CINCINNATI — Across the state, yellow school buses are returning to the roadway.
Some Ohio schools are already underway with others just days away from their first day of classes. But as those yellow giants return to their lots, drivers are parking under banners with a now-ubiquitous phrase, “Now Hiring.”
Staffing shortages have been a persistent problem for many bus companies after a difficult 2020 school year and hiring managers report it’s been harder than ever to compete for employees for the 2021-2022 school year.
In the Cincinnati area, most school districts rely on transportation from four companies: First Student, Universal Transportation Systems, Petermann and Queen City Transportation.
For much of the 2020-2021 school year, the companies had to contend with schools oscillating between in-person, hybrid schedules, and remote learning with little advance notice.
Tom Nicolaus, the vice president of operations at UTS, said while he understood the need to adapt throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the instability was difficult on drivers.
“We found that a lot of our veteran drivers were leaving, trying to find a job that would be more secure whether (than) work from home or wherever so they were leaving this industry because of that uncertainty,” he said.
This year, schedules appear much more stable.
Nicolaus said all seven districts UTS works with have committed to in-person learning so UTS is anticipating regular routes.
Kenn Jones, the senior location manager for First Student, said his company is as well, but he said working to return to normal staffing levels has been difficult.
“We’re affected like any other industry,” he said. “It was difficult pre-COVID 19 and with the onset of the pandemic it’s made it all that much more difficult.”
Buses need 10% more staff than they have routes every day to ensure they can always provide timely, reliable transportation.
One factor he believes is contributing to the problem is the demands of the job.
Bus drivers are responsible for providing transportation for one of the largest groups of unvaccinated people — kids under 12 years old.
As safety is the top priority for school bus drivers, Jones said First Student takes that role seriously.
Jones said they're working with the districts to develop COVID-19 safety plans in line with their social distancing and mask guidelines.
“So it would be one student to a seat,” he said. “Some districts might want one student to every other seat.”
All Cincinnati Public Schools will require masks in school and on the bus and drivers are subject to the same rules.
“We go with what the district would have us do,” Jones said. "To accommodate and keep safe, both our employees and those students that we’re transporting.”
In addition to hosting job fairs and recruiting events throughout the summer, both First Student and UTS said they raised driver wages and added more bonuses to attract new drivers.
The companies said they will be able to transport students for the upcoming year based on their current staffing levels but they may have managers step in to take over routes or rely more heavily on substitute drivers.
At UTS, Terrie Shearer, Sr., a veteran driver turned manager, helps train and recruit new drivers. Shearer shares his own story to convince others to give it a shot.
“I started out as a parent who saw my kids standing at the bus stop and I said, ‘You know what? The best person to drive my kids would be me,’” he said.
When he got behind the wheel he said he was surprised how easy and safe the bus was to handle.
Due to district rules, he never did get to drive his own kids, but Shearer said he took pride in handling Cincinnati’s most precious cargo and still relishes his chances to get back behind the wheel.
“I love it,” he said.
Though he started as a part-time driver, Shearer said he rose through the ranks of area bus companies quickly and he tells anyone interested in driving to consider the long-term opportunities of the job.
“Driving a school bus it’s the opportunity to have a great future in the bus industry,” he said.