Schools are scrambling without enough bus drivers. Where did they go?

“A SCHOOL-BUS SHORTAGE PROBLEM CREATING A HUGE PROBLEM FOR OUR AREA”

“THE LARGEST SCHOOL SHORTAGE IT HAS EVER SEEN”

LONGWORTH: OFFERS OF HIRING BONUSES, HIGHER PAY, AND EVEN TRAINING FOR A COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE.

ALL TO ENTICE PEOPLE TO DRIVE ONE OF  THESE.

SO WHY’S IT SO DIFFICULT TO FIND SCHOOL-BUS DRIVERS RIGHT NOW?

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

YOU CAN PROBABLY GUESS THE FIRST REASON: THE PANDEMIC.

PLENTY OF PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OF GETTING SICK OR DISAGREED WITH MASK REQUIREMENTS, SO THEY QUIT OR RETIRED.

WITH REMOTE LEARNING, OTHERS WERE FURLOUGHED.

AND, OF COURSE, SOME DRIVERS ACTUALLY CONTRACTED THE VIRUS.

IN A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY HOPSKIPDRIVE, A CHILDREN’S RIDE-SERVICE COMPANY, 78 PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT PARTICIPATED SAY THEY ARE CONSTRAINED BY THE BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE.

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, 81 PERCENT SURVEYED SAID  COVID-19 HAS EXACERBATED EXISTING SHORTAGE ISSUES.

WHICH INDICATES THAT THE PROBLEM DID EXIST PRE-COVID.

AND LEADS ME TO MY NEXT REASON WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO FIND DRIVERS:

DRIVERS WITH COMMERCIAL LICENSES CAN MAKE MORE MONEY ELSEWHERE.

THE AVERAGE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER MAKES ABOUT $34,000 A YEAR, WHILE THE AVERAGE TRUCK DRIVER MAKES ABOUT $52,000 A YEAR, ACCORDING TO ZIPRECRUITER.

AND MANY OF THOSE BETTER-PAYING JOBS COULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED EASIER GIGS.

FOR EXAMPLE, TRUCK DRIVERS DON’T HAVE TO MANAGE CHILDREN OR WORK HALF THEIR SHIFT IN THE MORNING AND HALF IN THE AFTERNOON.

SO NOW, THE PROBLEM’S ONLY GETTING WORSE BECAUSE THERE SIMPLY AREN’T ENOUGH QUALIFIED REPLACEMENTS READY.

IT TAKES AN AVERAGE OF 7 WEEKS TO GET A COMMERCIAL LICENSE.

WHICH IS WHY SCHOOLS ARE LEFT SCRAMBLING, AND SOME POLITICIANS ARE CALLING FOR NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL.

IN MASSACHUSETTS, THEY’VE ALREADY STARTED.

“75 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS BEGAN THE NECESSARY TRAINING YESTERDAY, GOING THROUGH FINGERPRINTING, CLASSROOM EXAMS, AND ROAD TESTS.”

LONGWORTH: GOT IT STRAIGHT?

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS AND DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE STRAIGHT ARROW BIAS METER.