

- #CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE DRIVERS#
- #CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE DRIVER#
- #CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE LICENSE#
This is a difficult task for them," he said.
#CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE DRIVER#
"Essentially, the requirement makes a driver candidate actually lift the hood of the vehicle, which in some cases, if they're short or if there are some cases, they're a little older.
#CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE LICENSE#
One key element to the long list of duties is identifying school bus engine components.Ĭurt Macysyn, the executive director at the National School Transportation Association, explained applicants must pass an under-the-hood requirement to obtain their school bus commercial driver license or CDL. And so, it's quite a responsibility." Under-the-hood solution "Not only are you responsible for a very large vehicle that is complicated to drive … but you're also responsible for all the lives on that bus. You must pass background checks or other training," said McGee-Hewitt. McGee-Hewitt told Hearst National Investigative Unit that benefits, low pay, a surge of retirements, and stress are some of the reasons behind the nationwide shortage. It does not hit every state equally… But I doubt there is a school district in the country that isn't impacted by this shortage in one way or another." "This is a national issue, and it even exceeds to our Canadian friends," she said. Molly McGee-Hewitt, who heads the National Association for Pupil Transportation, explains she's seen the shortage stretch far and wide. And so, it's really important that there is transportation that can respond to those needs." Reasons behind the shortage They're moving multiple times to different places. "When you think about those groups, students were experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care are often highly mobile. "We're really seeing it reach a crisis point with having so many students who still need to get to school, especially students who are highly mobile, students who have special needs," said Millum, who noted low-income students are also affected.

The report also investigated which students were affected most. Campbell Millum, vice president of communications, explained that although the shortage has been a problem for years, it was "exacerbated by the pandemic."
#CHICAGO SCHOOL BUS SHORTAGE DRIVERS#
This summer, 92% of school districts and transport companies responding to HopSkipDrive reported a lack of drivers is affecting their operations. In 2021, the transportation company HopSkipDrive started keeping tabs on the school bus driver shortage through a national survey. So, my son-in-law or my daughter has to take them to school," said Cindy Genung.

"A lot of times, my grandsons will be at the bus stop, and sometimes the bus doesn't show up. In a Baltimore suburb, for some students, the bus was a no-show. "I had to wait there for four hours at school before the bus came, and it was kind of terrifying," said Terry, a 10-year-old student in Louisville. At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Jefferson County Public Schools, the largest district in Kentucky, was forced to cancel classes for several days after students waited hours for a school bus to get them home safely.
