Need for school bus drivers on the rise, survey finds

Charter schools add to increased demand

With the start of another school year just around the bend, transportation directors throughout the region are worrying if they have enough school bus drivers to transport their students.

Worries expressed throughout the year by local school directors and administrators indicate a shortage exists of drivers willing to accept a part-time, split-shift job that requires several weeks of training and multiple tests before a paycheck can be collected.

A survey released in July by School Bus Fleet indicates that, nationally, 31 percent of school transportation providers say they have a desperate or severe need for drivers, up from 28 percent in 2015.

The survey found that 11 percent say they do not have a driver shortage. In 2015, that figure was 6 percent.

“I wouldn’t call it a crisis, I’d call it a systemic problem within the industry,” said Justin Fauss, a general manager with Durham School Services.

The same survey shows that 29 percent of transportation providers are relying on advertising to find drivers, 24 percent are offering sign-on or referral bonuses, and 15 percent are increasing wages.

In addition to worrying about driver shortages and a need for more buses, each new school year usually presents its own causes for anxiety, including route updates, additional schools requiring service, changing populations and other issues.

“You go into every school year and cross your fingers,” said Carol Woelfal, who has 32 years in the school transportation industry and is currently a supervisor/dispatcher with Durham’s McKees Rocks garage, also known locally as Matthews Bus Co.

This year, Durham, as a transportation provider for Sto-Rox School District, had to create a new routing map to accommodate a reconfiguration of which grades attend which building in the district.

While the changes didn’t require more drivers with a commercial license, Ms. Woelfal said, an increase in the number of students attending charter schools outside of district boundaries did require an increase in drivers.

She needs to hire three additional drivers this year due to charter schools enrollment. And, her employer’s five regional garages are “in the same boat,” she added.

Durham also provides transportation for Keystone Oaks, Peters, Pittsburgh Public, West Jefferson Hills and West Greene school districts, among others.

Tim Ammon, vice president of School Bus Consultants, a firm headquartered in Missouri, said