FRANKLIN CO., Va. – Franklin County Public Schools are facing a growing shortage of bus drivers, with the district currently needing three elementary drivers and six drivers for middle and high school routes.
The district has tried to spread the word about the shortage through flyers, banners and word of mouth. When routes go uncovered, other staff members step in to help.
Dr. Andrew Nester, director of operations for FCPS, said mechanics and office staff are often called upon to cover routes.
“Including mechanics and office staff, there are days we pull drivers from both to cover routes,” Nester said.
When office staff are short, parents sometimes have to drive their children to school or to designated bus stops.
These routes are called Star Routes. They allow parents to drop students off a predetermined meeting spot, eliminating the bussses’ need to go to every stop on the route.
But these are only used in critical times for the middle/high school busses. For the direst shortages in elementary schools, parents sometimes have to drive students to school.
The shortage also affects transportation to after-school activities. Franklin County runs three buses for these events, which are harder to staff because they run later at night.
“With it being that time of the evening, people want to be home with their families,” Nester said.
Some of these buses travel as far as Virginia Beach, making scheduling even more challenging.
“For athletic events out of town, we pull drivers from regular routes and cover those with mechanics,” Nester explained.
Jessica Mathena, a bus driver with nearly 15 years of experience, said the job is rewarding despite the challenges.
“I always say, if you like your job, you never work a day in your life,” Mathena said.
She admitted the shortage can wear on drivers.
“We just have to pull together as a team and make it happen every day, which can make for long days,” Mathena said.
With 44 days left of summer break, the clock is ticking for Franklin County to fill these critical positions. Officials did say they have some drivers in training, but potential drivers have to go through over 40 hours of training before being sent out on their own.