School bus drivers front line educators
Living wage would go a long way in making wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round
Are you a friendly and positive individual who enjoys children and has a desire to make a difference in their lives?
Do you want a career that fits your lifestyle? Perhaps “you’re a stay-at-home parent and don’t want to give up time with your children; a retiree looking for a rewarding way to spend part of each day; or a student over 21 looking for added income.”
This career opportunity, as described on the Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services website, is professional school bus driving. We need more drivers in this region and we need them fast. Formed in 2008 to provide “safe, effective and efficient transportation services,” for eligible students in both of our Englishspeaking school boards, the HWSTS is trying to entice you to this career choice, because some students in Hamilton will be waiting on the side of the road for busses that will be late until at least October if you don’t sign up.
I checked the HWSTS website on the eighth day of school, when they were reporting 19 bus delays of between 10 and 30 minutes. If that seems manageable to you, you are likely not precariously employed, and forget what it’s like trying to get kids out the door, so you can ready yourself for your day.
In Toronto, and other parts of Ontario, some parents are getting notification the wheels on the bus won’t be going ’round and ‘round today at all after their offspring have already stood at the bus stop for 50 minutes. For children in families with access to money, they are learning the wheels on the taxi go ’round and ’round. For other families, that’s not an option. School boards are scrambling to provide child care at both ends of the day. You might say everyone is doing their best.
That’s not the comment I’d put on the report card of the school bus companies or the school boards, a.k.a., the Ministry of Education.
There are many factors contributing to the empty drivers’ seats across this province. But it’s time to point out a key piece to this not-so-puzzling puzzle. School bus drivers are not paid a living wage. The HWSTS points out: “More than ever, school bus drivers play a vital role in our education system, and can have a positive impact on our children.”
Despite that vital role, every ad I read for this career, which was transparent about the salary, reported hourly rates much lower than $15, the proposed minimum wage of the Ontario Liberal government. In Hamilton, $15 is still almost a buck below a living wage — the amount you have to make to be able to participate fully in community life here.
I heard a radio interview with a manager from a large school bus company and he reported that despite lengthy training and simulation exercises, nothing prepares the new school bus driver for the job like the first few days of school. Once they realize what they’re into, including the buck or two over minimum wage, many of them quit and the delays and cancellations begin. Better wages and better planning would fix this in no time.
I don’t have children. However, I hear those of you that do often consider them to be the best thing you’ve ever brought to the world. Why then do you tolerate the reality that the people who care for your kids when you’re not around are paid poverty wages? This includes bus drivers, crossing guards, day-care staff, custodians and cafeteria workers.
If I had kids, I’d want the people who drove them, saw them across the street, fed them and took them to the bathroom, were paid the kind of wage that they’d feel valued and be able to take care of themselves. So when they showed up for work to take care of my little peeps, they’d be on their best game.
Instead, they probably can’t afford enough of the headache relief medication that is often advertised using school bus drivers as the best example of someone who works under the conditions that are pain-inducing.
The Ontario government has a bill out there that would change some of this. Bill 148 proposes many good things, never enough of course, including a $15 minimum wage. You will hear business owners say they will close their doors if this happens. That’s unfortunate, but other doors will open. Including the doors of the yellow school buses, which will arrive on time with a smiling driver, paid a wage more aligned with the precious cargo they carry.
Deirdre Pike is a freelance columnist for the Hamilton Spectator. You can write her at dpikeatthespec@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @deirdrepike