School Bus Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Kansas School Bus Company Down One-Third of Staff Due to Flu

Kansas Central School Bus experiences significant driver and staffing shortage due to the virus and had to combine routes to get all students to and from school.

Nicole Schlosser
Nicole SchlosserFormer Executive Editor
February 19, 2020
2 min to read


TOPEKA, Kan. — A school bus company here is experiencing significant driver shortage, with about one-third of its drivers and support staff absent as a result of the flu, and is not alone.

Kansas Central School Bus, a local division of North America Central School Bus, posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday about the shortage, and let parents know that it had notified schools, which it said would send notices to parents, and combined routes to cover all students.

“The best plan is to have your student ready early and start watching for buses,” the company said in the post. “Some stops may be late.”

Kansas Central advised in the post for parents of students who have waited 20 minutes past their stop time to call the company and not to give up if the lines are busy.

“Either way, we will pick up all students that need a ride,” the company added.

Kansas Central also recommended that parents sign up for Here Comes the Bus, its parent-facing app, for updates.

The school bus company had posted about possible delays on routes because of drivers being out sick with the flu since Friday.

View the Kansas Central School Bus post below.

Ad Loading...

Meanwhile, other schools recently struggled with exacerbated driver shortages related to the flu virus. In Tennessee, Sevier County School System was unable to run seven bus routes at the end of January, Knoxville News Sentinel reports, and in Ohio, Franklin City Schools had about one-third of their bus drivers (seven out of 22) call in sick the evening of Feb. 4, according to the Dayton Daily News.

In response, some districts are stepping up cleaning efforts in schools and on buses. Garnet Valley School District in Glen Mills, Pa., toughened its policy on keeping sick students out of school and has bus drivers sanitizing buses, FOX 29 Philadelphia reports. Bus drivers in Ohio are wiping seats with Clorox wipes after bus trips, according to the Norwalk Reflector, and Grand Prairie (Texas) Independent School District began sanitizing school buses at least once a week using an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer at the start of the 2019-20 school year, NBC DFW reports. The sprayer was previously only used in classrooms, according to the news source.

More Safety

School Bus Fleet’s The Route graphic featuring two people alongside the text, “The Secret to Better Bus Driver Training (It’s Not the Curriculum),” sponsored by IC Bus.
Sponsoredby Amanda HuggettSeptember 15, 2026

How to Build a Better School Bus Driver Training Program

Is it time to strengthen your driver training? Here’s how to pick the right talent and improve recruitment, retention, and safety. This video is brought to you by IC Bus.

Read More →
Graphic showing a yellow school bus behind a shattered-glass effect with the text, “Fatal Accident in a Bus Lot & Students Struck Near Bus Stops, Sept. 8–9, 2026.”
Safetyby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 13, 2026

Recent School Bus Accidents Leave 2 Dead, 2 Injured

Four school bus crashes in Florida, Illinois, and Georgia highlight risks in transportation lots, at bus stops, and during student loading and unloading.

Read More →
A female school bus driver in bus driver's seat speaking on radio with an inset of female with headphones looking at two monitors and buses in the background
SponsoredSeptember 8, 2026

When Every Second Matters, Clarity Keeps Routes Moving

From routine delays to urgent incidents, strong communication practices help drivers, dispatchers, schools, and families respond with confidence.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Firefighters spray water on a smoking Marietta City Schools school bus during a fire response drill.
Safetyby Amanda HuggettSeptember 8, 2026

What Happens When a School Bus Catches Fire — and What Can Help

School bus fires are rare but can be devastating. Learn how advances in fire suppression and asset protection help fleets detect fires earlier, reduce damage, and improve safety.

Read More →
Graphic promoting Geotab’s new fleet investigation tool, featuring a screenshot of the MyGeotab platform showing an incident timeline, vehicle activity, and mapped route data.
Safetyby News/Media ReleaseSeptember 1, 2026

Geotab Launches Tool to Help Fleets Investigate Road Incidents

Geotab Investigations combines telematics data, video, documents, and other evidence to help fleets reconstruct incidents, resolve claims, and determine what happened.

Read More →
Student-created poster titled “Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes” shows a yellow school bus at a crosswalk, students waiting nearby, and school bus safety reminders about stopping, school zones, safe pickup and drop-off, and buckling up.
Safetyby News/Media ReleaseAugust 31, 2026

Texas Sixth Grader Wins 2026 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest

Sai Darshana Yekolu of Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas, was named the newest winner for her artwork, bringing the theme of “Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes” to life.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cover of a Pro-Vision whitepaper titled “Doing More With Less: A Transportation Director’s Guide to Managing Safety Budget Uncertainty,” featuring school buses, a school transportation scene, and safety technology imagery.
SponsoredAugust 27, 2026

Doing More With Less: How Transportation Directors Can Prioritize Safety Amid Budget Uncertainty

With diesel prices soaring and nearly one-third of transportation directors expecting budget cuts, maintaining student safety has never been more challenging. Download this guide to learn how leading districts are prioritizing risk, funding critical safety technology, and building stronger budget cases with data.

Read More →
A Gatekeeper Systems camera mounted on the side of a school bus.
Safetyby Staff and News ReportsAugust 26, 2026

Walton County Schools Adds Gatekeeper Stop-Arm Enforcement System

The Florida district will deploy Gatekeeper’s updated Student Protector technology, which now incorporates AI to improve video evidence.

Read More →
Avigilon camera installation at Hamilton Township School District, New Jersey, with text reading "How to Build a More Secure School Bus Yard."
Safetyby Elora HaynesAugust 25, 2026

How To Build a More Secure School Bus Yard During and After Hours

As thefts and overnight security threats continue, school transportation leaders are combining stronger operational practices with AI-enabled surveillance to better protect buses, facilities, and staff.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Graphic featuring FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steve Dowling alongside the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration logo and U.S. Department of Transportation seal.
Safetyby Staff and News ReportsAugust 20, 2026

FMCSA Names New Chief Safety Officer: What School Bus Operators Should Know

Steve Dowling is set to lead the federal agency's efforts to advance commercial motor vehicle safety and reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries on the nation's roadways.

Read More →