Delaware faces bus driver shortage

There are enough buses, but not enough drivers. Companies operating school buses in Delaware say they’re having trouble filling the drivers’ seats.

It’s looking tight for some districts. Laurel’s transportation director says they’re down a driver and are looking to borrow one from a neighboring district.

On the other hand, the Indian River School district has found enough temporary drivers to cover those they lost over the summer. However, it’s not a permanent fix.

Local busing company owner Gerald Dutton says this shortage happens almost every year and claims it’s mainly due to the lack of appeal in the position.

He says it can take months to get the proper license. background checks, and appropriate tests to become a school bus driver.

Gerald Dutton, the president of Dutton Bus Service says, “To make something like thirteen to sixteen dollars an hour for four hours to five hours a day…it makes you think. You have to have the right mentality to deal with kids.”

According to the Transportation Working Group, more than sixteen hundred school buses were on the roads in Delaware last year.