"If This Person Is Gone, We Can't Even Go to School"…The 'Precious Figure' Rising as a Job in the US

Shortage of School Bus Drivers... Classes Canceled
Expert: "Low Wages for School Bus Drivers Are the Cause"

Some areas in the United States are reportedly struggling due to a shortage of school bus drivers. As a result, some schools have delayed the start of the semester, and students are arriving home late.

According to a report by The Washington Post (WP) on the 2nd (local time), in Howard County, Maryland, school buses arrived an hour late or did not show up at all on the first day of school, September 28.

Howard County ultimately was unable to operate 20 school bus routes for a week. Angered parents demanded the resignation of the superintendent and the replacement of the school bus operating company, and on the 1st, the school district’s chief operating officer resigned.

Howard County is located between Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, and the U.S. capital Washington, DC, with a student population of about 57,000.

WP explained, “Howard County is just one example,” adding that “several school districts across the U.S. are facing similar difficulties.” Due to the shortage of school bus drivers in many districts, students are either boarding buses earlier or arriving home later after classes.

According to a report by the online media Axios, the percentage of school principals reporting difficulties with student transportation due to a shortage of school bus drivers increased from 78% in 2021 to 88% last year, and currently stands at 92%.

Prince George’s County, adjacent to Howard County, is also short 210 drivers out of a total of 1,200. As a result, the remaining drivers are covering additional routes. Charlottesville, Virginia, notified parents that it will not operate 12 school bus routes for the new semester.

Chicago public schools have only been able to hire half of the needed drivers and are providing school bus services only to some students, including those with disabilities. In July, they announced plans to provide transit cards to the remaining students.

New York City, the largest school district in the U.S., announced plans to provide Uber and Lyft rides to students with disabilities or from immigrant families after the possibility of a bus drivers’ strike arose on the first day of school, August 29.

In Louisville Jefferson County, Kentucky’s largest school district, some students did not arrive home until 10 p.m. on the first day of school due to disruptions in bus operations. Ultimately, classes had to be canceled for over a week while the issue was being resolved.

Local experts cited low wages as one of the causes of the shortage of school bus drivers. Erica Groshen, economic advisor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and former director of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), pointed out, “It seems schools have employed drivers at low wages for a very long time, and that aspect needs to be examined.”

The labor shortage is not limited to drivers and other general staff. WP also reported on the 24th of last month that “as it becomes increasingly difficult to find teachers in the U.S., many students are being taught by temporary teachers who lack expertise or qualifications.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.