We know that many school bus operators are still feeling the pinch of not having enough drivers. It’s routinely at the top of the list of concerns when we ask districts and contractors what keeps them up at night. 

The biggest hit from the pandemic has improved. School bus driver employment has increased modestly in the last year, but is still 9.5% lower than 2019, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

A 2025 HopSkipDrive report said that nine in 10 school administrators say their level of transportation service has either stayed the same or increased while 73% have reduced budgets; 81% still face a driver shortage; and 26% have cut or shortened bus routes as a result.

In many places, even if there are enough route drivers, there’s still a need for subs and activity drivers. Case in point in 2025: Kyrene School District in Arizona cut athletic transportation for this very reason.

“What’s different now is how districts and their partners have learned to adapt,” Denis Gallagher Jr., SVP of operations at STA, wrote on LinkedIn. “Smarter recruiting, stronger retention efforts, and creative scheduling have also made a difference. Whether it’s adjusting pay where contracts allow, strengthening partnerships with unions, or building up training and retention, we’ve found ways to keep buses rolling and kids safe.”

School bus drivers have seen a 4.2% hourly wage increase in the past year, the quickest rate since the pandemic, EPI notes.

Not all districts can offer wage increases and incentives, and even when they can, those go only so far when other barriers remain. 

In Iowa, benefits and hours — not necessarily wages — are the biggest hurdle. 

Some directors there also say student and parent management drives some drivers away. Especially when they don’t feel supported when reporting issues. After all, we know that there is much more to driving a school bus than operating the vehicle. 

In an October 2025 episode of Pennsylvania Newsmakers, Gerry Wosewick, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, cited the long 12-week training and licensing process as a significant barrier. “If we could modernize the CDL process and make this a little bit easier to work with, especially where our talent pool is coming from, we could get more drivers in the door, and we could do a big number on eliminating this driver shortage.”

David Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association, agreed, noting that some candidates back out after hearing what is required. “We are working to streamline what we can control — especially for state-required training — since much of it is already covered through the federal Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) program,” he said.

The growth in the number of students with special needs and IEPs has increased the need for specialized transportation. In Chicago alone, the number of differently abled students who needed school transportation increased by 32% from 2023 to 2024. 

Drivers of students with special needs require more training and specialized skillsets, making it even harder to find appropriate drivers. “While patience is certainly a quality that any school bus driver must possess, we always look to recruit drivers who are especially empathetic, compassionate, and able to exhibit calm in stressful situations to reduce anxiety for our passengers and their caregivers,” Don Tibbets, CEO of Sunrise Transportation said. 

Alternative transportation companies can provide rides for students who may not be able to ride the big yellow bus in certain instances, such as homelessness, foster care, extreme medical need, or proximity outside district boundaries. In fact, EverDriven recently reported an 18% increase in demand, illustrating that districts need outside support.

Routing Takes Center Stage

• “Two schools cancel classes due to school bus driver shortage”

• “1,000+ Plano students lose bus service after district redefines routes deemed hazardous to walk”

• “Columbus City Schools cancels bus transportation for around 1,380 private school students”

• “Ohio’s largest district considers ending high school buses”

These are all real headlines from local news this past fall.

When the driver shortage becomes so severe that bus service is cancelled entirely, or a school doesn’t even open their doors, the problem becomes much larger. Not only does it take valuable educational and social opportunities from students, it also almost always garners negative media attention and community outcry. And that means more phone calls from parents and strain on the transportation team.

Jenny Robinson, transportation general manager at Bethlehem Area School District in Pennsylvania, points out that trust is often lost from administrators and the community when there are news stories about routes being cut.

There is a flip side, though. Creative routing and bell time changes can alleviate some of that strain. 

“When I was at Van Meter, we adjusted bell times so that all drivers could run a second route after their first one,” Johnson said. “Each driver had a long rural route and a shorter city route, which helped us cover everything efficiently. Other districts have even started sharing drivers with neighboring districts.”

Tips to Find More Drivers 

Increased driver wages, sign-on bonuses, and paid training are popular tactics, and in many cases, get to the root of what drivers want. 

Johnson suggests asking other district staff, such as janitors, food service workers, or paraprofessionals who may not get enough hours in one position. “By combining roles, they can earn more money and qualify for benefits,” he said. “Some districts have gone a step further by offering insurance to all drivers, regardless of how many hours they work.” 

Coffee County Schools in Alabama tested a similar tactic, creating blended positions to tap other school employees to drive as a secondary role. It was so successful that it was implemented statewide.

Sean Hollas at Goddard Public Schools in Kansas cited a misconception that driving a bus is hard and will sometimes hire people as paras or non-CDL drivers, then convince them to train and drive bigger buses.

Others say the key is reimagining who we recruit. Perhaps we should think past retirees and do more to entice parents and younger generations to get behind the wheel. 

Robinson believes we’re still largely catering to Boomers, and encourages others to think differently. She suggests targeting younger generations who want to understand the “why.” 

“If our society is moving more toward that gig economy, this is something that could fit in with the right people,” she said.”

“Our experience shows that the new generation of workforce wants a career, not a part-time job,” Dr. Kayne M. Smith, director of transportation services at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, added. “This is why we now offer a year-round calendar for bus drivers, up to eight hours guaranteed per day, and growth opportunities through our leadership development program that we developed in-house.”

For Hollas, after tracking all interviews and hires over a year, he realized that the largest source of applicants came from referrals.

“To get these from our employees, I had to change the culture from within to make this a place where people wanted to work so they would tell their friends,” he said. “We redid the break room, offices, and training room and replaced the old microwaves with broken handles and leaky refrigerator. Employees found a sense of pride and felt valued when we improved the workplace.” 

Hollas also weeded out employees who contributed to a negative culture when he first started. Then he made his drivers feel appreciated by hosting meals, getting to know and being available to them. When he asked the drivers what they wanted, he realized they wanted a chance to compete in the state roadeo.

“I allowed drivers to practice evenings on the clock and paid them to attend the state transportation conference to compete, and we bought them matching team t-shirts,” he said. “In the end, we won the team state championship. I had our maintenance crew build us a trophy case for the breakroom to display our awards. Of course, I could not have done this without the support of my district admin team.”

Smith also encourages transportation directors to work with their district’s communications team to share positive information about the department and its drivers to offset the negative media coverage often shared by local media.

When budgets are so tight that they prevent pay increases or incentives, Robinson advises using data to tell your story and illustrate trends the administration can’t ignore.

When it comes to the intersection of pay and positive culture to solve the driver shortage, Robinson says it must be by design. “It’s a holistic approach, you can't just focus on hourly rates or just focus on culture and let other things suffer. It has to be the total package.”

Success Stories in Action

Sunrise Transportation, a contractor in Illinois and Connecticut with 1,100 buses and vans, has seen measurable success — in fact, they haven’t missed a single route the whole school year.

Sunrise partners with local churches and community organizations to reach individuals who might not otherwise consider driving a bus for students with special needs. They are also developing a program with a local nonprofit that specializes in helping differently abled adults find jobs to recruit and hire aides.

Sunrise also pulls from a similar industry: Over-the-road CDL truckers. “As these professionals advance in their careers, many seek a transition that allows for greater stability, community connection, and the ability to return home each day,” Tibbets said.

Over in Texas, during COVID, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD could sometimes have 100 or more routes without a driver. “Our staff was overwhelmed, working long hours, and was just tired,” Smith said. “Our drivers and attendants were unable to reach their supervisors because they were driving. We were spinning our wheels (pun intended), and if we were to continue there would never be a solution to the problem.”

Smith didn’t want band-aid fixes. He pulled all techs and supervisors off routes in 2024 to allow them to focus on preventive maintenance. Supervisors transitioned from driving to focus on an intensive year-long onboarding program for all new hires, similar to what teachers do. They also recruited from other positions, increased pay, added another tier, and hired full-time substitute drivers at 12% of the total number of routes to assist with coverage. 

“We also put an emphasis on training and support for student behavior by establishing a consistent PBIS model for transportation for all 96 campuses to follow, a no-badge, no-ride program, seat belts, and a consistent student behavior program for all bus riders and campuses,” he said.

Now, Cypress-Fairbanks has just three CDL routes open out of 643, for a 0.47% vacancy.

Editor's Note: This article is part of our 2026 trends analysis exploring key issues to watch this year.

Check out the other articles in this series:

• Where is the Money Going in 2026? Rising Costs, Flat Funding

• Where Is All This Tech Taking Us in 2026?