Local districts still trying to solve bus driver shortage

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Yellow school buses are rolling out across the Tri-State as more students head back to school this week despite a nationwide bus driver shortage.

Angela Vickers has been driving for Boone County Schools for more than a decade and has been behind the wheel for what’s turned out to be a bumpy road as her district has struggled to find enough drivers for its routes.

“This is a constant, but that’s what we have to do to get your kids to and from school safely,” Vickers told FOX19 NOW.

According to the National Education Association, there were approximately 192,000 drivers working in K-12 schools in September of last year. That number has since gone down by more than 15% from just a few years ago in 2019.

To be at a full staff this school year, Boone County still needs to hire almost 50 more drivers.

“‘Will we hit that mark?’ Probably not before school starts... but we’ve got a really good start,” Vickers said.

Recruiting has been a team effort in Boone County as workers spent the summer doing a county-wide tour.

“Help us, help you get those kids to school safely and in a timely manner,” Vickers campaigned.

Like many Tri-State school districts, they are offering free, paid CDL training as well as other incentives. The district says that if they do not get a full roster before the first bell rings, dreaded double routes will likely be making a return.

“If we don’t have a driver to fill that certain roadway. they’ll go out, they’ll take their kids.. then go back out and grab more kids and take them out,” Vickers explained. “It can be tedious.”

To the north of Boone County is Franklin City Schools. The district is heading into its new school year in a much better spot than they were last year when they were a few drivers short.

During critical times, Superintendent Dr. Michael Sander climbed behind the wheel to help out, something he doesn’t anticipate doing again this year.

“Right now, we’re full with the number of bus drivers we have with the 22 routes, and we have three full-time floaters who can sub when needed,” he said. “It seems like the incentive has really helped out quite a bit.”

In addition to free CDL training, Franklin also offers a $1,500 bonus for new drivers and existing drivers who make referrals.

It is a small price tag if it means reliable staff and transportation, Sanders says.

“I feel fortunate that we have a full staff this year. It’s always a big concern,” he added.

But for the largest district in the area - Cincinnati Public Schools - the driver shortage and budget cuts have caused significant changes to this year’s busing plan.

This year, seventh and eighth graders in the district will move to the Metro instead of riding on a traditional yellow bus.

“We allow parents to ride the Metro with their son or daughter for the first week of school to see what it’s like, and we want to make sure that every student’s safety is paramount,” said CPS Chief Operating Officer Chris Burkhardt.

While the district says they understand why parents may be apprehensive about the change, all students can get to school and home with one transfer or less.

“Last year we made a lot of changes and we saw the fruits of that labor whereby our on-time percentage went from the 40s and 50 percent up to 90 percent. And so this year we hope to take that to the next level,” Burkhardt explained.

Unlike many smaller districts, CPS contracts out its yellow bus services using private companies like First Student, Peterman and UTS.

While they do all their own hiring, Burkhart says it’s still been a struggle because there simply aren’t enough CDL drivers out there. He says it’s been an issue for more than a decade but the pandemic means even fewer drivers for busing.

“This is not going to stop anytime soon - it’s going to continue to be a pain point for every industry that needs CDL drivers,” he said.

As another school year gets underway, area districts have their plans in place. But the shortage of drivers is far from being a problem they can leave in their rearview.

The driver shortage is on the Ohio School Board Association’s radar.

The organization’s senior transportation consultant tells FOX19 NOW that the issue is not improving and that districts around the state are either reducing their busing eligibility areas or determining more transportation to be “impractical” for students who require extensive time or distance.

That allows them to maximize the seating capacity, but unfortunately, it’s leaving a lot of families in the lurch.

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