Nearly 300 National Guard members are driving students to school in Massachusetts. In Maryland, driver’s tests and license renewals will be expedited for school bus drivers. And a New Jersey school district is offering some parents a $1,000 flat rate to drive their own kids to school this semester.

What You Need To Know

  • State lawmakers have come up with varying solutions in an attempt to ease a nationwide school bus driver shortage

  • Roughly 25 million children ride a bus to school each day; the industry has faced staffing troubles for years

  • Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker authorized up to 250 National Guard troops to serve at Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell and Lynn school districts

  • Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the Department of Transportation to host a “Bus Drivers’ Day” on Sept. 25 in locations with severe shortages

The increased help and new policies are just a few ways lawmakers are attempting to ease a nationwide school bus driver shortage, which complicated the start of a school year already besieged by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19, contentious disagreement over masking requirements, and the challenge of catching up on educational ground lost as the pandemic raged last year.

The industry has faced staffing troubles for years, challenges that were exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The average age for bus drivers pre-pandemic ranged between 52-56, an aging group becoming only more susceptible to the virus, some of whom might be unwilling to return to a frontline profession with an average national pay of $34,670 as of 2020.

The driver shortfall isn’t new, but the pandemic forced states to employ creative incentives in order to have enough bus drivers to get students to school. 

A survey released by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) at the end of August highlighted these national concerns, saying of the 1,500 respondents, nearly 51% described their district’s school bus shortage as “severe” or “desperate,” with 78% anticipating the driver dearth will get “much worse” or “a little worse” in the coming months.

“As school districts across the country return to in-person learning and COVID continues to have an impact on education in general and school transportation scheduling and logistics in particular, the shortage of school bus drivers has become conspicuous,” NAPT executive director Mike Martin wrote. “But let’s be clear – this is not a new problem. Nor is it easy to solve.”

Roughly 25 million children ride a bus to school each day, according to the American School Bus Council. The vehicles themselves are owned and operated by a variety of public and private contractors in each state. 

Lawmakers have taken varying approaches to address the shortage. 

Last Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker authorized up to 250 National Guard troops to serve at Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell and Lynn school districts. 

“These Guard personnel will be available to serve as drivers of school transport vans known as 7D vehicles to address staffing shortages in certain districts,” the announcement read in part. 

Ohio’s Gov. Mike DeWine is considering a similar measure, saying in a Tuesday press conference the numerous emails he has received from parents and staff highlight the bus driver shortage is “clearly a real, real problem out there.”

“We're looking at manpower situations, so we're looking at who else in our communities in the state has the legal ability to drive a bus and has the skill sets needed to drive a bus,” DeWine said, adding that the state is discussing possible remedies with the Ohio National Guard and hopes to announce a solution in the coming days.

"What I don't know is whether or not we have a viable alternative for these schools," he added.

Several lawmakers across New York have urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to make a similar directive. 

"Over the summer, I raised the alarm over this very issue, and now the chickens have come home to roost,” New York State Assemblyman Mike Lawler said in a statement. “That's why I'm calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to call up the National Guard to act as emergency school bus drivers in districts across New York State, until the bus driver shortage can be resolved.”

Fellow assemblyman Al Stirpe, representing areas surrounding Syracuse, told a local news outlet the bus driver shortage is an “emergency situation,” adding: “This is like floods, and wars, and everything else that you would utilize the National Guard for.”

While Hochul has not yet called in the National Guard, she did issue a number of directives this week aimed at addressing “the school bus driver shortage affecting schools across the state,” per an announcement from the governor’s office. 

The new actions include removing the two-week waiting period between permit and road tests for new drivers, as well as a state-wide outreach campaign to generate increased interest in the profession. 

"While the shortage of school bus drivers is not unique to New York State, I have directed state agencies to utilize creative approaches and use every tool at their disposal to help districts affected by the bus driver shortage, so we can bring in as many qualified bus drivers as possible as quickly as possible,” Hochul wrote in part. 

The governor also said the state is in the process of identifying “longer term strategies that will help to recruit and retain school bus drivers,” which might include “expanded partnerships with other state agencies to help train and recruit drivers.” 

One school district in nearby New Jersey took matters into their own hands and is offering parents two options: Meet certain requirements and be given a one-time, $1,000 payment to drive their children to school, or receive monthly bus tickets for the public N.J. Transit. 

“Like several other districts in the region, the Camden City School District has struggled to secure timely transportation for all of our eligible students,” Neil Dwyer, a spokesperson for the Division of Operations - Transportation, wrote in a letter to parents this week. “We know this has been an incredibly difficult way to start our school year and yet we know we will only overcome these challenges as a community.”

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a directive last Friday aimed at speeding the approval process for new bus drivers, ordering the Maryland Department of Transportation to host a “Bus Drivers’ Day” on Saturday, Sept. 25 in locations with particularly severe shortages. 

“We are grateful to all of the CDL drivers who are willing to step up and serve as school bus drivers,” Hogan said in part. “I have directed MVA to take additional steps to address a critical need in the industry, and at the same time assist schools, parents, and students across the state.”

Qualifications for bus drivers vary by state, although all are required to obtain a commercial driver’s license prior to approval.The profession falls under the purview of each state’s Department of Labor, which has largely contributed to the piecemeal solutions that differ across county and state lines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.