LEXINGTON, Ky. — Many school districts in the state, including Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), have faced a bus driver shortage that's led to canceled bus routes since the start of the school year.
FCPS has mitigated the issue by creating a scheduled notice of bus cancellations and delays to give families more time to make alternate plans.
What You Need To Know
- Schools across the state are facing a bus driver shortage
- FCPS is mitigating the issue by creating a scheduled notice of bus cancellations and delays to give families more time
- They're also hiring and training new bus drivers
- The trained bus drivers will drive buses once they earn their permit
Now, there’s some relief.
“You got two cones coming into position. I can't see them. Edge up a little more,” said Jimmy Morton, a bus driver trainee as he chatted with his trainer Ricky Barnes.
It’s the first time Morton is trying a bus driving skill called "Diminishing Clearance."
Barnes guides and advises on repeat to drive the bus through the cones.
“This time, make sure you go down far enough so you can come in straighter, 'cause you’re cutting yourself off and you’re not coming straight enough," Barnes said, teaching Morton. "Do it again. I ain't going to help you this time. You’re on your own."
Being behind the wheel wasn’t part of Morton's plan. He's retired from Kentucky Utilities and does landscaping on the side.
“I was really inspired by a guy that was my real high in the FBI and then he left the FBI and then became a big corporate executive,” Morton said.
Morton is referencing the story in The Washington Post of retired FBI official Mike Mason, now working as a bus driver.
“And then, he left that and he was sitting on the porch one day and he saw a school bus and he decided, ‘Hey, I think I'll drive a school bus.’ So I was really inspired by that guy. I thought I do the same thing,” Morton said.
And that inspiration travels — in another bus is recent college graduate Isaiah McCall.
“We kind of just do real-life situations and just basically see what we can run into that we would actually run into when we actually get out there driving our own buses,” McCall said.
For McCall, this is a starting point into the school district.
“I went to school for sports administration. So I'm hoping to help with the athletic side of things in the high school setting,” McCall said.
His trainer Mike Hardesty said they’re working to fill the bus driver shortage gap.
“There's all kinds of skills, we call this a bus rodeo. It's officially called that by the state,” Hardesty said.
He and his team are teaching the technical aspects and providing hands-on experience in riding a bus.
“And we sort of have fun with it and we teach them the dimensions of the bus. And it's particularly important for someone who's only driven a car before because you're dealing with a 40 foot vehicle,” Hardesty said.
The district says there are at least 20 people working toward their driving permits and 24 people who are studying right now.
“This is new, this level of shortages we've had. We've had to scramble and do a lot of things to cover routes but we're making up, we're making up ground. We're always training at one point or another. We're always filling positions,” Hardesty said.
But he says the pandemic caused the shortages, which created new opportunities for people like McCall.
“I would say it's the interactions I have with the kids, because a lot of the kids come in and they're in a good mood and tell you about that day. You know, it's just a nice positive feeling every day. So it's one thing that keeps me coming every day,” McCall said.
Hardesty said their goal is following the Christmas break to be in full or close to full capacity.