District Cancels Some School Bus Routes Due to Driver Shortage
Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools cancels some school bus routes three days in a row. The bus drivers’ union says that the district is 50 to 70 drivers short.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A school district here had to cancel some school bus routes three days in a row last week due to a critical bus driver shortage, WDRB reports.
For the 11th time during the 2016-17 school year, Jefferson County Public Schools canceled some bus service, including seven bus routes on Friday, according to the news source. The school bus drivers’ union told WDRB that the district is 50 to 70 drivers short. Additionally, the district told the news source that 220 school bus drivers were absent during the three days when the bus routes were canceled last week.
Jennifer Breslin, a spokesperson for the district, told WDRB that the shortage is part of a national trend of school bus drivers seeking other opportunities in the improving economy. John Stovall, a spokesperson for the drivers’ union Teamsters Local 783, told the news source that drivers deal with a lot of disrespectful behavior and “are fed up.” Breslin added that the district has made changes to better track and address issues that occur on the bus.
The district has taken drivers from alternative school routes to fill in gaps in other routes and has given some students passes to take public transportation. To recruit drivers, the district is using social media, job fairs, and targeted advertising.
To read the full story, go here.
More Management

5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →
