School districts across the United States are still struggling to recruit and retain enough school bus drivers, forcing them to compete with other employers for a limited pool of qualified workers even as wages rise. The shortage is part of a broader, years-long challenge for pupil transportation that began well before the pandemic and has persisted despite repeated pay increases.

School bus driver employment remained 9.5% below 2019 levels in August 2025, even as inflation-adjusted hourly wages rose 4.2% over the previous year, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis. The employment figures are based on 12-month rolling averages of federal survey data.

"The wages are simply too low," Wething told FOX Business, identifying pay as the primary reason the workforce has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Scheduling also presents challenges. School bus drivers often work split shifts — an early-morning route followed by several hours off before an afternoon route — making the position less attractive than trucking, delivery, transit or other jobs that offer higher pay or more predictable hours. Becoming a school bus driver also requires a commercial driver's license with school bus and passenger endorsements, plus background checks and training requirements that add time and cost before a new hire can ever drive a route.

Wething also cautioned against assuming that people classified as outside the labor force are available to fill these positions. That category can include retirees, students, caregivers and people with disabilities.

The East Greenbush Central School District in New York experienced these staffing pressures firsthand during the 2025-2026 school year. When Superintendent Kurtis Kotes took over in July 2025, the district was short nearly 14 bus runs. Mechanics, dispatchers and other employees holding the required licenses had to help cover routes.

"We had to consolidate runs," Kotes told FOX Business. "It meant students were late being picked up from home. Sometimes it meant they were late getting back home again, and it would impact instructional time."

The district responded with a "bus rodeo" recruitment event that let prospective drivers try operating a school bus with trainers, even if they did not yet hold a commercial driver's license. Kotes said the event produced approximately five to eight hires.

East Greenbush pays drivers roughly $28 an hour and offers health benefits, which Kotes said can be an important recruiting and retention tool as the district competes with an Amazon warehouse, other public-sector employers and seasonal work such as snowplowing.

"The issue becomes… health benefits behind that for people that are looking at this as a primary source of income," he said.

The district also tries to give drivers opportunities for additional hours in the middle of the day, including field trips and custodial or cleaning assignments. Some drivers take other part-time jobs to supplement their income.

Administrators have also worked to gain a better understanding of the job. Kotes and the district's interim human resources director obtained their own licenses to support the transportation department and better understand the work.

Kotes spent five weeks training before earning a Class B CDL with school bus and passenger endorsements. His training covered defensive driving, student management, safety procedures, emergency response and vehicle inspections before he completed a road test. He drove his first student route in December 2025.

Kotes does not drive a daily route but helps cover sports and after-school runs when needed. He said the district is now in a better staffing position, though competition for workers remains.

Wething said the expiration of federal pandemic-relief funding has put additional pressure on school systems. That funding helped districts hire support staff, including bus drivers, but districts must now maintain transportation services with tighter budgets. School transportation is typically a mandated service that districts are legally required to provide, particularly for students with disabilities and those living beyond state-defined walking distances, which limits districts' ability to cut service when staffing falls short.

For families, a shortage of drivers can mean late pickups, longer rides, consolidated routes and other transportation disruptions. For districts, closing the gap may require more than higher hourly wages: benefits, additional hours, training support and retention efforts all play a role in competing for workers.

Kotes said compensation is only part of the equation, with workplace culture also important in keeping drivers on staff.

"When people feel like they're valued, they're going to want to work here," he said.

Source: Fox Business