Severely Underpaid And Often Without Benefits: Florida District Struggles To Hire Bus Drivers As Employment Drops To 13.6%

The start of another school year is just around the corner, yet the shortage of bus drivers continues to be a significant obstacle for numerous districts nationwide.

The scarcity of bus drivers not only disrupts transportation networks but also puts additional strain on families. As a result, some districts are compelled to assign drivers to double routes, while others are prioritising yellow bus services for their most vulnerable students.

The problem of bus driver shortages is not a recent development, and educators are still seeking practical solutions. According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the number of bus drivers employed in K-12 schools in September 2023 was approximately 192,400, a 15.1 percent decrease from September 2019.

The Looming Bus Driver Crisis

EPI data reveals that the employment of state and local government school bus drivers has declined by 13.6 percent during the same period, while private school bus driver employment has fallen by 21.5 percent.

"Educators and parents depend on drivers every day to provide kids safe transportation, including students with special needs," National Education Association President Becky Pringle told FOX Business. "Without them, schools around the country simply wouldn't run," she added.

According to Pringle, the shortage of transportation staff can be attributed to their being "severely underpaid" for an extended period. Additionally, she noted that their often lack of benefits makes it "nearly impossible" to recruit and retain employees in these positions.

The problem of insufficient benefits is not limited to school bus drivers. A recent report indicates that some Uber Eats drivers are even subjected to "tip baiting," a practice where tips are reduced after deliveries are completed. So, it is hardly surprising that schools are struggling to recruit and retain sufficient drivers.

The Hillsborough County School District in Florida, the seventh-largest school district in the United States, is just one example of the many districts struggling to find enough bus drivers this year.

According to Tanya Arja, the district's chief of communications, the district transports 78,000 students daily and, despite hiring over 100 new drivers during the summer, still requires 150 additional ones.

Low Pay And Benefits

"One of our issues we are facing is we cannot pay our drivers and other staff as much as neighbouring districts," Arja said. "Nearly all of our surrounding districts have an additional millage increase that voters approved. So they have more funding for salaries," she noted.

Arja also mentioned that the district proposes a millage increase for the upcoming November election. "We have to be able to compete with salaries, so our students can get to school on time and not miss instruction," she said.

To address the driver shortage, some Hillsborough County School District drivers must complete double routes for student pickups. Jude Bruno, president of the Florida PTA, a leading child advocacy organisation, stated that the nationwide driver shortage was "further compounded by the pandemic" and would remain a concern unless wages were increased.

A spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) informed FOX Business that the district is experiencing similar challenges to those faced in Illinois.

Due to the ongoing driver shortage, CPS has been forced "to prioritise yellow bus transportation for our most vulnerable students - our qualifying students with disabilities and Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), two demographic groups that are also both growing in size," the spokesperson said.

CPS has already witnessed a 22 percent increase in students requiring yellow bus transportation on the first day of school this year compared to the previous year.

"As a District, we remain determined to resolve the impact of this bus driver shortage and have employed many strategies to address it, from increased driver wages to ongoing advocacy for reasonable state testing and certification requirements," the district said.

CPS has recently approved a second increase in bus driver incentives and has distributed a $1,000 retention bonus to eligible drivers.

Zach Harig, a spokesperson for Hamilton Community Schools in Michigan, revealed that due to the bus driver shortage, educators, including the current Hamilton High School principal, a retired principal, and a 30-year veteran Hamilton teacher, had obtained their commercial driver's licenses to maintain uninterrupted bus operations.

On the other hand, Pringle is urging leaders across the nation "to provide long-term solutions to fix long-term problems." She emphasises that this "starts with paying bus drivers like the professionals they are so they can serve students safely and reliably."