Getting school buses back on the road

As perennial and predictable as the start of school is the shortage of drivers needed to get students there. And it’s leaving us to wonder about the future of the ubiquitous yellow school bus.

As perennial and predictable as the start of school is the shortage of drivers needed to get students there.

Transportation companies that provide service to school districts are repeating themselves: There aren’t enough drivers to meet the need.

The woeful cries come at a particularly ironic moment: After a year of education that featured off-site learning due to a deadly pandemic, families and school officials have been looking forward to a fall start of school that would be held, well, at school. Five days a week.

But, again, can we get the kids there?

The Pittsburgh Public School District has added contracts with charter companies to provide service.

The district, which is the largest in its region, has redesignated a swath of students as “walkers.” More kids will be riding Port Authority buses. And, still, there is doubt that these measures are enough.

The problem is pervasive, locally and nationally. Some contractors have taken to erecting billboards and marquees that beg for driving applicants.

Let’s face it: the work isn’t all that attractive to the typical job hunter. Bus driving is generally a part-time position that requires a background check, a commercial driver’s license and a willingness to work a split day in most cases, morning then afternoon.

The drivers must be ready to deal with passengers who can be rambunctious and weather that is unpredictable. And their cargo is of the highest value.

In short, bus driving is a demanding job.

The problem is exacerbated by the reality that many drivers are retirees — older people who now are concerned about the health implications of COVID-19 and its variants.

The conundrum isn’t really much of a conundrum, though. It’s basic economics. The financial gain associated with bus driving is outweighed by the detractions (and the distractions.)

The answer is simple but carries a price tag. School districts need to partner with transportation companies that actually are working to entice prospective drivers.

Signing bonuses, wage boosts, free CDL classes, and an attractive benefits package should be on the table. So, too, should school districts consider getting back into the transportation business. The vast majority of districts in Pennsylvania contract busing service with third-party companies.

All of this will cost more, and those costs will be passed on to taxpayers. But what is the alternative? Some school districts simply aren’t walkable. Some districts have zero proximity to public transportation. Most parents don’t want to operate a daily shuttle service. And even if that option were reasonable for some, the specter of inequity must be factored: Many parents can’t, even if they would want to, provide their own transportation to and from school for their children.

There is all but uniform consensus that, for most students, the ideal educational model is one that puts kids inside a bricks-and-mortar classroom in their home school districts. Parents had a taste of at-home learning and hybrid models, and they’ve expressed in certain terms that they want their children in school this year.

Now, to get the wheels on the bus rolling ...

Working with transportation companies to recruit drivers will lead to higher costs passed on to taxpayers, but what is the alternative?