Across the country we are seeing a shortage of school bus drivers.
“I’d say over the past 5 years it’s been a lot tougher to find drivers willing to take on the job and responsibility that is placed upon a school bus driver,” Timothy McIlwain says.
McIlwain, the vice president of McIlwain Charters and Tours, says his company feels lucky with drivers that are returning. Although they are welcoming new drivers, he’s not facing the issues he says many other companies or schools have.
“In some cases owners, managers, mechanics, anybody who has a license and is able to drive is on the road, which just puts everything else backed up with your maintenance.”
McIlwain mainly contributes the issue to strict government regulations and the mandates being put on contractors and drivers, which is changing the process of how to become a bus driver.
He tells WTAJ that if someone walked in today and wanted to be a bus driver it would take at least 8-to-10 weeks before they were out on the road.
“It’s the paperwork and the permitting process to become a school bus driver that contributes to the time. There’s certain requirements such as the child abuse history, criminal clearances, and the state is backed up so far to get those complete is one thing, but to get those back from the state is another.”
Drivers then have to take a written test, complete six-hours of training, and pass a road test. For schools that are having this shortage issue in Pennsylvania, McIlwain says many are consolidating runs. He believes the best way to fix this is for lawmakers to come together and come up with common sense solutions that don’t place so many unfunded government mandates on the industry.
“School student safety is the number one priority with schools and contractors, but I just think there’s a better way that the lawmakers can help.”