Posted November 24, 2023

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If the shortage of school bus drivers truly is a national epidemic, the federal government must step up and play a more central role in decreasing the slump. Yes, more money allotted specifically to school districts for increased driver pay is step one. Enough said.

And not that it isn’t happening, but the monies are being poured into antiquated business models.

A school system may get a budget increase for bus transportation, but it's rarely enough and transportation directors are asked to perform a hat trick on a shoestring budget. New buses aren't cheap (in case you weren't sure). And once the new buses are acquired, you still need warm bodies to drive them. And if the transportation department is operating from age-old marketing, recruitment, and retention designs, then the money was wasted, right? Something about doing the same thing the same way expecting different results…

So, is increased pay truly the answer? I haven’t seen the statistics yet, but I want to see how many school bus systems have raised their pay rates recently and have shown a noticeable, say 5-7%, increase in retention. I’m waiting to see. Insert the “OLD WINE IN NEW WINE SKINS” parable here.

The need to combat the growing challenge of the school bus driver shortage is confounding, to say the least. If we dissect the issue, we see the core of the equation is people. People of different social and cultural experiences. People of different financial and economic experiences. For the record, I do not believe that politics should ever be a part of any work environment, but sadly, politics have become a part of today’s workforce dynamic as well.

Many are educated. Many are simply high school graduates. Many are retired. Many need the job. Many believe in earning a fair day’s pay for their labor. And many view work through a more fluid perspective.

The many facets of school bus drivers today mean that management must be sensitive to an array of socioeconomic triggers that may have been dismissed in another era. And these triggers become compounded when configured into Ol’ Skool business models.

Management’s role is to get the students to school and back home safely, and timely, when capable. But calling on drivers who are already overworked, and may feel underpaid or under-appreciated, to work more in often hostile environments while operating a 16-ton, 35-foot vehicle loaded with numerous adolescent personalities in relentless traffic conditions does not add up to a healthy working environment nor work experience. It doesn’t always equate to your driving staff, making decisions in real time about their livelihood and mental stability, that this is a job or career worth committing to in the midst of a challenging scenario, increased pay be damned.

But I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know. The real question is how do we fix it? How do we make it better? Can we make it better? Is there a win-win situation for drivers and school systems?

Seve Adigun

Executive Director, TeamDriveSAFE, [email protected]

Seve Oba Adigun is a 30-year veteran of passenger transportation and organizational behavioral analysis/management. He is the founder of Drivertude: From the Pavement to the People, Advocacy for Passenger Transportation Professionals.