The driver shortage is easing,keeping more mechanics in the shop rather than behind the wheel.
Photo: Durham School Services
Is the driver shortage easing? Are maintenance costs stabilizing? How is tech pay tracking? School Bus Fleet’s 2025 survey reveals the latest trends in school bus maintenance as operators spoke out about what’s happening in and out of their shop for the 2024-25 school year.
Top Takeaways from This Year’s Maintenance Survey
Propane is gaining popularity, as it grew 46% in usage from previous years. This points to increased alt-fuel adoption.
Fleet buses are getting younger, with 8.3 years old the average age reported this year (it hasn’t been that low in 15 years!), and the average retirement age dropping by one year, too.
Diversified fleets are on the rise: All bus types (A-D) and number of bus makes maintained increased this year. And, more school districts are maintaining a mix of fuel types and bus models.
In line with other recent data, the driver shortage is lessening, at least in terms of maintenance techs having to step in and cover routes. This year, 32% of fleets said their techs said they never had to get behind the wheel, up from 25% last year.
One completely unchanged data point from previous years are parts and equipment prices, with no respondents witnessing any relief in cost. Not surprisingly, parts prices and availability also made the top concern reported.
Technician pay sees another boost, with hourly wages 18.5% higher than last year’s average.
The staffing shortage, maintaining older buses, and costs were some of the other pain points noticed.
Technology adoption is growing, with nearly 60% of fleets now using maintenance software.
We saw a drop in women maintenance techs this year — 6% down to 1% — but that may be an anomaly based on respondents this year and not necessarily a larger trend.
