GCCS shifting gears in attempt to get around bus driver shortage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Sometimes, it's not a big yellow school bus picking up some students at Greater Clark County Schools.

With a shortage of bus drivers, every worker in the transportation department might have to chip in, using all available vehicles.

“We’re using every available vehicle we can to get these kids home safely,” the district’s Transportation Director Daniel Borders said.

Employees who don’t have a license to drive a full-sized school bus are jumping behind the wheel of sedans, SUVs and 14-passenger buses owned by the district. It’s all due to a shortage of about 15 bus drivers.

Borders has worked in the transportation department for many years at GCCS, and returned less than a week ago to run it. Now, he finds himself trying to steer more parents into the profession of driving a bus.

“We would have, (I'd) say, up to 15 to 20 parents that have reached out to us and say 'I would love to drive a bus,'" he said.

Borders said that response from parents comes out of the need for drivers and the benefits offered by the district.

“It’s one of the only places where you can work part-time hours and get full-time benefits,” he said.

Those benefits include health care for an entire family at no charge, with no copays. The starting salary is around $16 an hour, but the district is currently negotiating a deal to bump that number higher.

For many, the thought of getting behind the wheel of a 40-foot bus might be intimidating, but Borders said that usually dissipates early in training.

“It’s actually easier to drive a bus than a personal vehicle, and the reason being is that you’re sitting up so high you can see everything around you. You’ve got eight mirrors," Borders said. "The training takes anywhere from one to six months, however long it takes someone to get ready for the driving test.

Borders hopes that GCCS will have a full slate of drivers by the end of the year. He said that would ease stress in the department, allow mechanics to stay in the garage and office staff to remain at their desks. But for now, some will be jumping behind the wheel of a car, SUV or small bus to make sure all the students make it to and from school. Borders also said full-size bus drivers might have to do a little extra.

“If we have to have a driver pay a driver extra to do their route and do an extra route after hours, we’re willing to do that," he said. "That’s our promise to parents. If we get them to school, we’re going to get them home."

Borders said he appreciates parents' patience as some students might be getting home late, whether it's in a 40-foot bus or a family SUV.