Due to a shortage of school bus drivers, a school transportation provider in Pittsburg announced it will double its employees’’ wages, reported the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.
A school bus driver shortage has always been an issue. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the situation since many drivers left their jobs for more secured work. David Sustain, president of Sun Coach Lines, told the newspaper that his company would be offering school bus drivers with commercial licenses an increase of more than double their previous average rate. This would guarantee a rate of $168 per day, rather than $80 per day.
Sustain said he aims is to hire at least 50 new drivers this summer but is willing to hire as twice that. He believes that the families of Pittsburg deserve to be able to obtain a safe and reliable transportation. In order to apply, candidates must be twenty-three years or older.
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Meanwhile, the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina held a school bus driver job fair, in an attempt to hire new drivers, reported WRAL.ComÂ
The district also approved up to $1,200 in signing bonuses for new drivers. Applicants must bring their North Carolina license number to start the screening process. Twenty-one schools offered the drive-thru option for applicants.
District officials anticipate having around 700 bus drivers on staff for the upcoming year but need at least 85 more.
