Bus driver shortages force temporary scheduling changes as school year begins
It’s a great time to start a career as a school bus driver. Mirror file photo, courtesy of Manchester Transportation Department
by Marsha Chartrand
On Friday afternoon, parents across the district received a surprising email alert from Dr. Brad Bezeau, Superintendent of Schools.
“As we begin the 2022–23 school year, and in addressing our current bus driver shortage, we have partnered with the employment service Michigan Educational Transportation Services (METS) as an additional tool in the recruiting and hiring of additional bus drivers to address our current shortage of drivers.“
Despite a few promising applicants, and the tireless efforts of Transportation Supervisor Karen Lorincz, the district still remains with only three drivers for its six current routes.
“And six routes is the bare bones we can manage,“ Lorincz said. “We have already consolidated routes as far as we can, and we only have one substitute driver. He is retired and can’t always take on a route if someone calls in sick in the morning. There are already days when I have to call parents and apologize that their kids won’t be able to ride the bus that day.“
The bus driver shortage is a crisis in many districts, which Lorincz says is some consolation, but because the Manchester district is so small, she is not aware of any other nearby districts that have had to take as drastic measures as they have here.
Bezeau explained that the school, in partnership with METS, has examined several different options to make things work. They have contacted former, retired, and interested drivers from other districts, increased the hourly pay rate by $6 per hour, and added a $1,000 sign-on bonus from METS.
“We know that this will be temporary as we continue our work with METS and other recruiting options,“ he said. “What we’ve decided on, and please know that this is not ideal, and is hopefully only temporary, is to run an A/B route schedule while we look to train two to three additional drivers and be back to our regular route system by October.“ This schedule is as follows:
A Day Route: Students on Buses 17, 22, and 23 will receive transportation service on Monday, Wednesday, and the First and Third Fridays of the Month
B Day Route: Students on Buses 2 and 18 will receive transportation service on Tuesday, Thursday, and the Second and Fourth Fridays of the Month
Lorincz knows this is not going to be easy for parents, students, or transportation staff, and she particularly wants to thank all parents for their patience while they get through this period of being understaffed.
“Dr. Bezeau’s email from Friday pretty much sums it up,“ she said. “We are short staffed but doing our very best to get the students to school with the few drivers we have. If you think you may be interested in becoming a bus driver, please reach out to METS transportation or contact me at klorincz@mcs.k12.mi.us.“
In particular, Lorincz wants to point out that there are several perks to being a bus driver! If you have school-age children in the district, you can bring them to work with you. You will have the same days off as your kids. You can do extra trips to earn extra income — there are field trips during the day and athletic trips after your afternoon run. And, especially if you live in Manchester, you don’t have to drive far to get to work!
Bezeau concluded his letter by saying, “This is certainly not ideal, and we hope and will push for this to be a temporary solution in order for us to re-establish all five routes on a daily basis with full service, but we will continue to work closely with the Transportation Department, METS, and anyone who might be interested in driving for us.“
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