SPECIAL REPORT
The pandemic, the school bus driver shortage, and supervisor appreciation are influencing school bus driver attitudes about their work
Written By Taylor Hannon
taylor@stnonline.com
W 18 School Transportation News • APRIL 2021
ithout school bus drivers, the wheels don’t go round-and-round. And with an ongoing school bus driver shortage made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, that might become a reality. Yet despite the oodles of responsibility given to drivers, including student
management and increased cleaning, many shared with School Transportation News that they truly love their jobs. And while in some cases they report that they feel they are not treated with the upmost respect they deserve, they continue to wake up early to transport the precious cargo that make their day. Only 19 total school bus drivers responded in February to a salary survey de-
livered to 456 readers with those job titles (STN also posted links to the survey in Facebook driver groups). Still 71 percent of 17 drivers said they feel their supervisor values their position. However, that number decreases to 53 percent of drivers who feel their school district or bus company employer values their position. A West Coast school bus driver, who wished to remain anonymous due to the
sensitivity of the questions, told School Transportation News that being a school bus driver is the most rewarding career she could have. Yet she feels that during the pandemic her district has really dropped the ball.
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