant is heavily affected by the bus driver shortage. He not only blames the economic situation of the country as a whole, but also the requirements for bus drivers, especially when it comes to forming a connection with the kids.

“It takes a special person to drive a school bus, meaning you must love working with students,” Curtis said. “So many times the first and last adult the student interacts with is the bus driver. Having a bus driver that says ‘Good morning,’ and ‘Have a great rest of the afternoon,’ plays such a critical part of the students’ experience each day.” Curtis has also found an issue with the growing student body. “All growth is good but it sometimes comes with growing pains,” Curtis said. “We added additional double routes due to the increased growth and the driver shortage.”

Because of the driving shortage, students are having to be picked up earlier, and dropped off later.

“In a perfect world, we would have all students on a single route with the same bus driver assigned to the bus,” Curtis said. “Fingers crossed maybe someday soon.”

Another issue Curtis has found with hiring new bus drivers is work ethic, as well as the extra fees that come with becoming a bus driver.

“In my opinion, there is an attitude where people simply do not want to work,” he said. “Not to mention the up front costs of being hired as a bus driver. Each prospective employee must pay for a background check, bus driver physical, CDL 1 packet, and pre-employment drug screening. By the end of the process the prospective bus driver has invested up to $200-$300 before they ever get behind the wheel of the bus.”

In order to combat the bus driver shortage, the Bryant School District has implemented a bus driver incentive program that is attendance-driven, as well as a salary increase to the transportation department.

“Depending on the bus driver’s contract, the driver could make up to $750 per semester,” Curtis said. “Not to mention, our administration has approved that bus drivers are eligible for insurance benefits. Last year, there was a salary increase to the transportation department salary scale so we would remain competitive with other school districts. This is an opportunity that many school districts do not offer to school bus drivers.”

Even though the district has implemented incentives for bus drivers, it still faces a shortage; however, Curtis has found that other schools in the area are experiencing the same issue after having conversations with other transportation directors.

“We are all experiencing the difficulty of finding bus drivers,” he said. “I do not think that the shortage is getting better, but I know that the Bryant Administration has done everything possible to support bus drivers.”