Rotating A
Through Driver Shortage Solutions
n ongoing school bus driver shortage is a major driving factor in districts having to double up on and consolidate routes or implement a rotating service to meet the transportation needs of students. A survey by transpor- tation network company HopSkipDrive revealed that 88 percent of school
district transportation departments reported the bus driver shortage has constrained their school transportation operations, with 30 percent calling the situation “severe.” TransPar Group indicates that in addition to no immediate easing of the ongo-
ing driver shortage, other challenges faced by school districts include a continued shrinking of district and transportation budgets as well as a shortage of transpor- tation staff such as mechanics, qualified routers, supervisors, and dispatchers. Washoe County School District (WCSD) in Reno, Nevada has 361 school buses transporting more than 18,000 of its total 61,000 student enrollment. Scott Lee, the director of transportation, said WCSD began the 2021-2022 school year with a driver staffing shortage but with full transportation service for all eligible students. “Staffing levels quickly eroded due to a low number of new applicants and
increases in driver separations, primarily for higher paying positions at other agen- cies,” he noted. “On Sept. 26, 2021, we implemented double runs in the afternoon ranging from 15 to 45 minutes after the bell. We have more runs to cover in the afternoon due to the compression between primary and secondary bell schedules.” Driver staffing levels continued falling. By Jan. 3, 2022, the district implemented
a hub system—a consolidation of secondary student bus stops. “This created very large bus stops at schools or parks, often with multiple bus-
Responses run the gamut on how to deal with a lack of school bus drivers yet continue or even expand transportation service for students
Written by Carol Brzozowski
loads of students,” said Lee. “This change shortened secondary bus run times and allowed for more efficient pairing or stacking of bus runs. It also allowed for the elimination of the previously implemented double runs.” As driver staffing levels continued falling, the district’s next service model became an area rotation plan for general education students implemented the following month. The region was divided into four areas, each with general edu- cation service suspended for one week per month and regular transportation for the remaining three weeks. “When we made this transition, we had roughly 90 driver vacancies out of 303
allocated positions,” recalled Lee, adding that the model was maintained through the rest of the school year. Driver staffing levels improved by the beginning of the current school year but not enough to begin with full service for general education students. “We had to start the year on the area rotation plan again,” said Lee. “We also offered mileage reimbursement to families that applied during the weeks that had suspended transportation at the IRS rate of $0.625 per mile. “We were also able to restore some general education runs where we identified
a high correlation of student absenteeism during weeks of suspended transpor- tation service as more drivers were hired and trained,” he continued. “When we returned from fall break on Oct. 10, full transportation service was resumed.” Lee noted the driver staffing shortage has been primarily driven by low wages, low unemployment, high demand for CDL drivers in other industries, and inflation.
20 School Transportation News • MARCH 2023
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