MILWAUKEE — As students head back to school, some districts are dealing with a shortage of bus drivers once again. It was a problem born out of the pandemic, but even years later qualified drivers are still hard to come by.
In New Berlin, the district contracts with Durham Transportation for their bus service.
General Manager of Durham Transportation Michael Bennett says, “At this point, I could use six more drivers.”
Bennett admits that this year is worse than last when it comes to finding drivers. TMJ4 asked how many drivers his area is down.
“If you include me, we are right where we need to be to start. But we know that not everybody shows up on the first day,” said Bennett.
According to HopSkipDrive, a transportation solutions company, in a recent study, 92% of school districts surveyed said their transportation options were constrained by a driver shortage. 30% of them severely. All the demand for drivers has driven up pay. In New Berlin, drivers can earn as much as $23 an hour and some are eligible for bonuses.
At Milwaukee Public Schools, where early start students are already in class, the district’s Director of Transportation David Fifarek says they are on track for success. The early start gives them a test run of all the routes needed after Labor Day.
“It does allow us for those two weeks before the traditional school start, to just kind of iron out the address changes and the bus logistical issues that get identified,” said Fifarek.
55% to 60% of the students in the district need a ride to classes. Fifarek says the district contracts with eight yellow bus companies and eight other transportation companies so that they have options.
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