There has been an ongoing shortage of bus drivers across the nation for several years, and it is an issue that is only growing worse. This shortage of bus drivers has become an increasing problem in Fayetteville, Tennessee during the 2021 - 2022 school year. Both Lincoln County and City schools have a shortage of bus drivers.
Lincoln County schools have 46 drivers and 55 bus routes for the entire county. According to Bill Heath, the director of Lincoln County schools, “Lincoln County currently has 6 unfilled positions, no substitute drivers, and 5 drivers running double or triple routes.” While this issue has been occurring for some time, Heath said “This year is the first time Lincoln County has had to cancel some routes on a regular basis due to both the shortage of drivers and the impact of COVID-19.” For now, there is no permanent solution for this issue in place. Temporarily, current drivers are being compensated to continue running multiple routes and teachers are being recruited to get a bus license. It is also possible that in the future Lincoln County schools will offer higher pay and more benefits, such as insurance, for bus drivers. Lincoln County schools is also using Facebook to spread the word about the changing of bus routes daily on their page “Lincoln County TN School Bus Garage.”
Fayetteville City schools are also struggling with a shortage of bus drivers. According to Eric Taylor, the transportation/facilities director for Fayetteville City Schools, “Fayetteville City bus drivers serve all three schools in the system. Fayetteville City schools has six full bus routes and a ‘shuttle route’ that only runs in the afternoon. We only have seven available drivers when you include myself and another administrator.” Taylor also mentioned that the real issue for Fayetteville City school is a lack of available substitute drivers.
Taylor said, “When one of our regular drivers is unavailable, Jeff Bryant and I take those routes. We combine smaller routes and take those if multiple drivers are unavailable simultaneously. Daniel Henderson, the driver of the shuttle route, has been generous to take a morning route for the first few weeks this year which has helped us considerably. We have worked hard to shield the current drivers from the worst of the increased work related to the national bus driver shortage. Frankly, they do work hard. They have been patient and supportive. Many of them have offered to take on more work when the going has been tough because they are good people who want the best for our students. I’m grateful to have a good team of people to work with.” Unlike Lincoln County schools, Fayetteville City schools have been careful with asking their drivers to double their routes. According to Taylor, “My colleague, Jeff Bryant, has been driving a double route that we hope can go back to a single route on August 31st and I have driven three routes for a brief time during this school year.” Also unlike Lincoln County schools, Fayetteville City schools have been fortunate enough to be able to run every route so far in this school year.
Fayetteville City schools have a plan in motion to help ease the struggle from the shortage of drivers. Currently, they have one teacher who has completed the written test and is trained and ready to take the test with the State. Soon, he should be able to take on a route. They also have two other educators who took written tests this past week, and starting this week will be training in a bus. The plan is to have one driver take a route, and to have the other driver be a substitute and drive for some of the ballgames. Taylor is also planning to add a substitute driver who is an educator from Alabama that has a CDL. According to Taylor, “We should go from famine to feast by the end of this semester if everything goes according to plan. Even so, the need for drivers will continue to exist as we work to replace drivers who may retire in the next few years. ”So, while this may temporarily ease the struggle, it does not make it completely disappear.
While the shortage of bus drivers is a nation-wide issue, there is no definitive reason for why there is a shortage. Taylor’s opinion on the matter that “Many of the people who are qualified to drive a bus can earn a substantial income driving in other ways. There is also a shortage of truck drivers that sees no end in the near future. This has increased demand for qualified CDL drivers. When demand for these individuals increases, pay goes up across the industry. School bus drivers’ pay may lag behind the rest of the field because it’s tied to education funding rather than demand. Therefore, the grass is greener for many new drivers in the trucking industry and private sector.”
If you, or someone you know, would like to apply to drive a bus driver contact contact Keith Gill at 931-433-5733 or Eric Taylor at 931-433-5542.
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