Methods to Combat Bus Driver Shortages Show Mixed Results

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 -- 10:00 AM

(AP) The bus driver shortages plaguing companies across the country continue into 2023, an issue federal and state officials are trying to address with continued changes to license testing.

According to some companies, it is a measure with mixed results. “A number of items had been going to encourage people to return to the school bus industry,” said Wisconsin DMV administrator Kristina Boardman.

“The federal government did say, ‘okay, we’re in this crisis, we’re trying to attract more school bus drivers, this is something simple that we can offer states,’ it’s absolutely voluntary the state can choose whether or not to offer this exemption.”

Boardman says the exemption avoids the under-the-hood part of the Commercial Driver’s License test, where the tested must identify different engine parts. She says it is not part of the day-to-day of a school bus driver, and in an effort to get more drivers behind the wheel of a school bus, the exemption was first offered as an option in 2022. It was set to expire last November, now extended through November 27th of, 2024.

“They’re obviously familiar with all the safety equipment inside the bus, but identifying these things in the engine compartment is really something that people were a little nervous about it kind of tricked him up during the pre-trip inspection,” said Boardman.

According to Wisconsin DOT, 69 drivers took advantage of the exemption to get a school bus driver’s license between January and September 2022. However, some bus companies say it is simply not moving the needle.

“No, this is not helping,” said the regional manager for Kobussen Buses, Simon Gillham. “It’s really not; they may think it is, but it’s not making a dent.” He says the move helps retain drivers when they renew their licenses but does little to bring in new drivers through the doors.

He adds that while he appreciates federal and state officials trying to make changes to bolster the workforce, it is not helping a school bus industry still in desperate need of drivers. Gillham also said as far as what could work, they have tried seemingly everything to remedy the issue.

“Well, if there is, we haven’t thought of it, and we thought of a lot so far increasing wages in Having an attendance bonus, you know, trying to improve benefits were possible offering full-time hours to people,” said Gillham.

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